When the five women on Japan’s artistic gymnastics team compete at the Paris Olympics this summer, they will wear what everyone seems to have an opinion about: leotards.
Three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, female gymnasts representing Germany made headlines for their unusual long-sleeved, long-legged unitards, which they said was a stand against sexualization in the sport.
The Germans received widespread praise for their bold choice to forgo the traditional leotard — which leaves the legs and part of the buttocks bare — and some critics braced for the start of the unitard era.