[Jiujitsu] BJJ girls and sports bra : What to wear?

I am writing this because I've heard many girls' worry about this issue , whether women should wear rash guards or it's okay to wear only sports bra under the gi.

(I thought this worry only exist in my country, South Korea , that has a kind of conservative culture especially something about women, but realized a lot of girls around the world are actually worrying this.)

 

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(photo-http://www.bjjee.com/bjj-news/2015-ibjjf-rules-clarification-on-use-of-sports-bra-rashguard-for-women/)

 

I usually wear t-shirts or rash guards under the gi when I train BJJ.

But sometimes, I go train without them, but only wearing sports bra under the gi. I mean, shirt-free with a sports bra.

Particularly when the weather gets hot in the summer.

For me, it is nothing wrong or something I shouldn't do. I don't feel any sexual.

 

I of course don't care the fact that  I am the only one in the bjj class who wears only sports bra under the gi.

And other people also don't seem to care about it.

Because it is just sports bra. The one designed for sports, comfort & safety.

Also there are many guys who train without shirts or rash guard.

 

But, It seems that this is something girls shouldn't do, for someone's thought ..

 

They ask girls to put on a shirts, giving these kinds of reasons.

- Sports bra should be treated like normal bras. (underwear)

- They(girls who only wear sports bra) want to be stared by guys.

   (They pretend to work out but what they really want is attracting guy's attention)

- It distracts other people from training BJJ.

- As for BJJ, it's super high-contacted sports. So only sports bra under the gi is inappropriate.

 

And there were even guy himself topless who said this ..

There were also girls who wanted to wear only sports bra but felt this uncomfortable herself because she worried what/how other people think of her.

 

I honestly don’t understand why this is even an issue for anyone.

When I lived in Israel and Ecuador for a few months, many women who were jogging or some exercising just wore sports bra and leggings not only in a gym but also at outside.

But nobody cared about it and it never crossed my mind as if it looked inappropriate. I didn't feel uncomfortable neither distracted.

 

 

   (photo- http://www.bjjee.com/articles/angelica-galvao-my-husband-andre-is-my-inspiration/)

 

 

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This, requiring women wear rash guards/shirts when men are going around with bare chested is an unfair double standard. It seems like to say, 'women's breasts have sex appeal. But men's are not.'

Can some guys be distracted by women's cleavage?

Then, some ladies can be distracted by men's bare chest.  

Well, I don't wanna say, ' eye for eye, tooth for tooth.'.

I just want to say, let's not use a double standard for men and women's body.

 

I want to say to girls who are wondered if she can wear only sports bra under the gi at the gym, that she should ask the gym's master/instructor first (since the gym might have its own rule.).

Well, to be more precisely, regardless of gender, if they are one of the members of the gym, they should ask the master's opinion first cause there are always a rule in a group.

 

 

If there is no specific dress rule like , both men and women should wear rash guard or like so,

Don't give a shit to other people's staring and murmurs, as long as it's not against the gym's policy.

Just focus on training and yourself.

 

Woman's breast was not a sexual thing until the male chauvinism world had commercialized, oversexualized it for its greed.