Body Image Taboos Holding Girls Back From Playing Sport, Experts Warn

Taboos astir women’s bodies are holding girls backmost from pursuing athletics into adulthood and preventing nan creation of “a procreation of fresh and patient women”, a parliamentary committee has heard.

With surveys showing 64% of girls springiness up athletics by nan extremity of puberty, experts told nan women and equalities committee that a complete oversea alteration successful knowing astir nan effect of athletics connected female bodies is required, but that specified a alteration is imaginable and “if we get it correct we’d beryllium connected a winning streak”.

Speaking successful beforehand of nan committee, Tanni Grey-Thompson framed nan standard of nan situation aft different twelvemonth of awesome sporting occurrence for women astatine nan elite level. “The summertime of athletics has been amazing, location are ever spikes successful information that travel but you person sewage to person much than conscionable nan inspirational moments, you person to person programmes down it,” she said. “What’s really important is that we person a procreation of fresh and patient women, and 80% are not fresh capable to beryllium patient – and that’s because of each nan barriers to information we cognize about.”

Challenges astir beingness information and nan continuing emergence successful maltreatment of master athletes are large-scale issues that power nan problem, Lady Grey-Thompson said.

According to Dr Emma Ross, nan main technological serviceman astatine women’s athletics consultancy The Well HQ, location are besides smaller barriers that could beryllium removed pinch awesome benefit.

“Sport is an astonishing spot for america to thatch girls astir their bodies,” she said. “We cognize that complete half of girls will skip athletics erstwhile they are connected their period. Over half person issues pinch their breasts erstwhile undertaking beingness activity, beryllium that pain, activity aliases fearfulness of judgment; 40% of girls during puberty person urinary accent incontinence.

“You inquire girls to usage their bodies and past their bodies do things that don’t consciousness for illustration they activity pinch sport; for illustration having a period, for illustration processing breasts, for illustration leaking urine erstwhile you’re jumping around. But we don’t create an situation that says ‘this is normal and here’s what we tin do astir it’. If we tin get that correct we’d beryllium connected a winning streak.”

Ross said she believed that girls becoming comfortable talking astir their bodies is key, alongside coaches who are some empathetic and educated. “It’s not easy to do but it doesn’t require money,” she said. “What it does require is everyone successful that abstraction emotion comfortable talking astir nan taxable and they often don’t.”