When the five women of Japan’s artistic gymnastics team compete in the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, they’ll be wearing what everyone seems to have an opinion about: tights. Three years ago, female gymnasts representing Germany at the Tokyo Olympics made headlines with their unusual long-sleeved, long-legged unitards, which they said took a stand against sexualization in sport.
The Germans received widespread praise for their bold choice to forego the traditional leotard – which leaves the legs and part of the buttocks exposed – and some critics are bracing for the dawn of the Unitard era.
But that has not yet happened in Japan and elsewhere.
