The men’s and women’s gymnastics team posters, hanging side by side, at UC Berkeley.
It’s not just the uniforms and skin exposed (the men get to wear pants that cover their legs and feet and the women don’t, the women’s uniforms are glittery/sequined and the men’s are not) it’s also the posing (the men are just standing, the women are contorting their bodies into what I would guess are supposed to be enticing postures) and the styling (the women have their hair done and are all wearing makeup).
Yes, gymnastics is about flexibility, but it’s also about strength and athleticism. The men get to stand and thump their chests and chalk their hands. Why can’t the women do the same? Imagine if the men were posing like the women were. Wouldn’t it look ridiculous? Imagine now the men are also wearing glittery uniforms that show half their ass and leave their legs bare. The men are shaved and are all wearing makeup and hair gel in addition to the poses the women are doing, legs kicked high and quarter turns with arms flared. If you think that imagined image is degrading for the men’s team, then it is equally degrading for the women’s team too. You’re just used to women being degradeed.