this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2024
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143
Japan schools move to protect cheerleaders from upskirting at sporting events (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 9 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world
17 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Several schools have brought in shorts for cheerleaders at baseball tournament while another positioned teachers between the cheerleaders and spectators

High schools taking part in Japan’s annual spring baseball tournament are taking action to prevent spectators from taking sexualised photographs of female cheerleaders.

The invitational tournament – and a regular tournament held every summer at Koshien stadium near Osaka – are supposed to be a celebration of youthful sporting prowess and a chance for teenage boys from 32 schools around the country to make their mark and perhaps catch the eye of a professional ball club.

But in recent years the events have been marred by incidences of voyeurism, in which female members of cheerleading groups, often dressed in sleeveless tops and short skirts, are photographed without their consent, with the images posted online in some cases.

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[–] ickplant@lemmy.world 94 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (4 children)

This may be an unpopular opinion, but cheerleading is ALL about sexualizing young girls and women. Maybe get rid of it altogether.

Edit: Since this proved to be a popular opinion, let me get on my soap box. Not only does cheerleading unnecessarily sexualize girls, it's also the most dangerous sport for female athletes. There's really no reason for it, IMO.

collegiate cheerleading accounted for 70.5% of all female catastrophic sports injuries and high school cheerleading for 65.2% of all high school female sports injuries.

Source

[–] Dran_Arcana@lemmy.world 43 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It has always struck me as odd that people surprisedpikachuface.jpg whenever something inherently highly sexual is... checks notes sexualized by spectators.

I'm with you. Either educate, own it, and lean into it, or get rid of it.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

It's sexualized, but not sexual. Like beauty pageants.

Usually when kids do a sexualized thing, it's "supposed" to be cute and not sexual. "Haha, kids doing the adult things! Adorable." Or if it takes skill, "wow, so great for a kid. She'll be ready when she tries out as an adult".

But then the creeps come along and sexualize the kids doing a "cute" thing.

And it happens every time. By now, it should be expected; surprising to no one.

It doesn't mean we have to stop those things, unless we decide that we don't want adult cheerleaders or adult beauty pageants. I'm okay with that personally, but I get that it's an important cultural thing for a lot of people.

If we want these things for adults, then we need to let children do them, because cheerleading (in particular) is a sport, and the best adults are often the ones who practiced as children. Same as with sports.

I don't know how we keep those cultural activities and also stop the sexualization. Banning certain outfits or articles of clothing to certain age groups or during certain activities feels wrong, but not quite as wrong as condoning pedophilia...which is what a lot of children's beauty pageants and cheerleading clearly ends up being, even if unintentionally.

[–] feedum_sneedson@lemmy.world 20 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah, nothing sexual about those adolescent girls, nothing at all. Christ, was nobody here ever a teenager?

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

I was generally referring to children, not just minors. There are creeps who love the kinds of beauty pageants that Honey Boo Boo was in as a child.

But yes, you're absolutely right. We should expect that there are going to be some people who are attracted to post-pubescent minors, and there are going to be some creeps among those people who will make everything worse for everyone.

[–] Shadowedcross@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I feel like child beauty pageants are especially disgusting, to be honest. I can't imagine them being anything but harmful to the children participating in them, especially when forced to by parents who just want to feed their own ego.

[–] otp@sh.itjust.works 2 points 9 months ago

I definitely agree. I think beauty pageants are pretty disgusting, but child beauty pageants cross several terrible lines for me.

But it's a cultural thing. I'm not an expert, so I don't want to necessarily shame it unless I know that it's inherently harmful to children (and can't be modified to be no more harmful than forcing a kid to join a club they hate).

[–] johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I mean there is quite a bit of athletics involved, it's not exclusively female, and I don't think it's more sexualized than just...dancing. Also high school and college cheerleading is pretty different than the cheerleading in pro sports.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 21 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Sure, but the skirts and skimpy tops are unnecessary. Though, if you de-sexified the outfits i guarantee interest would drop.

[–] MeDuViNoX@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 months ago

-50% cheer & +25% leading

[–] Everythingispenguins@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

But then how am I going to sexualize them /s

[–] Shadowedcross@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

The duality of man. In another post about this news there was someone saying that it's a silly thing to be concerned about. But I agree, it should be discontinued, though at least this makes it somewhat less offensive.

[–] LostXOR@fedia.io 39 points 9 months ago

The sportswear manufacturer Mizuno has developed a special fabric it says will deter voyeurs from secretly using infrared cameras that produce a “see-through” effect.

The fact that people do this enough to warrant a special fabric to prevent it is absolutely disgusting.

[–] gmtom@lemmy.world 10 points 9 months ago

Upskirting? But cheerleaders wear sports shorts under the skirts because they routinely do moves that flip up their skirts?

[–] BradleyUffner@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Have they tried letting them wear actual clothing, instead of virtually nothing?

[–] Firipu@startrek.website 3 points 9 months ago

It's interesting that cheerleaders still dress like that in Japan imo. Habits are hard to change, especially in the land of the rising sun :)

National fashion became very conservative in the past 10-15 years. Like almost not even a bare shoulder conservative. Skirts also became much longer in recent times. The ultra mini skirts that Japan was famous for are also on their way out. The whole legging craze that hit the rest of the world never even made it to Japan.

Just let the cheerleaders wear more clothes?

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 3 points 9 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

But in recent years the events have been marred by incidences of voyeurism, in which female members of cheerleading groups, often dressed in sleeveless tops and short skirts, are photographed without their consent, with the images posted online in some cases.

Earlier this week, girls from Takasaki high school in Gunma prefecture, north-west of Tokyo, performed in shorts that had been designed to complement the uniforms worn by its baseball team.

“Voyeuristic photos can potentially cause lifelong emotional damage to our students,” said Takasaki teacher Kohei Shiozawa, according to the public broadcaster NHK.

In 2020, the Japan Olympic Committee described upskirting and other forms of secret photography targeting female athletes as “despicable”, warning that it would empower stadium officials to check images taken by spectators during the Tokyo Games.

The sportswear manufacturer Mizuno has developed a special fabric it says will deter voyeurs from secretly using infrared cameras that produce a “see-through” effect.

The firm plans to make the textile commercially available for track and field uniforms, sports bras and swimsuits, according to the Asahi Shimbun.

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