Nike Olympic track uniform criticized as ‘patriarchal’

NIKE has unveiled Team USA’s new track and field uniforms for athletes to compete during the Paris Olympic Games this summer, but what was supposed to be an exciting first look at the uniforms turned into a disaster for the company as comments flooded instagram criticizing the design.

“Tell me it was male designers without telling me it was male designers,” wrote professional runner Jessica Hanson in a comment that got more than 11,000 likes. “This is clearly a joke …. I’m someone’s mother, I can’t expose myself like that. Where are the shorts?! haha”, commented two-time Paralympic champion Femita Ayanbeku.

The designs, which were revealed last week, were displayed on a male and female shaped mannequin. The male mannequin had a conventional top and shorts combination, while the female mannequin wore something that looked more like a swimsuit and appeared to be especially revealing in the pubic area.

Sinclair Johnson, a professional runner sponsored by Nike, defended the company saying that she had participated in the design testing process and that the image of the mannequin was misleading. “Hahaha these comments got me but Nike included several of us in the kit testing process and I can assure you the bottoms don’t look like this on a real human,” she wrote on Instagram.

Nike responded by saying that the designs shown in the image were just a selection from 50 possible styles and combinations, and that female athletes had several options to choose from, including some with shorts.

“We showcased some of the new Olympic uniforms at the Nike On Air experience in Paris – but as we are just months away from the Games and working with limited samples in a limited format presentation, not all looks and styles were showcased,” said a statement. Nike Spokesperson told NPR. Nike has not yet responded to TIME’s request for comment.

However, many still believe that women’s screen design, being so different from men’s screen design, is evidence of sexism.

“Women’s kits must be at the service of performance, mental and physical. If this clothing were truly beneficial for physical performance, men would wear it,” wrote Lauren Fleshman, retired professional track and field athlete, on Instagram. “This is a costume born of patriarchal forces that are no longer welcome or necessary to bring attention to women’s sport.”

Olympic pole vault gold medalist Katie Moon, who is also sponsored by Nike, criticized the uniforms but rejected calls to make men’s and women’s uniforms as similar as possible. “I personally like the buns because I want as little fabric sticking to me when I’m hot and sweaty (which happens in 99% of the competitions I compete in). The point is that we DO have a choice in what we wear, and whether we feel better in a potato sack or a swimsuit during competitions, we should support autonomy.” she wrote on Instagram.