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What Every Volleyball Mom Should Know

A little note to the Volleyball Moms out there.

Jane is playing volleyball these days and it’s just terrific. It’s a sport that kids come to a little later so there’s less parental involvement on the court than there is with other sports. I may have just lucked out with Jane’s particular group but the volleyball parents are absolutely wonderful. The coaches are also amazing.

As amazing as volleyball is I need every parent to know why there should be no cameras at your daughter’s volleyball matches.

These are Jane’s shorts.

Volleyball shorts

The first time she wore them she was clearly uncomfortable. She’d be tugging at them and pulling them down. To be frank Mr. G. and I were also a little uncomfortable just looking at her in them. Our daughter’s shorts were smaller and tighter than our son’s underwear. I tell myself that this is okay because she’s an athletic girl and it’s different than being the girl dancing on the sidelines while the boys shoot hoops.

I didn’t actually believe my self-talk. Who would?

I’m resigned to the fact that shorty shorts are the volleyball uniform. I’m not happy about it but it’s not the battle I’m about to wage as certainly it’s not one that I’m likely to win. Jane would lose.

So after a million misgivings about sexy looking shorts on my thirteen year old daughter I learned to suck it up and smile. Now when I look at her and her teammates I see athletic young women who run around gymnasium floors and leap vertically to hit the ball with an outstretched arm. There is no mistaking a volleyball player for anything other than an athlete when she is on the court.

Unless you’re a guy with a camera.

When I log out of google (logging out matters because it won’t be a personalized search) and search the term “volleyball shorts” these are the images that come up.

Volleyball_Shorts

If you feel a little sick to your stomach, if you feel a little bad that clearly underage girls are objectified like that then you know how I feel.

There are entire pages of Reddit devoted to girls in volleyball shorts. If you visit these pages you’ll probably feel a mix of rage and shame. If you feel excited I hope you’re a 13 year old boy and not a pedophile, the girls are… well, they’re little girls.

http://www.reddit.com/r/VolleyballGirls/

Of course a month ago Reddit had a “necessary change in policy” outlined here. It includes:

We have very few rules here on reddit; no spamming, no cheating, no personal info, nothing illegal, and no interfering the site’s functions. Today we are adding another rule: No suggestive or sexual content featuring minors.

Although noble(ish) Reddit hasn’t been able to enforce this well. Reddit is not the whole  internet, to many it is the perfect representative, but Reddit is just a tiny corner of the internet and there are sites devoted to girls in volleyball shorts with nothing but crotch shots.

There are some important takeaways here for all the volleyball parents.

  • Do not share photos of your daughter’s volleyball team online without double checking for photos you want to keep private. This includes email.
  • Do not allow your daughter to be photographed from behind by strangers while playing volleyball.
  • Talk to your volleyball club about why you don’t want your daughter photographed by just anyone, do a quick google search with them and show them why.

Just yesterday the International Volleyball Federation announced that out of sensitivity to different cultures the women’s beach volleyball teams in London will be allowed to wear shorts that reach almost to the knee (yes they set a maximum length) as well as long sleeved shirts. This leaves me hopeful for years to com. For today there’s got to be a lockdown on how we’re allowing our daughter’s images to be used.

And please before anyone tries to explain that these shorts are somehow performance related I’d like to share with you an image of elite boys volleyball.

134 thoughts on “What Every Volleyball Mom Should Know”

    1. My daughter wants to start volleyball and this is my biggest hang up. I want her to have the opportunity but I don’t understand the uniform! My high school won regular state championships in much more modest uniforms. It can be done

  1. I played volleyball competitively up through college and my good friend is a NCAA D1 women’s volleyball coach. I’ve watched the uniforms get smaller and smaller throughout the years and I regularly ask him why something can’t be done about it. Why can’t his team choose to wear running shorts or Spandex to the thighs, like we worn when I played? There’s no good answer. It’s a sport that’s been objectified because regulation uniforms are now underwear.

  2. This is like any other objectification of young women issue. The longer we older women justify sitting out the battle to do something about it, the longer the problem persists until someday it is our daughters’ rationalizing why it’s okay to let this one thing slide.

    1. My husband will Not even go to a girls volleyball game, because their shorts are just too SHORT! Parents do something about it. Short Shorts do not make someone play better!

  3. I don’t get it at all. When I was in high school (late 90’s), girl volleyball players wore loose shorts. A bit shorter than what the basketball players wore, but not like the underwear they wear now. If basketball players (and male volleyball players) don’t find it a performance issue, then what gives? I think it’s disgusting that the coaches are encouraging teen girls to dress like this.

    1. and to think the band director at Ohio State UNIVERSITY, synonymous with college age kids was fired for allowing “sexualization” of band members. Yet we have board members, parents, and most certainly, ADMINISTRATORS ! ! that have the power to stop this.

  4. I have been banging on this drum for more than four years now. In our club no cameras are allowed. For school volleyball my daughter refuses to wear those shorts. Too bad club regulations force it. Makes me so damn mad.

  5. Imagine how well they’d move if they were naked! /sarcasm

    So, I’m sorry, but why don’t the parents unite & complain to the coaches or the school admin? 

    I drove by our local school & the softball team was practicing in their sports bras. Middle school & high school practice together, so some of those girls were 11. There was a line of men standing on the fence line elbowing each other. I called the school & complained & told them what I saw. Just once. They’ve been in tank tops & t-shirts ever since.

    I know that was just one case, but if it upsets you, fricking complain.

      1. I kind of hate that you expect the men to not stare at what the women are showing off.

        And I’m a woman.

        In high school, until we were banned from doing it, a lot of us used to practice for cheerleading in our sports bras and tiny shorts… FOR ATTENTION. Myself included. We practiced where the track runners, soccer players, and football guys could see us.

        I did the same thing in my karate classes. After I was done teaching class, I undid my uniform top and strutted around in my sports bra, because I wanted ATTENTION.

        My point is, the girls in this situation were given a choice of what to wear to practice. I’m POSITIVE they weren’t required to wear their sports bras to practice.

        It’s a different story when the uniform mandated seems to make more than a few people, including players, uncomfortable. But again, I stress that some girls may like wearing the tight short shorts… for ATTENTION. We’re talking pubescent pre-teens and teens for christ’s sake.

        1. They’re not “women.” They are GIRLS. Eleven year old GIRLS. The offenders weren’t boys of their same age, they were grown MEN.

          There is no grown man (or woman) who can justify perving on an underage girl. 

          If you like taking off your clothes for attention, good for you…I am sure you can get it if you want it. But rest assured there are women out there (like myself) who really don’t want to be leered at for wearing a sports bra when it’s too hot or a bikini when I’m on the beach. I also don’t think I should have to either cover up or grin and bear it simply because men seem to have convinced the world they can’t control themselves.

          I like dudes but I don’t leer and drool and elbow my friends in glee if I see a dude without a shirt. That’s gross, unnecessary, and inappropriate behavior pretty much all the time, but especially when underage girls are the targets.

          I’m really grossed out by your suggestion that a little kid plays sports in tight clothes to get sexual attention from grown men. I’m also pretty sure we wouldn’t like each other in real life. Trying to get sexual attention in karate class? Really?

          1. Jill your so stupid. Men are hard wired as visual creatures. And when you stick a half naked woman in front of him he’s gonna look and be like damn. Unless his a trany gay fagit. If you feel so strongly about how “men” should act around a women no matter if she’s trying to get attention or not. Then think about your argument next time your at a cook out or at a restaurant and your gocking at the food. Or at a department store staring at what ever it is your going to buy. Those things can’t speak and I’m sure they wouldn’t want the fat lady looking at them to eat them or sit on them… LoL hahahaha people get so butt hurt now a days. Grow a pair and deal with it. Don’t be like Greta tipping the world upside down because she “feels” like we’re all gonna die do to climate.. good lord please hurry up. The man upstairs is in control not you.

      2. Would you walk down the street in South Central LA at 2AM in a bikini? Why not? Because it’s dangerous? But you shouldn’t alter your behavior based on what others say and do. You should be a strong woman comfortable in her body. It’s the men that are wrong…. Think about it. Moron

  6. What reason does the governing body of young women’s volleyball give for requiring them to wear these shorts?  Why must young women dress like this?  Good post, thanks for writing it.

  7. Thank you so much for addressing this. I have watched girls wear these for years and am always horrified by it. Maybe if the boys were required to wear them as well, there would be change. 

    1. And why shouldn’t boys be required to wear them? In the western world for the past 200 years, men have been publicly shamed over their bodies thanks to French Art critic Theophile Gautier. Before this man’s unfounded assertions, the natural male form was considered beautiful. Most ballet dancers were men. Men wore tights in public. Boxers wore tights. Strength athletes wore tights. If a man did sports, dance, or any form of physical culture, he wore tights. So YES, please require/allow boys to no longer be ashamed of their bodies, and let’s end this opressive 200 year thought regime.Thanks!

  8. When I played volleyball – some 15+ years ago now, we wore TIGHT shorts, but they were not this short… seems they keep getting shorter and shorter. 

    As for taking pictures – I agree with the comment below that we need to just unite and start complaining because honestly – I LOVE having my picture taken, and did back then as well.  Especially when I was going in for the kill or cheering and high fiving each other (hey those are big moments)  I hate to think we have to STOP taking pictures and letting our girls celebrate just because some idiot thought it was appropriate to have them play in shorts that resemble bathing suits.

    Sidenote: when I saw the title of this post I thought of my days playing volleyball and was coming to add to PROTECT THEIR WRISTS.   I was at the gym this morning struggling with weak weak wrists – and thinking of all of the MILLION serves I probably dished out.  Hahahaha

    1. moscatomom . . . . and don’t you find it disturbing, how the schools allow group photos for the yearbook with those shorts ? ?

  9. I absolutely agree! For this same reason I never allowed my daughter to be a cheerleader. You just want people looking at them and thinking/imagining things that they shouldn’t!
    My daughter (13) does play tennis and there’s no standard uniform (with the exception of color). If we’re not comfortable with their suggestions we’re allowed to modify it!
    I LOVE this post. It’s something I struggled with for several years now!

  10. I saw a little girl walking through the grocery story the other day and had the same reaction. I’d forgotten how short and tight those things are. It was stomach-cringing, to say the least.

    Thank you for bringing this up.

  11. Jessica, thank you …this topic is enraging. If the response you’ve received below is any indication – I think a groundswell of support could emerge in your/our favor. I completely get what you mean by “Jane would lose”, but man, you would be the perfect spearhead for this.

    I have a 2 year old daughter and an ex-AVP husband – this is surely in our future. Thanks for the heads up.

  12. LOVE this. Thank you for writing about this topic. For too long, I have watched the women’s volleyball team shorts get shorter and tighter. I was a college volleyball player 20 years ago and our uniforms were bike shorts…still too tight, but at least they covered out rear ends. Glad to see parents coming out against this.

  13. This post reminds me of the feelings I had at dance conventions with my daughter.  Nothing quite like it- dance moms yelling out to their scantily dressed daughters performing on stage “Work It!”.  Fortunately, my daughter’s  studio had higher standards.

  14. Allison Mohr’s question below is one I want answered.  We’re both athletes Jessica and we know that this has nothing to do with performance.  So why?  This IS a fight someone can win, mostly because it really shouldn’t be that big a deal.  Who’s willing to take it on?  Thanks for this post. 

  15. My 11 year old DD started Volleyball this year. When she came home saying she needed volleyball shorts I thought, what the heck do those look like? When I googled it I saw the images you saw. I was like OH no you don’t. So after doing some in store research, I was able to find some comparable ones but she too felt uncomfortable, always pulling at them. Of course, she plays for a small school so the crowd isn’t stacked with photographers, in fact sometimes I was the only parent there but if she decides to do club, I would definitely talk to the coaches about this.

    What I do for our pictures I get up on the highest end of the bleachers with my telephoto lens to try and get their upper halves playing and never share them online, not even on my personal FB. Too many pervs out there but I hope other people too try to be tactful with their picture taking when it comes to taking photos of their kids in all sports. My daughter is also on swim team and not that the swim suits are not tasteful but they cut in and obviously swim suits hug the body.

      1. This one is probably worth it. Kicking a kid off a high school sports team for covering up would make national news.

        What would they do with a religious person who is bound by her beliefs to cover up? Tell her she’s out of uniform? That’s actually against the law, I’m pretty sure.

        I think you should stick to your guns on this one. For once I wish I had a kid so I could help.

      2.  Another question – what if she wore knee length spandex shorts and the shorty shorts over them? She’d still be wearing the uniform. Technically.

        I dunno, Jess, there’s no way I’d let this one go without a fight.

        1. Skintight spandex over skintight spandex isn’t any more modest than one layer of skintight spandex. What if the uniform was full length tights? It’s still skintight spandex! Longer skintight spandex isn’t any different from shorter skintight spandex in my opinion.

  16. As a photographer, I don’t believe the solution is banning pictures from being taken. There are plenty of good, genuine sports photographers who simply wish to photograph the sport/game, and players. There are so many girls volleyball photographs that exemplify the sport in a very tasteful, even heroic, way. 

    That said, I completely agree with the uniform issue itself. There is no need for shorts that restrictive. There is no need to objectify women in sports in any way, and it’s one of the most embarrassing aspects of our culture (the double standards we set by genders). 

  17. Er, you cherry-picked images from your Google search and even of the ones you picked, just as with a real image search for “volleyball shorts” they’re college girls, as in 18+. Instead of banning cameras, why not try to get the school board and other parents on board with Umbros? Also, at 13, your daughter is safe from pedophiles (pedophiles likes kids under 11, 11-15 are adolophiles, and they’re fairly rare). She has more to fear from her mom oversexualizing the context of everything. 

      1. Logging out of google doesn’t really change anything because they’ll still bias your results using your IP address. If you really want to search anonymously and without biased results you should use a proxy like Startpage.

  18. I played volleyball in high school with an award winning team and our shorts were considerably shorter. Of course I went to a parochial school so that probably made all the difference. 

    What bothers me is that YOU chose to show pictures on here of someone’s daughter’s behind. Yes, you might not be able to see their faces, and yes you can obviously find them online elsewhere, but why add to the issue? 

    Another thing, I played volleyball well into college as well. Many of the women these guys are ogling on Redditt are college aged girls. It’s hard to tell in most of the pictures online how old the girls are of course, but it’s just food for thought. If I were you I would petition the school to buy less revealing uniforms. Those shorts are too short for high school aged girls in my opinion.

  19. And when the school’s yearbook needs photos, and your daughter’s team is left out because you’ve banned photographers and now she has no memories of her team?

    1.  To clarify: I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think you have to go one way or the other. Either accept it and get to know people taking the pictures so you can trust that your daughter isn’t being exploited, or challenge the uniform.

  20. Yeah, okay. You make some good points but where does it end? Some “pervs” like toes and feet. Are you going to stop your daughter from wearing sandals or going barefoot too?

  21. Talk about insane overprotective mom…I’ve been wearing those shorts since started at 8, get over it, they’re shorts, people can look at your daughter’s ass if she’s wearing skinny jeans.

  22. Let’s all solicit coaches, owners of club ball, clothing industry companies, parents,and any person we know who can change this standard for our daughters, sisters,and all girls we care about! It has to start somewhere and it isn’t the woment getting their kicks off this!

  23. I remember very clearly, back on the very last day of middle school (eighth grade, more than a decade ago), when the entire school was made to watch the girls’ volleyball team play for our entertainment. The shorts were underwear length and hideous. You can’t tell me that they were for performance because the girls kept picking out the wedgies every second they got and pulling down on the leg openings to make them sit right, and not just on breaks; it was during the whole of mock game. That should effect the performance negatively, if anything. And were they appropriate? These were twelve-year-old girls wearing “shorts” that didn’t meet the school’s dress code on two levels: the spandex and the length. Why do the girls have to wear those, but the guys get basketball shorts? It’s gross and belittling to see this.

  24. My 14 yo dd plays and we have always been able to find a local team that’s not wearing spandex. I hope you’ll speak up, for the sake of the girls who don’t want to wear spandex! Some of the other parents, if not most, certainly agree with you. Also, our club team doesn’t wear them and we have parents commenting that they wish their teams didn’t wear spandex either. Parents, please be a voice for your children! They are forced to grow up much too quickly nowadays. And for those of you concerned about how well they can play in shorts that are a couple inches above the knee pads, it’s not a problem. We have won 1st and 2nd place in our first 2 tournaments so far. :)

  25. calm down. your daughter is an athlete and guys will find a way to sexualize anything that girls do. Some men have foot fetishes but does that mean that you will make your daughter wear boots for the rest of her life? As long as you teach your daughter morals and not to wear her spands like a slore then she will be confident to be an athlete in her UNIFORM and dismiss remarks or gestures made by immature boys or twisted men. Spandex is a part of her uniform and for a parent to jeopardize her hobby because theyre uncomfortable is ridiculous. I am a volleyball player of 7 years and I would be very upset to know that my mom would try to make it impossible for me to be photographed during play. Heads up, your daughter isn’t famous so her picture isn’t worth that much. Sorry to sound rude or aggressive but this topic is upsetting to a volleyball player.

    1. Why can’t volleyball shorts simply become longer? Men’s shorts are longer and looser. I don’t understand why women’s shorts have to be really short and show underbutt. The uniform itself is sexualized.

      1. You are projecting your internal desires onto others. You seem to think young children in shorts is sexual and most of us here think you’re crazy. They are a child! Have you been to any POOL in YOUR LIFE? You need to seek help to deal with your internal conflicts. Most of us don’t see what you see when young children put on tight clothing.

      2. Men have different equipment from women because men have different ‘equipment’ from women! Spandex ride up and bind on men’s parts when they move around in them a lot because a particular body part moves around a lot. Therefore the tighter shorter shorts would be more of a hindrance to men than to women. It disgusts me that you don’t realize that you are part of the problem. Apples and oranges, or in this case more like pancakes and bananas. If there was actually no advantage coaches would be working to change the uniform. They don’t want the girls to be uncomfortable or distracted. They want trophies. Trophies are what help coaches keep their jobs long term. Winning is why they compete. While there is the occasional coach who care about the thrill of victory the majority are looking for ways to make their teams better all the time.
        The only thing sexualized about the uniform is the way you personally view it. By you I mean the individual not You. I don’t see anything sexual when I am watching sports. I watch for the competition and the excitement of watching athletes give their all to win. I personally get more excited seeing Danica Patrick trackside in a firesuit than I do seeing teenage girls in spandex shorts playing volleyball. But when they are competing I’d rather watch Rachel Adams spike the ball in between two opponents than Danica finish a race in 25th. Or Rhonda Rousey knock someone’s lights out than the San Antonio Stars wipe the floor with the Indiana Fever. Not because of the uniforms but because seeing the heart being put into winning reflected in the eyes of those women is exhilarating.

  26. The point is that spandex does not need to be part of a high school girls volleyball uniform. What has happened is the beach volleyball uniform-the swimsuit, has gradually been forced onto the high school girls as required to play on the team. That is not right! Not everyone feels that it is acceptable for people to parade around in public in what looks like ones underwear. It is not neccesary to their performance. It’s about wanting to be “with it” and “cool” and it is pushed on them by coaches with too much power and accepted by parents who don’t care enough to take a stand. Cheerleaders is another one that is revolting. They wear special underwear so people can see tiger stripes when they show off their privates to the public.

    1. That’s not “the beach volleyball uniform” at all! Did you ever watch collegiate volleyball 20 years ago? The shorts used to be even shorter (high-cut brief style)

    2. I take great offense to the comments about cheerleaders. Most highschool cheer teams wear solid colored spandex boy shorts over their underwear and cover them with a skirt that’s hemline is longer than volley uniforms! Putting other people’s children down is how you console yourself for permitting your daughter to wear something you disagree with?!?!! I wouldn’t allow my daughter to prance around in just the spandex that she wears as an UNDERGARMENT. So yeah, If my daughter played highschool volleyball I would have a problem with the uniform.

  27. I agree with you that the shorts are needlessly short and tight. Still, proposing the banning of cameras is absurd. Just address the issue directly.

  28. Honestly I’m a volleyball player and in middle school we had to wear long shorts, and we all hated it. Spandex are more easy to move in and to those saying “oh they have to pick their wedgies”. Get over it it’s apart of life. Also, even if you do wear longer shorts, 1. you will be made fun of from other teams
    2. Its harder to move in
    3. and chances are teams will think that you are not good
    (trust me i know I’ve been playing for 10 years) And i love when my mom takes pictures because it shows me what i need to do and how i can get better. Also people are saying “oh girls just walk around in bras and spandex” trust me, Coaches never allow that. So quit complaining, suck it up, and finally, if you dont like what your daughter is wearing then have her do skiing or something where your covered up to your neck. (oh and if you think this is bad wait till you get to high school college because it’s their way or the high way)

    1. Two out of your three points show how immature you are. Did you even understand what this article was about? You have just proven this article correct. Two out of three of your points were fashion related. Honestly, if you win who cares how you look?
      One day when you have a daughter maybe you will understand.

  29. Spandex shorts aren’t the problem. It’s the taboo surrounding them. Taboo like the ones this article is reinforcing that spandex is bad, or seeing someone in spandex will turn people in perverts, or that girls (or anyone) should feel shame about their bodies being seen in form fitting clothing.

    Let me get this straight: The strength of your argument is that when you google image search “volleyball shorts”, you get pictures of volleyball shorts, and dudes might masturbate to them? Have you seen what else is on the internet?

    I live in a country where both boys and girls and both men and women wear spandex shorts and pants for all kinds of sporting activities. Nobody makes a big deal about it because no one is sexualizing the clothing here like you did with this article.

    Also, the last point you made about the men’s team is mute. Those men in the loose shorts were not competing against men in spandex, so there’s no way to measure how much more effective the shorts might have made their performance.

    1. Her point is that people are obviously taking pictures of underage girls in tight shorts and glorifying them as sexual image. It doesn’t matter what your country does, she was just warning other mothers, because moms usually don’t like their 13 year old daughters pictures like that all over the internet. It has nothing to do with what else is on the internet. And her last point about the elite men’s team is valid. Doesn’t matter who they are playing or if they are playing, The fact is that if the tighter shorts gave any real advantage in the sport, the men’s teams would be wearing them also, so it’s obviously for fashion, not performance. Oh, and the word you are looking for is moot, not mute.

      1. i hear you but hear this :
        if these SO-Called Wonderful Moms really Wanted ” BLOCK ” and ” GUARD ” against Sexual Images then Monitor there Facebook Also And stop Letting go on SnapChat Flashing there titties for KNOWN Strangers & Webcam Sites.
        #seriously I don’t Have the Patience and Tolerance for Half – the Parents in the USA. WHY too many are Regular Fuckups and then WE the People have to Pay for their Kids Problems & Daddy Issues And Mommy Issues. its Classic USA Parenting 101.
        i say ONLY half Not All. But At Least Half Of them A FuckTards & Have No business being Parents. SHAME too All Those Screwed Preteens & Teens. Sad to See What The Next Generation Of Fucks Has in Store For All Of Us Baby Boomers.

    2. It’s less about the taboo. Men’s shorts are longer and looser. Meanswhile women’s shorts are tighter and shorter. The problem is not even spandex as much as it is the length. Women’s shorts are up to their crotch and show underbutt sometimes. Meanwhile men’s shorts don’t. Do you see the difference between uniforms? Women and girls uniforms are far more sexualized/shorter, for no athletic advantage. And if there was an athletic advantage, men’s shorts would be shorter and tighter too.

      1. men have a reason they need to be looser but the basket ball shorts today are hideous
        as are board shorts you might as well wear pants

      2. Not true, I used to bicycle to work and home everyday and I wore spandex to do so. Spandex shorts can be very binding to a certain appendage if you move around a lot in them. But looser shorts can snag on things. Or worse, they can allow stinging insects to fly up into them while riding down the road. There is a clear advantage to wearing spandex when cycling but the binding makes them more of a hindrance in many sports.

        The spandex has a better chance not to be pulled off or ride up in the event of a slide across a gymnasium floor than looser shorts, such as basketball shorts. If you’re watching a sport and thinking about the way the athlete looks in their uniform instead of how they perform you are watching the sport for the wrong reason. Male uniforms are different from female uniforms for varying reasons and function is more of it than form. Coaches care about performance, if the uniform was more of a distraction or hindrance then the coaches would be seeking to change them.

  30. Someone pointed this discussion out to me. I frankly agree that the uniforms are out of hand-i wouldn’t want my wife or a sister of mine wearing them! (No matter what age they are)
    But the suggestion to ban photographers is extreme i think. I am a professional photographer and the bulk of my income comes from paying vendor fees to shoot volleyball tournaments and my employees and i sell them on site at the tournaments. We’ve done this for almost 10 years, and it is well known who we are and why we are doing this-for the money.
    I don’t think good photographers who are businessmen should be punished for what some sickos do.

  31. I have been playing for about 8 years now and its just always been a requirement for games. But you can wear work out shorts to practice if it really bothers a young girl a lot. In my opinion it is easier to play in spandex but they are not built for my body type, I have hips and larger thighs due to muscles and they are mainly for girls with really skinny legs, and of course being height of males. I love the sport, the uniforms have always been an issue with me, team mates, and my parents. They tend to get smaller and smaller the older you get. Mainly because the uniforms are made for all ages (including 9 year olds). I do not blame anyone for questioning the uniforms or not wanting pictures taken cause its pretty degrading and makes us volleyball players seem nonathletic and slutty.

  32. I understand what you are saying and I understand that your motherly instincts are kicking in, but you are assuming way too many things about every guy out there. Saying that every single person who looks at a volleyball picture can’t get over the fact that they are in spandex migh be going a little too far. Are you going to make your daughter wear swimming trunks to the beach? They cover less than spandex but are socially acceptable because everyone wears them. Most men also wear swimming trunks because that is normal. This is why men wear shorts to play volleyball. It is the same thing. 99 percent of female volleyball players wear spandex and we no longer think anything of it because if is the uniform.

  33. How is this different from swimsuits that girls wear on their swim and dive teams or leotards that gymnasts wear? It’s the uniform for the sport and the gymnasts and swimmers and divers show more than volleyball but no one is arguing against the uniforms of those sports or against spectators taking pictures at gymnastic or swimming competitions. Perhaps the point you are making is that the sports I mentioned have those uniforms for practical reasons while one could debate the practical necessity of volleyball shorts designed as they currently are. Fair enough, although I still think you are being a tad overly sensitive but that’s me.

    As for the other issue regarding forbidding of anyone photographing your daughter at competitions, that will never happen. You can legally take pictures of anything that is visible to the general public whether it or you are on public or private property.
    That means you can legally take pictures of children, athletes, people on the street, beach bathers, buildings, cars, policemen, accident scenes, government officials, airplanes, airports, trains, and so on.
    You can legally take pictures when you are on private property, if that property is open to the public (e.g., a mall or office complex).
    Basically — If anyone can see it, you can shoot it.
    You do not need permission to take pictures. There are laws regarding what a person can publish but preventing someone from taking pictures from a place open to the public is generally not legally enforceable.

      1. You stated three takeaways in your article:

        1. Do not share photos of your daughter’s volleyball team online. This includes email.

        2. Do not allow your daughter to be photographed playing volleyball.

        3. Talk to your volleyball club about why you don’t want your daughter photographed, do a quick google search with them and show them why.

        Regarding item #1: no issue whatsoever, although I personally have no problem sharing gymnastics or track photos of my kid’s competitions with both family, close friends, and the parents of other teammates of my daughters, but I understand your reluctance with your daughter.

        Regarding #2: how exactly do you plan to not allow your daughter to be photographed? You can ask someone not to include your daughter in a photograph, but you are merely requesting someone to not photograph your daughter, as such a request cannot be enforced. Your request in and of itself is not complicated but you cannot enforce it, so it does become complicated. If you are implying that you as the mother would cover my lense preventing me from photographing something I have a legal right to photograph, then you can bet things will get complicated very quickly. How do you know what is being captured in my camera? What about all the scores of people at an event, each with their own camera or camera phone? Maybe you assume I’m focusing in on your daughter’s rear, but maybe I’m capturing my own daughter, or the daughter of a friend, or the action as a whole, or an award, or an impressive serve or spike? Maybe I’m making a video of the match for a personal memento for my daughter. Maybe I’m capturing video of another match to show my daughter so she can look at the technique of others. I routinely do this for gymnastics and track, capturing the gymnastics routines of other girls or the high jump technique of other well known athletes so my daughter can size up competition or improve her own technique. She specifically requests that I video certain athletes. You are assuming the worst about someone else just because they have a camera in their hand and that they either are a child-molester or that their photographs will end up serving the depraved desires of those who are. You are making an assumption about my intent and my subject merely based upon having a camera or camera phone in my hand pointed in some general direction that you just assume must include your daughter. That’s just wrong.

        Regarding #3: you can point out to your daughters team and coach to your hearts content the concerns you have about photography but, ultimately you are trying to police life. What about the pool, water park, playing on the street or in a park, wearing shorts around town, etc? You cannot try to personally police and cover every camera that may or may not capture your daughter, whether deliberately or incidentally. I wish you luck but if I ever ran across someone following me around covering my lens preventing me from capturing a special event either for my daughter or including my daughter — just because you incorrectly assume that the world must revolve around your daughter and that all cameras are attached to a person up to good or may be seen or sent to someone who may be up to no good — then I will simply call the police and file a nuisance or harassment complaint against you for preventing me from capturing something I have a legal right to capture. If this happens repeatedly I will get a restraining order. The law is not on your side.

        I do understand your intent, but in this day and age, you cannot prevent pictures of your children from making their way to the internet or into the personal image collection of others, whether deliberately or inadvertently. Period. In your paranoid and obsessive quest to protect your daughter from the acts of a few, you have sadly reached the stage of assuming that every parent or every spectator with a camera is a threat to your daughter who is willingly engaging in pedophilia-like activities or knowingly or unknowingly supporting those depraved tendencies in others. You may not like it, but sadly, you cannot shield your daughter from every camera within zoom range of her. You are tilting at windmills here.. Good luck..

        1. I have to say that i agree with JT fully. I truly do empathise with your concerns, Jessica, but as a professional photographer that pays vendor fees to cover events like volleyball, if a parent asks me not to shoot their child, i would do my best to comply. If a parent covered my lens, i would have them escorted from the gym (and believe me, that actually happened once-the parent escalated it, and their child was kicked off the volleyball club team. I did not enjoy that, but if someone accuses me of wrong intentions, i must take strong legal action against them (since my income depends on my sales to parents and if someone slanders me, it could be the kiss of death for my business).

          On the other side of the coin, i do fully agree with you that the short shorts the girls wear are completely inappropriate and wish the teams would change their uniform to the baggy basketball shorts the boys wear

        2. TOUCHE’
          #AboutTimeShutHerTheFuckUp
          #Swear Some People Are VeRY VERY Hyper Sensitive & Delusional. serious Behavioral Issues right There. #AussumingEveryOne Is #Creeper What A Freakn #LunaticSheIs LMFAO!!

    1. somehow in every sport a man’s uniform is much longer and more comfortable. a woman’s volleyball shorts have no need to be so short. they don’t give a competitive advantage nor do they look decent. I have friends on woman’s volleyball teams and they don’t think their shorts have ever given them an advantage. I agree that not allowing photographs is crazy, instead we should make their shorts longer. Boys uniforms are long and loose, why do girls uniforms have to be so sexualized?

      1. This just isn’t true. Baggier clothing is not always more comfortable, especially while playing sports. I’m a guy, and I play softball. I feel much more comfortable in tight under armor than a more traditional baggier baseball type uniform that most of my teammates wear. Why is it that when there is a difference between men and women’s uniforms people jump to conclusions about sexualization of women? Did you ever consider that playing in tight clothing is actually better and men don’t wear them because it makes them look “girly”? Why are people so quick to victimize women who don’t seem to have a problem with the situation in the first place?

        1. Maybe people say it’s srxualized because people sexualize them. Log out of Google and search volleyball shorts, you’re gonna see underage girls bending over in small spandex shorts. How many times have you seen people staring at girls asses in tight short shorts? And yeah the girls on the team dont care, because young girls like looking sexy…but this is sexualizing my entire gender. Besides, this is like 13 year olds we’re talking about. And guys wear spandex under armor underneath their clothes. These uniforms require girls to wear small tight shorts that look like underwear in public while playing a competitive sport. Why can’t we just change the uniform to make spandex shorts knee length and the tshirt longer so it covers their spandex butt?

          1. omy goodness he just explained this too you. LACKING Comprehension seems to be a Problem with you huh ??
            do you even Play Sports. I’m Runner & Athlete by nature and by sport and i have friends who have daughters & sons whom play tennis,volleyball,swimming,lacross and there’s MAJOR Reasons WHY there’s a difference. Most Heterosexual young males are very very Sensitive about their EGO’s & Sexuality so therefore they’re not GOING TO WEAR anything TIGHT. Tight fitting clothing is consider ” Feminine “. Please STOP try2 ARGUE over gender’s its OLD & tiresome already Mangina; please. and either you LIVE Under a ROCK or just plain FOOLISH. everyone who lives inthe Digital Age knows Sexual Images exists (not because ppl are nasty – its exists because humans are Sexual ), Google is the no.1 search engine soo yeah you going to FIND images of women,teens.preteens some tasteful some not soo tasteful. its called photography go pick up a book already dude. seriously. last thing. if you have SO MUCH problem with women being serialized then GO LIVE IN an ISLAMIC Country where WOMEN have NO Power No Voice No Recognition of there OWN Sexuality Or Ideas Or Desires. this is USA where WE HAVE RIGHTS & Human Moral Rights. those SAME RIGHTS I Used to Fight For ( while You Sat at Home Sucking your Thumbs & Nursing Mommies Tit ) .

            1. you know I almost dont want to reply vecause youre so ignorant. But since you lack reading comprehension let me clairify.
              Yes I do play sports. But I dress like something better than a prostitute. I wear basketball shorts and leggings. And long baggy t-shirts.
              yes heterosexual males have a big problem with doing anything they consider “femenine” because being a female is bad, right?
              Btw girls have a problem with being sexualized and not taken seriously when they are playing a compeitive sport. And if the outfits covered more they’d be more comfortable and so would their parents.
              And really you call pictures of girls in volleyball shorts porn? That just proves my point. these shorts are so sexualized that pictures of them resemble pornography. These are like 12 year old girls we’re talking about. And why do you have such a big problem with girls wearing longer shorts? How the fuxk does it effect you?

      2. ABOUT TIME someone Has Commonsense Wrote This. THANK YOU.
        #yes She’s WAAAAY OVERSENSITIVE too Sensitive And Lacks the Understanding Of Performance vs Comfortably

    2. Mom you are absolutely right – any normal guy is stimulated by the shape of a woman, even without seeing her face. Many young men nowadays or so overly sexualized and exposed to short tight fitting shorts and shape exposing leggings that women wear, that they are a bit desensitized and may not react to a girl’s volleyball game full of tight fitting shorts particularly but their sexual senses are running wild in general and they find other ways to appease there sexual desires through easily obtained pornography and sexual intercourse. I worked for a gym and would hear the personal trainers talking about the girls. If you ever are in Starbucks and are sitting by young teens, girls or boys, listen to their conversations. Society will tell you that you are crazy but many people have lost touch with common sense and good judgment.

    3. I just found your blog because I was searching for products that would prevent my daughter’s spandex shorts from riding up while she is playing volleyball. The first time I saw them was years ago. I know my mouth must have been hanging open. I was shocked at how vulgar they look. I had to ask the sales clerk to help us when we purchased the first pair for my daughter because I couldn’t tell whether they fit properly or not- they all look too small, too tight, and just plain immodest. Over the years, I have become less sensitive to seeing them, however, I haven’t grown to like them any better. It seems that there should be a better choice. Looking at the men’s volleyball team, I see that clearly it’s not about performance.

    4. For all of you saying that they cannot enforce the no picture rule, I disagree. When I was in high school my parents and I both had to sign papers for every sport and every club I was in so that people could take my picture and post them to the internet. For people who did not sign it and they were in the picture, then it could not be used.

    5. This is the one sport my daughter is interested in. We’ve already discussed the shorts. None of us are happy about it. I wish they’d just go back to regular loose fitting shorts already.

    6. I just want to say that I am a freshmen girl who is in volleyball. My school doesn’t require spandex. I am the only girl on the team who does NOT wear spandex, I wear regular running shorts instead.

      My reasoning behind it is that God told us through Paul to keep our bodies as a living sacrifice. This means to be modest if you didn’t know.
      I’m sorry, but God doesn’t want us to wear spandex and I am not going to as long as I play.

      1. THIS IS THE MOST RETARD THING I ever Heard.My Goodness your Brain Washed So Baldy You Don’t Even Realize. Wait Till You ACTUALLY LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD Hopefully You Won’t Get Fucked Over & Become Life’s Bitch Of The Moment.
        #GoodLuck #YourGonnaNeedLOTSOFIT

    7. So it’s okay to let your daughter play volleyball in front of anybody who wishes to watch in living color but you draw the line at photos being taken. Perhaps a change in “focus” is in order here…

    8. I was at a volleyball tournament this weekend and I have to say I was embarrassed for some of the girls. I’m thinking don’t you know your butt is hanging out of your shorts, and how come your not doing anything about?

      I think most junior players and parents don’t know that you can buy volleyball shorts in different inseam lengths. You can find volleyball shorts that go from 2.5″ inseam(very short) to 6″ inseam(long). You’ll most likely have to find the 4″-6″ inseam shorts on your own because the short the team provides will be the very short ones.

      Have two daughters that play. Love the sport.

    9. Hi, I am a volleyball player and will be moving to high school next school year. I used to go to practice in running shorts, which by the way are just as short. But when you get all sweaty and you are squating in a passing position my running shorts tended to ride up really bad and stick to me. I had to pull them down all the time and they were really uncomfortable. It did take a toll on my performance. In spandex you can move freely and they don’t ride up- or at least they shouldn’t if you have the right size and fit well. Spandex is much easier and more comfortable to play in. And a majority of the girls on the court with spandex riding up their butts are trying to do that on purpose or they don’t have the right size or right fit. And when the team has a game they usually send home permission slips that ask if it is ok to take picture during their game. Don’t try to ban photographers. Their pictures will also go in the yearbook. And yes if you google pictures of volleyball shorts… Oh snap! :0 ….you get pictures of volleyball shorts!

    10. I am a volleyball player,I have been playing since I was 10. If you truly believe that spandex make children “little whores” then why is this not brought up with other sports such as swimming,wresting, and running. Spandex is equipment for volleyball just like knee pads, socks, and shoes. The reason that we play in spandex is to expand flexibility this is especially in back row. If you do not want your child to wear spandex then don’t play this sport.

      1. If spandex ‘expanded flexibility’ (It does not) the every army on the planet would be wearing it. The REALITY is that your flexibility is exactly the same if you wear spandex or loose basketball shorts. TIGHT shorts and pants restrict flexibility. Loose shorts and pants do not.

    11. I am a College volleyball player and I know you think men and women’s volleyball is the same, but it isn’t, spandex do have an affect on our performance. Last time I dove in shorts I had an embarrassing situation that no girl wants to go through. Also to be calling volleyball players “little whores” because they wear spandex is showing you’re paying more attention to the bodies of these players and not the skill level of these up and coming players. Also with pictures it comes down to are you just looking at her body or actually looking at her skill level?

      1. Thank YOU.
        she’s Right Wing Nut Job with TOO Much Time On Her Hands. Doesn’t Even The Aesthetics Of The Sport In Itself.

      2. It’s complete Bullsh1t to say someone performs better in spandex than any other material, If that were true then every army uniform on earth would be made from spandex. NBA uniforms would be spandex. The truth is that loose clothing does NOT restrict your movement.

    12. Men’s uniforms are almost always bagger. I think that yes men preform very well in the longer bagger shorts but they don’t exactly have a choice. What would you say if they were to come in with the spandex girls have on. You would shame them. How would u know that the boys wouldn’t play better if people are to hypocritical to let them where them. I have been playing volleyball for 5 years. I’ve warn the spandex for a long time. Yes I belive that the spandex help tremendously with performance but also to bust a girl self esteem. There r pro and cons to spandex just like everything else. But banning someone from taking pictures of any person playing volleyball if absolutely ridiculous

    13. Instead I empower my daughter to focus on her performance and be comfortable and confident in anything and everything she wears. It’s about her athletic abilities and talent. males can where skin tight uniforms in baseball and football, no one talks about how revealing that is, which is quite revealing. Also, bathing suits on the beach show even more! As an athlete or woman, my daughter shouldn’t have to change what she is doing because there are those who can’t handle it or are pervs.. we will not live our lives conforming to society or it’s perverts!

      1. So you’re saying that men never wear spandex for sports? Not true. Almost doll male athletes wear spandex compression underwear under their shorts.

    14. I can’t watch woman’s vb because of the constant head and shoulder shots after every play. It ruins the game for the fan. Men’s vb does not use this tactic.

      1. I hear you, brother. It’s so freaking annoying. Every point is a wide angle shot followed by an above the waist shot of two or three women talking to each other. No other sport does this. We live in the U.S.A not Saudi Arabia. Women have butts and legs! Deal with it.

    15. Back in the 90’s when I played volleyball in HS and club (as young as 6th grade), we wore “buns” which were basically underwear (over our underwear). This is a step up!

    16. I’m on a national level, age 18’s volleyball team, and the only reason anyone can think spandex are sexual is because they themselves are viewing it that way. Spandex are for girls and basketball shorts are for guys FOR A REASON. We girls need to dive and stretch and move our legs, as real volleyball players end up on the ground a lot from diving for the ball. Shorts would often get pulled up if this happened, and the baggyness would allow you to actually see our underwear. Girls’ spandex ARE for performance. Guys wear baggy shorts because their body is built differently (crotch area), and wearing spandex would cause obvious problems in discomfort, which would prevent them from wanting to play at all. Basketball shorts are the solution. Therefore, guys’ volleyball shorts are also for performance- it allows them to perform and focus on the sport rather than the discomfort of their crotch. If you are saying that the little girls shouldn’t be sexualized, then maybe YOU should stop sexualizing them. There’s an idea.

      1. This whole guys got a package so they can’t wear spandex, well what is a singlet? And yes wrestlers move a lot!!! Every watch the 95lb class wrestle?! I want my daughter to cherish her body and respect her body! I want her to know she has my support so I am getting the spandex for her this year but I am ensuring they are longer in length for modesty! But just coverage is my main goal.

    17. Another Christian fascist. The body is a beautiful thing. The ancient Greek athletes played naked at the Olympics and banned competitors with tattoos and men who were circumcised. Why? Because they defiled the natural beauty of the human body. Your poor daughter is going to grow up thinking her body needs to be hidden like some sinful forbidden fruit. Take your sexual shaming to Iran.

      1. I agree that Christianity is a false, self-hating, and slavish teaching, but I do not believe that our current sexual free-for-all with rampant attention whoring, cock teasing, venereal disease, and belligerently in-your-face rebel sexualities is the right direction for Western civilization.

        The family is the building block of civilization. In general, the Western woman spends her most fertile years in an unproductive education and career, all the while slutting it up with dozens of men. Who in the nation would want to marry these degenerate women raised by Talmudvision? Among men aged twenty to thirty-four, the answer is thirty percent. The near-inevitable result will be the mongrelization and demise of the white race, to be supplanted by r-selected blacks, Arabs, and the darker of the “Latin-“Americans.

        All that having been said, I am decidedly not a misogynist. Equal or perhaps greater blame for our degenerate condition goes to the spineless symp white knights of yesteryear who capitulated to the suffragettes and bra burners and instituted no-fault divorce, chalimony, and girl power. We must bring back a stronger patriarchy than ever before; one that justifies itself without fictitious threats of roasting in hell; or we will perish as a civilization and race.

        1. You are an ignorant, arrogant buffoon lacking clue one about western culture, history, religion or philosophy. And nowhere in this article was there a single mention of Jesus Christ or Christianity. You’re just an obnoxious twit with delusions of adequacy.

          1. You bring out the venom, as though I give a damn, only becasue you have no real argument and feel your lifestyle (i.e., passing yourself around via one-night stands while stringing rubes along for dinners and gifts) being threatened by the growing counterfeminist movement.

            Mr. Paine rightly stated that American moral panicking and assuming men to be sexual predators, as exemplified in Mrs. Gottlieb’s original post, stem from our Protestant heritage. I argue that the control of men’s and women’s animal behavior should be passed from a religious boogeyman to a new class of honest, straight-talking, patriarchial, flesh-and-blood men.

            If you do have a clue, though, then by all means clue me in on how feminism, female promiscuity, the rightful marriage strike, or women baring ninety percent of their bodies in public while we’re supposed to avert our cameras and eyes and pretend it’s not meant to invite attention or sex are historical or healthy aspects of Western civ..

    18. In our increasingly Bolshevized, anti-patriarchial, and gynofascist society, young women fully expect to be able to flaunt their bodies in order to get sexual attention from the right men and jealous attention from other women, and then shame the great majority of men who take notice as “creeps” and “perverts.” This is not about male objectification of women; it is about female dominance and cock teasing.

      After all, it is ultimately female consumers who drove the increasingly slutty fashion trends over the past century, and it is the girls who choose to wear these spandex ass-huggers. If parents truly had a problem with their girls all but whoring themselves, then they would take them out of the sport or get their state’s governing body of high school athletics to adopt more modest uniforms.

      However, to pretend that high-school girls wear these without knowing what they are doing shows ignorance and cognitive dissonance at best, but in my opinion this volleyball mom shows typical female shit-testing behavior, doubtless taught to the daughter as well. Shameful memories and false claims of having been harassed, “roofied,” and raped have probably punctuated this girl’s life in the years since this misandric feminist slam piece was posted.

      P.S. Nearly all of the Web images of young woman athletes to which men masturbate are of collegiate events! To sum up for this arrogantly misandric mother and the women who agree with her, I tell you all to take some of that vicious judgment which you apply to men and apply it to the young women who in fact solicit that attention!

    19. This is such a sexist article. You should be ashamed as a mother to doing that to your daughter. You should let your daughter be proud of her body and let her wear what she wants. And all the disgusting people saying “wow! this is such a great reason for my daughter not to play volleyball!” there is something wrong with you. We play with spandex for performance. Not to show our amazing butt’s to sexist people like you. We ain’t doing it to please any man. We aren’t sluts. We are doing it because of PERFORMANCE. Men have a penis which is the reason they were larger shorts FYI. like bro… are you that dumb?? And the reason that pics are like this on the internet are because of sexist people like you and sexist men. get over you close minded self please and thanks

      1. Absolutely right. Volley is a FAMTASTIC sport. No body is ‘photographing’ your daughter, at the most they are recording a game to send to family. Men don’t wear tight shorts because they have ‘gear’ down there and it would be squashed from jumping and squatting for an hour or 2. You are going to teach your daughter to be a very self conscious woman. There are 18 girls running around feeling very secure in their environment and that’s a totally good thing. They should be proud of themselves and the bodies they’ve achieved, who are you to take that away from us?

        1. No one is saying volleyball isn’t a fantastic sport. It’s the sexist nature of the uniforms….and men do wear tight shorts in many instances (u ever see a cycling race?). The question is why, in Vball, do athletes have to wear distinctly diff types of uniforms based on their sex…….and don’t be so naive, search the internet..there are plenty of trolls taking what appears to be photos from odd angles @ women’s vball matches.

        2. Have you ever been online? How can you say ‘no one is photographing your daughter’? Are you that ignorant to reality? There are literally thousands of photos online of high school girls in volleyball shorts for nefarious purposes. You’re literally denying reality

    20. PLEASE know — the writer of this article seems to be really struggling with some personal issues. As others have said, NEVER dissuade your daughter from playing a great sport like volleyball (or any other activity like gymnastics, dance, etc) for such a ridiculous and unfounded reason. First of all, there IS an advantage to wearing form-fitting shorts, and (as others have correctly stated) men don’t wear them only because they have a little too much “gear” down there to wear something so tight while repetitively jumping and squatting. In sports where the movements allow it, men DO wear small form-fitting attire (ever watch men’s Olympic swimming? What about men’s cycling?).

      Second, the mere suggestion of banning photography and video at volleyball games shows the writer is a novice and has little/no knowledge or experience on this topic. First of all, in competitive travel volleyball leagues (not talking YMCA here) where the majority of girls play, seasonal club fees typically fall into the $2,000-5,000 per season range. This does not include additional costs for travel and hotels. Do you think ANY sane parent who is investing that kind of money and time in their daughter’s athletic development would accept not being able to take some photos and video of them playing? Should there be no picture of their daughter playing to put in the Christmas card? Should grandma who lives too far away to attend, never see a video of her granddaughter playing because, well, the shorts are kinda small? Should your daughter grow up and have no game photos or videos to look back on to remember the great times she had with her team? Ridiculous. Further, for serious players (and this goes for any sport), you MUST videotape their games for college recruiting purposes. You need to develop a “video resume” to make available to college scouts. If you asked any serious volleyball club to prohibit photo/video, they would look at you like you have two heads (unless maybe if it’s Taliban volleyball in Afghanistan, in which case they would completely agree… oh but they kill girls who try to play sports, so I guess that wouldn’t work after all).

      This article is an example of so-called progressive feminist ideas, while perhaps good-intentioned, wrapping all the way around and actually restricting and shaming young women about their bodies. How does that register in a young mind that “if you wear small shorts while playing sports, we must ban all images of you playing”? I’ll tell you — It registers as body shame and embarrassment. These girls are out there to have fun, make friends, and learn life lessons about competition and teamwork — please keep the adult insecurities out of it, for their sake.

      My daughter has played volleyball for many years (yes, in small spandex shorts!) and has made so many friends, learned about dedication, teamwork, and handling both successes and failures, and built wonderful memories. These things will serve her very well in life, far beyond volleyball. She is so proud of what she has accomplished. One thing she never focused on was the style of her shorts. Maybe because we as parents and role models didn’t either. I can’t imagine the damage we would have done, and opportunities we would have denied her, if we had.

      1. How is it shaming girls and their bodies when some believe volleyball shorts are un-necessarily exposing them in a sexual nature…..with many females agreeing. Where are the proven performance benefits that show tight spandex shorts IN VOLLEYBALL enhance a person’s ability to leap or slide? Don’t u think olympic caliber athletes, men and women, from every nation would wear such perf enhancing uniforms if that were the case. Men don’t wear them because they have too much gear???? U kidding me???

    21. So I’ve been playing volleyball for almost 5 years now, and I can say that these shorts DO draw unnecessary attention to our lower area, but at the same time, nobody is worried about that. Volleyball shorts are extremely comfortable. And you may say that Boys wear longer shorts and play fine, but when you are used to playing in skin tight spandex, you become used to it. And your daughter will come to the realization that any other kind of shorts just don’t work like the spandex do. And you can argue, but I’ve come to realize this and so will she.
      Also, I believe that the people saying that they don’t let their daughters play volleyball because of the shorts should be ashamed of themselves. Most teams order sideline gear to wear, like tee shirts and shorts to wear over spandex while they warm up. while playing, girls aren’t worried about how good they look and how the spandex fit. They are worried about winning, and most people that watch the games feel the same way. Just because the shorts are tight fitting, doesn’t mean you should limit your daughter to playing sports with long shorts. I’ve heard many comments from people I know, saying that she shorts make us look like sluts on the court and that my parents should be ashamed for letting me play, but in all reality, volleyball is the best sport I’ve played. I’ve played at least 7 sports before and volleyball is by far the best. And just because the attire isn’t the best, doesn’t mean you should limit your daughter and tell her what she can and can’t do just because of the way the sport looks.
      Another thing is boys. Look, no matter what your daughter is wearing, boys will look at her. As she comes to the age where she notices boys and boys notice her, she’s going to school with a bunch of boys. She’s in classes with boys. She’s going to see them every day. And they’re going to look at her. You know why? Because it doesn’t matter what your daughter is wearing because she’s BEAUTIFUL!

      1. whats the purpose of covering up w/ sideline gear if the spandex is so appropriate? If you acknowledge that the ‘attire isn’t the best’ why don’t you do something about it vs. perpetuating the sexist nature of the uniform. there’s no performance benefit to the way these spandex shorts are sized and worn, otherwise everyone, incl men would wear them.

    22. I am 16 and I have been playing competitive volleyball since I was 10, starting at a semi national and working up to now premier national. I started wearing spandex to every volleyball practice after my first 10 year old practice. I wore regular sport shorts on that first day and it was awful. At 10, I wasn’t really moving to the ball all the time, and not squatting for passes, and it was still horrible having to readjust my shorts every five seconds. We wear spandex for comfort and better performance, and I don’t know what else I would wear. How would I lunge 4 feet in front of me without flashing everyone? How could I slide across the floor without my shorts coming down to my knees? How could I play when I’m having to pull down my shorts after every move I make? It is absolutely ridiculous that you wouldn’t’ let your poor daughter play such a wonderful sport because you thought it was too sexual. I’m not saying that volleyball players should wear spandex that have half their butt cheeks hanging out, but there’s also no comfort in spandex down to your knees for some people. It is people like you that are making this an issue, when for us serious players who need spandex to play well, nobody even considers making our fabulous sport a sexual, inappropriate thing. And yes, my legs may be showing, and my butt may not be covered with men’s size XL sweatpants, but all athletes have strong, beautiful bodies. We should be proud of our strength and power, and this should not be sexualized. I hope that you have come to your senses since this was originally posted, and your daughter can do what she wants with her own life.

    23. Lucifer morningstar

      Ok first of all, all of you are clueless. I guess it because of the way you were raised in america. Some of u complaining about the shorts when you either let ut daughter wear something under it to cover up to her things enough to not show too much thins or her bum. Or just get her off the team if she cant wear anything else. 99% i know all of u wont care ul let ur daughter to be looked at anyway. No photographs? The fuck u us? It not ur house, volley ball is a game for all to u, publics. And all u say is omg shes so cute umm no she is showing shit a grown woman should be showing inside her room with her partner. Then again like i said, i was raised in a different culture. Here in america, SEX SELLS. Everyday i drive around, i see young females wearing shorts that shows the buttocks short enough for a rapist to rip off. It grotesque and disgusting in public. So no if u want ppl to not post sexy or cute pics of ur teens wearing whorish shorts either wear something under or take them off the sport. .

    24. I am a volleyball player and I used to hate spandex shorts. I get bad razor burn on the back of my legs and I pulled them down constantly (I dress really conservatively so it was awkward lol) but honestly, after playing so long, wearing anything else would be weird. Like it feels like im wearing nothing and there is no limit to my movement. Also, yeah, you know I dont mind looking good when im playing sports. Its not like im wearing short shorts to school every single day like some skank. When they are shorter they dont bunch up as much and look a lot more sleek and professional. Everytime i see a girl playing in those long bike short, I think she has no idea what she’s doing. Also to those parents who aren’t letting their kids play sports because they dont like the uniform, I hope you are proud of yourself when they decide to not play sports or be active and become obese and have heart issues etc. It’s selfish. Volleyball is the only reason I play sports and it led me on the softball and wrestling. If i hadn’t started playing volleyball I wouldn’t have lost weight and started caring about my health and I would have been lazy. Also the shorts gave me the confidence to wear a wrestling singlet lol. Anyway, I think you guys need to calm down, the uniforms are not a reflection on who we are and if over age guys are taking pics, talk to them and not us lol. Asking for only waist up pics is a little ridiculous when you are trying to capture the whole court of girls or are trying to get a video of a girl serving or something. My dad is completely against me dressing in ways that are too exposing but he lets me play volleyball because he knows IT’S JUST A DAMN UNIFORM.

    25. Luckily our high school league allows different shorts as long as they are the same color as the rest of the team. My daughter doesn’t want the short shorts even though she is slim and athletic. Also, it can’t just be about being able to move better – men’s teams aren’t wearing them. And girls are constantly pulling these shorts out of awkward places too. If my daughter ends up with the same female problems I had growing up, those shorts are never going to cover the giant maxi pad she will have to wear.

    26. Why do you guys care if she’s 13 then she is most likely already masturbating atleast. Not to mention Having sex.. they keep going younger and younger.. dont pretend like she is innocent either the reason ppl wear those shorts is not because it’s more aerodynamic.. bottom line ppl like to see ass… She knows she’s being objectified she loves it.. she brags about it atleast on the inside.. stop acting like your the victim cause ppl are stairing at your butt… When I wear normal clothes nobody stairs at me.. if your gonna flaunt it expect attention.. just be glad we live in a society where rape is looked down apon

    27. What I want to know is how females find spandex ‘comfortable’. My idea of comfort is the exact opposite of having itchy material compress and cling to my skin. When I was in high school, the girls WANTED to wear these little spandex shorts, and not just for volleyball. I had a hard believing my girlfriend when I asked her why she wore them when she went jogging when she answered ‘they are comfortable’. I figured she must have gotten a thrill from knowing men where looking at her (very nice) as$ as she jogged on the path beside the main road. I wasn’t exactly bothered by it- if she wanted to show off, then so be it, but there was and is no way anyone could ever convince me spandex is actually comfortable. I understand the anatomical difference between males and females, but even without the family jewels being a factor, having spandex clinging to your skin and crevices is no fun. Most men strongly dislike wearing tight shirts, especially tight around the neck or armpits, & the same applies to pants or shorts. It’s complete BS to say other materials restrict movement. Do you really believe NBA teams would wear anything other than spandex if that were true?

      Personally, I think the coaches and the school administrators responsible for picking out the uniforms simply like looking at girls in spandex. And I think the majority of high school girls like the thought of being admired and lusted after by their friends’ fathers and brothers, and perhaps mothers and sisters..

    28. OK, Im actually a volleyball player not a mom myself. We feel comfortable in our shorts and they are workable and we can move around easily. We take pictures of ourselves and make TikTok in our shorts. You can choose what length your shorts will be anywhere from 2 inches, to 7 inches. it is up to the player themselves there are many brands on if you wear shorty shorts or biker shorts

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