Colombian women's cycling team jerseys !

The tax man

From YLYL:

Alek

They all look, ekhem, like Barbies

Kinet1c

Damn tan lines!

rollingscone

gadetra wrote: »

Oh for fúck sake :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Took me a while to get what was amiss. Took me a horrified moment longer to ping the difference in skin tone on the left.

Still utterly mystified though. Has this team taken Sepp Blatter on as an image consultant?

blobbie

rollingscone wrote: »

Took me a while to get what was amiss. Took me a horrified moment longer to ping the difference in skin tone on the left.

Still utterly mystified though. Has this team taken Sepp Blatter on as an image consultant?

Brian Cookson OBE ‏@BrianCooksonUCI 16m
To the many who have raised the issue of a certain women's team kit, we are on the case. It is unacceptable by any standard of decency.

eeeee

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

The pic on the previous page. A blatantly sexist and misogynistic kit for a women's cycling team, subjugating genuine female athletic achievement to a moronic, puerile, patriarchal notion of what female athleticism is.

The stupid, neandarthal cúnt who designed/thought that kit is acceptable should be banned from women's sport full stop. It's humiliating. Christ **** like that makes my blood boil. Prick. :mad:

It's not even about decency, it's about equality and respect. Being seen has an athlete, what they are, not as sexual objects for predilection.

Eamonnator

gadetra wrote: »

The pic on the previous page. A blatantly sexist and misogynistic kit for a women's cycling team, subjugating genuine female athletic achievement to a moronic, puerile, patriarchal notion of what female athleticism is.

The stupid, neandarthal cúnt who designed/thought that kit is acceptable should be banned from women's sport full stop. It's humiliating. Christ **** like that makes my blood boil. Prick. :mad:

It's not even about decency, it's about equality and respect. Being seen has an athlete, what they are, not as sexual objects for predilection.

I agree with everything, you say.
This is the kit of the Columbian Cycling Team at a race in Italy.
I cannot understand, how the Columbian Federation allowed this.
I don't understand, how the the race organisers allowed it.
But, I don't understand, how any woman would demean herself to the extent, that she would wear such an outfit.

eeeee

Eamonnator wrote: »

I agree with everything, you say.
This is the kit of the Columbian Cycling Team at a race in Italy.
I cannot understand, how the Columbian Federation allowed this.
I don't understand, how the the race organisers allowed it.
But, I don't understand, how any woman would demean herself to the extent, that she would wear such an outfit.

I suppose there are so few genuine opportunities for female pro's, that they felt it was worth all the attendant hideousness of it for the chance to race at such a prestigious event, and all the exposure etc. they would get with it. I imagine some said no, but others may not be in a position to say no, given the state of women's cycling (certainly in comparison to the male equivalent). And they say there's no need for feminism :rolleyes:

rollingscone

I'm still bracing myself for the inevitable ''Ah shure yis r all too politically correct. It's only a bit of craic''.

For reference see the hunky dorys rugby ads from a few years ago.

magicbastarder

gadetra wrote: »

The stupid, neandarthal cúnt who designed/thought that kit is acceptable should be banned from women's sport full stop. It's humiliating. Christ **** like that makes my blood boil. Prick. :mad:

there's a principle which i have found useful to bear in mind - be careful to blame on malice what can more easily be blamed on incompetence.

Skrynesaver

magicbastarder wrote: »

there's a principle which i have found useful to bear in mind - be careful to blame on malice what can more easily be blamed on incompetence.

Incompetence is one thing, the design, approval for manufacture and the decision to ask the athletes to wear this kit speaks of a cultural malice towards women that needs to be appraised of how it is is viewed externally.

The national federation should be fined heavily, this goes beyond one individual's ignorance...

Kinet1c

Where they the podium gear or race gear? Disrespectful either way. You can be sure they thought "oh this will go viral"...not in the way they hoped.

Brian?

magicbastarder wrote: »

there's a principle which i have found useful to bear in mind - be careful to blame on malice what can more easily be blamed on incompetence.

That was my first thought, it was a stupid mistake. But in all honesty, the first time someone actually put the thing on your couldn't miss it.

It's a disgrace.

Brian?

Brian? wrote: »

That was my first thought, it was a stupid mistake. But in all honesty, the first time someone actually put the thing on your couldn't miss it.

It's a disgrace.

Now I'm properly bamboozled:

http://m.bbc.com/sport/cycling/29203890

It was designed by one of the team members!

ROK ON

gadetra wrote: »

The pic on the previous page. A blatantly sexist and misogynistic kit for a women's cycling team, subjugating genuine female athletic . . .
It's not even about decency, it's about equality and respect. Being seen has an athlete, what they are, not as sexual objects for predilection.

I must be one of the very few souls who saw that kit and did not think that it was designed for the reasons that you stated in the above quote.

I thought that the beige stripe was hideous in the way that Footon Servetos kit was hideous. I must be naive (or thick skinned) or both.
If it was designed to convey any of the issues that you brought up then yes of course it is Neanderthal. But other than that it is simply another luridly horrible piece of Lycra - male cyclists have had to wear that nonsense for years.

magicbastarder

Brian? wrote: »

It was designed by one of the team members!

oh dear. the BBC have seen fit to place a black bar over what is technically not a nude shot.

mamax

Can't help but wonder why

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2756113/Time-change-gear-Colombian-women-s-cycling-team-appear-Brazilians-bizarre-flesh-coloured-kit.html

And would any of our female boards members wear it

manafana

magicbastarder wrote: »

oh dear. the BBC have seen fit to place a black bar over what is technically not a nude shot.

a lot made out of nothing, a crap kit but hardly news worthy

godtabh

mamax wrote: »

Can't help but wonder why

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2756113/Time-change-gear-Colombian-women-s-cycling-team-appear-Brazilians-bizarre-flesh-coloured-kit.html

And would any of our female boards members wear it

Been posted already

Eamonnator

manafana wrote: »

a lot made out of nothing, a crap kit but hardly news worthy

Brian Cookson doesn't agree with you, nor does Olympic Gold medallist Nicole Cooke.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/uci-president-blasts-unacceptable-naked-cycling-kits-30588059.html

Iranoutofideas

Eamonnator wrote: »

Brian Cookson doesn't agree with you, nor does Olympic Gold medallist Nicole Cooke.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/uci-president-blasts-unacceptable-naked-cycling-kits-30588059.html

Is he for fcuking real?

There is nothing to it other than a hideously poor choice of colour.

moonshadow

godtabh wrote: »

Been posted already

Nothing like encouraging new posters

Brian?

manafana wrote: »

a lot made out of nothing, a crap kit but hardly news worthy

If it was a kit for a men's team I'd agree. For a women's team, it's a disgrace.


I think.

slap/dash

#misogyny

mamax

godtabh wrote: »

Been posted already

I did have a look but could not see it, anyway I added a question for the ladies who frequent the cycling forums and in fairness an amusing topic like this deserves it's own thread instead of it bringing some other thread off topic

Iranoutofideas

Madness.


I mean not everything is a conspiracy against women. Sometimes it is as simple as a **** kit design.

rollingscone

Iranoutofideas wrote: »

Madness.


I mean not everything is a conspiracy against women. Sometimes it is as simple as a **** kit design.

The fact that you're on the counter attack against these alleged conspiracies doesn't bode well.

It's not a conspiracy if it's in the open. Right now I guarantee you a few dozen missed opportunities for summary execution are out there making threats of sexual violence against some woman on Twitter or Facebook for speaking critically about this.

'Common sense' has a poor track record for evidence and a worrying consistency with easy positions that maintain the advantage of the 'sensible' people.

Zyzz

mamax wrote: »

I did have a look but could not see it, anyway I added a question for the ladies who frequent the cycling forums and in fairness an amusing topic like this deserves it's own thread instead of it bringing some other thread off topic

*waits for gadetra*

eeeee

Brian? wrote: »

Now I'm properly bamboozled:

http://m.bbc.com/sport/cycling/29203890

It was designed by one of the team members!

That makes it even worse. How sad that a sports woman thought implied nudity would be a good thing for a team of female athletes. That's really sad. The only justifiable reason for it I can of from a female perspective is that it is a feminist statement about the comodification of the female body, the hyper sexualisation of femininity and woman, a la Valie Export or Carlee Schneeman or Judy Chicago or other first wave feminist style piece.

But I strongly fear it isn't, given the culture we are in at the moment and the culture our generation of women grew up in. So, so, so disappointing. Internalized, unconscious sexism

eeeee

Brian? wrote: »

If it was a kit for a men's team I'd agree. For a women's team, it's a disgrace.


I think.

It trivialises (sp?) and demeans both equally.

Wasn't there a men's team out before called Nearly Naked Men? Just as bad, just different baggage.

eeeee

mamax wrote: »

I did have a look but could not see it, anyway I added a question for the ladies who frequent the cycling forums and in fairness an amusing topic like this deserves it's own thread instead of it bringing some other thread off topic

Amusing topic eh? Duo you find it amusing that female athletes are objectified, sexualised, demeaned and disrespected this way? Ok :rolleyes:

It's been discussed in the of topic thread above. I am sure you are capable of finding and joining in the discussion already happening on this subject. It's just up top.

The opinions of the women on this subject are no more or no less valid than the men of this forum.

Zyzz I tried really hard to resist. I really did. :pac:

ETA Just read the OP again. I though you said what do the female forum members think about the kit, not either they'd wear it. Are you fcuking serious? I hope for the sake of human kind you are just shyte stirring, which of course you are. I'm going to stop right there with that.

Darkglasses

gadetra wrote: »

It trivialises (sp?) and demeans both equally.

Wasn't there a men's team out before called Nearly Naked Men? Just as bad, just different baggage.

Team Near Naked Men was just a publicity/attention stunt for charity, not a real team.

We all know men's cycling has a particularly blasé attitude to male nudity - just look at our own party bus thread. It's a way of making fun of ourselves for the pretty unusual sports clothing we wear I guess.

It's clear that there's a different sensitivity present when it comes to women's cycling, which the Colombian designers maybe should have been more careful of. Whether it was intentional or not remains to be known I think and I'll reserve judgement of the whole situation for now. It doesn't really look skin-coloured to me in this picture for example, but it definitely does in the first picture that came out. I think it's best to hold back on really harsh criticism until we find out a bit more about how the kit came to be.

seany15

No matter who designed that kit, it was an absolutely brilliant piece of marketing. Look at it without a gender bias, purely from a sales perspective; how much internet has it generated? How many people have seen those sponsors? Here we are debating it 3 days i think after I first seen it. Outstanding. I don't imagine it would have had the same impact if it were a men's team that did it. It should generate revenue for them for another couple of years, because it's not going to fade away.

If you want to sell, make it memorable, Marketing 101. Can't say that those kits aren't that at least.

eeeee

Darkglasses wrote: »

Team Near Naked Men was just a publicity/attention stunt for charity, not a real team.

We all know men's cycling has a particularly blasé attitude to male nudity - just look at our own party bus thread. It's a way of making fun of ourselves for the pretty unusual sports clothing we wear I guess.
,

-

With all due respect it's utterly, entirely, different from the attitude to male nudity in cycling or what the party Bus is about.

Darkglasses

Moved posts from off-topic thread to here

NIMAN

You know the way some people can see optical illusions and others can't, well I can't see anything rude about that kit tbh.

I have had a good look several times(!!) and I can see what its meant to be doing, but I don't see it as something shocking at all. I don't see nude women in it.

Cookie_Monster

NIMAN wrote: »

You know the way some people can see optical illusions and others can't, well I can't see anything rude about that kit tbh.

I have had a good look several times(!!) and I can see what its meant to be doing, but I don't see it as something shocking at all. I don't see nude women in it.

+1

I really don't get the big deal here, it's just a beige-ish colour and not really skin tone at all.
The topic has been blown out of all proportions IMO

ZiabR

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

+1

I really don't get the big deal here, it's just a beige-ish colour and not really skin tone at all.
The topic has been blown out of all proportions IMO

It was most likely started as a laugh only for some people to take it to seriously and then it goes viral...

slap/dash

logik wrote: »

It was most likely started as a laugh only for some people to take it to seriously and then it goes viral...

There's nothing funny about a culture of sexual oppression

Kaisr Sose

Should have used a colour thats closer to the dark skin of the team!

Way OTT reactions here and cool the jets on bad lanuguage.

NeedMoreGears

seany15 wrote: »

... it was an absolutely brilliant piece of marketing.....

I'm not sure about that - my lasting impression is that the columbian team management are sexist and possibly racist given that skin tones didn't match. I don't know who the sponsor is (if there is one) - so that didn't work. And they've managed to alienate a very substantial portion of the market. That image has had huge circulation outside the cycling world.

In any event I don't think that "brilliance" or otherwise justifies this kit design.

newport2

5 things you should know about the Colombian cycling kit:

http://www.chasingwheels.com/road-racing/professional-road-racing/5-things-you-should-know-about-that-colombian-cycling-kit

quozl

If this quote from the above link is true

2. It’s not flesh or nude, it’s gold.
There are numerous tweets to this effect from people who have been paying attention. Lycra done as gold effect never photographs well.

then this is all an unfortunate misunderstanding.

I've never photographed gold lycra Is there any reason to believe that it actually isn't gold as stated above?

newport2

quozl wrote: »

If this quote from the above link is true



then this is all an unfortunate misunderstanding.

I've never photographed gold lycra Is there any reason to believe that it actually isn't gold as stated above?

I read somewhere else from someone who said they'd seen the kit in person that it was plainly gold to the eye in real life. She thought the photos circulating were a bit photo-shopped to create the predictable outrage. If that's true, it makes more sense of the fact that one of the women on the team designed it.

gallag

NeedMoreGears wrote: »

the columbian team management are sexist and possibly racist given that skin tones didn't match.

Jesus, I know the word racist gets thrown around a lot these days but come on fella, racist? Go have a long hard think about that ffs.

magicbastarder

a graphic designer friend of mine would use this as proof that only designers should be left to design things like this.

eeeee

I think it has highlighted just how ' seriously' female athletes are taken, and also highlighted some scary attitudes of what is acceptable and what is not on in terms of how they are seen and judged, and it isn't good. This is now the most prevalent image of women's cycling out there, and it's not gone viral as an example of how ' gold' lycra photographs, it's gone viral because of the suggested nudity of the female professional athletes, and all the attendant disrespect and misogyny that goes with it.

slap/dash wrote: »

There's nothing funny about a culture of sexual oppression

This, this, a million this this.

Storm in a tea cup? Maybe you haven't had cars pull in across lanes of traffic to shout at you, or lean out Windows or even just groups of lads point out Bits of your anatomy, and just what they would like to do to you when you're out training, because I have, and it's not a rare occurrence either. :rolleyes:
Comparatively few women cycle, and this, combined with the shouting and the myriad of other shytty behaviors by other male cyclists on the road does not help the case. Our bodies are so, so, so mediated and judged before you put on the lycra, and I knew The majority of my female friends find that a barrier right from the of, this kind of furore isn't going to encourage them to abandon their insecurities about being judged and enjoy their sport. This all before you Getty onto the wider issues I have already mentioned and quoted above.

So yeah. It's kind of a big deal.

quozl

I agree with all you're saying Gadetra but I think it is important to note that if those outfits really are gold then the people responsible for them, who are getting accused of mysogyny and even racism in this thread and around the internet, are innocent.

Ire should be directed at people making unpleasant comments about the cyclists, the daily mail and other tabloid papers and even possibly Brian Cookson for jumping on this publicly without getting his facts straight.

It's a team of women cycling in a uniform one of them designed themselves. If it really isn't fake-flesh tone then it's important to stop all the bad mouthing of those women and their management.

It doesn't detract from your points but it is separate and also important.

Daroxtar

gadetra wrote: »

and it's not gone viral as an example of how ' gold' lycra photographs, it's gone viral because of the suggested nudity of the female professional athletes, anal the attendant disrespect and misogyny that goes with it.

Freudian slip much????

ednwireland

Darkglasses wrote: »

. It doesn't really look skin-coloured to me in this picture for example, but it definitely does in the first picture that came out.

exactly what i thought no-one would be shouting if that picture was published, just wonder how much tweaking of the outrage picture was done to get it to look like that.

pelevin

I get Gadetra's rage if the kit is perceived as intentionally exploitative, etc but tobh after hearing of the apparent furore & then seeing the kit, I couldn't make out what people were excited about. I'm a bit colour-blind & don't perceive subtle shade differences as sharply as others do but at no stage did this kit suggest flesh to me. It would be better to have relatively dark colours below the waistline but that's about as much as could come to mind in terms of furore.

That it was designed by a team-member, that her fellow team-members probably ok'd it with her, that it's advertisers' colours, etc suggests it's all an accidental rather than an intentional issue; but given that some/many people clearly do feel they are seeing or perceiving an inappropriate kit, then of course they should change it.