Just because we’re a feminist fitness blog, that doesn’t mean we only care about women and women’s sports.
It’s not even the case that all the bloggers identify as women. Some of us are genderqueer or nonbinary, and we all advocate for the inclusion of trans and nonbinary athletes in sports. Broadly speaking, we’re interested in areas of sport, fitness, and movement where a feminist analysis applies. We’re a feminist blog, not just a women’s sports and fitness blog.
I say that because I’m about to discuss an issue about uniforms and men’s gymnastics. Whenever I write about men, I inevitably get comments saying “I thought this was a feminist blog.” It is. And my feminism includes fairness and inclusion for men, too. Another way of putting it (this came up in an online discussion of men’s health the other day) is that the best analysis of many of the ways things go wrong for people is a feminist analysis.
Okay, back to men’s sports and uniforms. I first read about the issue on Slate: Men’s Gymnastics Uniforms Leave Nothing to the Imagination. One Olympian Is Trying to Change That
“Winter Cup, an elite gymnastics competition that takes place at the end of February, is normally a sleepy event, garnering the attention only of hardcore fans. Last weekend, however, the traditional opening meet of the 2025 American season broke out of the “gymternet” and into regular-person news—for its men’s competition, even! Is this because Pommel Horse Guy is back on his Superman game? Amazingly, no. Instead, coverage centered on University of Michigan junior Frederick Richard—whom some in the gymnastics media (ahem) have called the future of the sport—and his one-man protest against its antiquated apparel standards.
Allow me to explain. Or, rather, allow Mr. Richard to explain. In the lead-up to the competition, Richard, who is known for his savvy social media presence and community outreach, dropped several teasers on his numerous feeds in which he explained that the regulation men’s uniform required by the International Gymnastics Federation is deeply unpleasant for him to wear, and as such, he doesn’t want to wear it anymore.”
Here’s Richard on Instagram: “I’m changing the gymnastics uniform and will be deducted for it. But that’s what it takes to create change. The sport made me and now it’s time for me to make the sport.”
See Richard: More than an athlete, a game changer, The Round-off Roundup: Male gymnasts deserve functionality in their attire too, and Olympic medalist Frederick Richard is aiming to change men’s gymnastics with a fresh uniform for more background.
From the NBC story, “The new uniform is part of Richard’s larger plan to bring men’s gymnastics into the sports zeitgeist.
“I feel like these next four years for me is, like, my arc of changing the sport,” Richard said. “Not just changing rules or changing uniforms, but bring more eyes to the sport, partner with different athletes, partner with different artists, partner with different people, to bring eyes to gymnastics and to tell my story.”
Growing up, Richard recalled “feeling uncomfortable or kind of embarrassed to tell people that I do gymnastics” for many reasons, but the uniform was a big one.”
We’ve written about the issue of skimpy uniforms in women’s sports. See here and here. And the values for me, in both men’s and women’s sports that matter here are are choice and inclusion. Those are feminist values and we here at Fit is a Feminist Issue applaud the efforts of Richard to change the culture of men’s gymnastics.
Just like women can play rugby, men can compete in gymnastics. And just like women should be able to play beach volleyball in the uniforms that make them comfortable, so too boys and men who compete in gymnastics ought to be able to do so in a uniform they’re not embarrassed to wear.
