Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Lingerie Football League uniforms aren’t functional; Wardrobe malfunctions continue

Fans of the Lingerie Football League enjoy both the sport and watching attractive women run around in skimpy uniforms.
I don’t have a problem with revealing athletic outfits in women’s sports, but they should be functional. LFL uniforms aren’t functional.
Players shouldn’t be mooning the crowd when they’re escaping a tackle. And they shouldn’t have to wear pasties to avoid a nip slip because their top is inadvertently pulled down during a play.
Italian-language blog Very Special Girls on May 8 posted a photo (above) of the latest LFL wardrobe malfunction. It occurred May 5 in Mexico City during the league’s All Fantasy Game. Cleveland Crush cornerback Tamara Fennell exposed her rear end during one play.
Fennell suffered a similar wardrobe malfunction in an LFL game in Brisbane, Australia, on June 2, according to Very Special Girls. SMP Images of Australia caught another angle of the action.
On June 9, at an LFL game in Sydney, it was Jaleesa McCrary’s turn to get her panties pulled down. (See photos at Zimbio.)
Instead of modified lingerie, these athletes could be wearing sports bras and shorts. Still call it the LFL, but make the first “L” stand for “Ladies.”
Women wear skimpy, form-fitting uniforms in beach volleyball, tennis, and track and field. But they’re sexy and functional.
Occasionally a sports columnist will write about how inappropriate the outfits worn by some female athletes are. I wonder if there were similar complaints during the ancient Olympic games when athletes competed in the nude.
Male and female athletes have always traded on their looks and sex appeal. They use their appearance as much as their sports prowess to attract fans and advertisers.
The Lingerie Football League has taken flak for its uniforms since it launched in 2009.
On Nov. 29, 2011, LFL officials posted a note on the league’s Facebook page about a Business Insider article called “The Sexiest Athletes Alive.”
“Take notice uptight people and conservative media that solely target the LFL,” the league rep wrote. “Sex appeal has been used by both genders for years in marketing themselves as athletes or their chosen sport. At least at the LFL, the league is upfront about it.”

Update: For the uncensored photos, check out the LFL Wardrobe Malfunctions blog.

Articles addressing sex appeal and uniforms in women’s sports:

Aussie Chloe Butler is a big hit in the Lingerie Football League (The Courier Mail, Australia; Nov. 18, 2011)

50 Skimpiest Outfits in Sports (Bleacher Report; Nov. 16, 2011)

WTA’s new campaign shows why tennis No. 1 women’s sport (Orlando Sentinel; May 26, 2011)

Venus Williams French Open outfit: “The illusion of bare skin is beautiful” (Orlando Sentinel; May 27, 2010)

In Tennis, Fashion Police Look the Other Way (New York Times; May 26, 2010)

Badminton Orders Women to Wear Skirts (Newser; May 27, 2011)

LPGA Purists Furious Over Olivia Munn’s Under Armour Golf Uniform (The Backyard; Sept. 6, 2011)

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