Strong.

You know what makes me mad? 

I know, I know - what doesn't?

The fact that when I went to replace my weight lifting gloves the only women's gloves they had were light duty.  Little flimsy things cut away at the back of the hand and palm to I don't know - look sexy?  But also to not stay on the hand when you're using them and to wear out in five seconds because I think they're meant for reps with little hand weights painted pink or silver and topping out at 5 pounds. 

So I bought men's gloves and I hate them.  Because my hands are biggish, but still female.  So they were snug when I tried them on, but now I've worn them and the fingers are a little too big, the palm slides around when I grip because they are cut for a different hand shape.  Makes my palms hurt.    You can get decent gloves for women - my last ones were good.  I had to - and I know this will astonish you - order them online.  But they fit.  Now they have holes in them.  And my sneakers are flapping at the sole. 

Those are easier to replace.  Because we like to pretend we revere strong, physical women and women's sports have gained ground, you can get a decent athletic shoe cut for a woman's foot - because yes, that's different too.

I followed a link recently to the Nike "I feel pretty" ads.  They are terrific ads.....if you are a guy or an ad director.  Whoever thought them up, approved them, made them has to be feeling pretty good right about the clever, attractive, amusing, catchiness of showing a women feeling pretty when she puts that serve right in your eye.  Or when she runs further, bikes longer...cause really, who wouldn't?  Because I....wait. 

Pretty? 

At the gym I feel like I belong in my body the way I often don't in the rest of my life.  I feel strong.  I feel healthy. And that's why exercise and sports are a great thing for human beings of all genders and why women's sports are important.  But pretty?  My hair is pulled back tight, I'm sweaty, I contort my face, my body.  I squat and curl, I make myself physical, I make myself more than just a pretty thing and I feel great.  Sore and bitchy sometimes too, but great.

(The magnificently irritated Twisty was recently struck by the insanity of Nike's "sports corset" - yes, you read that right - and had some pointed things to say about the notion of the "empowerful" woman.  I had begun this post when I saw hers and abandoned it in despair, outclassed.  But the irritation persisted, a nagging zit of marginalization brought to a head last night when a man I met recently told me that he wasn't "into a woman trying to show me "who is the boss of the house"..... Maybe that means she gets better results not showing off her strength but weakness? The man has steering control but the woman keeps the ship on her palm."   

Ghod on Popsicle stick, the shit one has to put up with in order to get laid.)

The thing those ads have in common besides their message and some clever copy writing is that the athletes are all thin, muscular women, at or below their socially ideal weight.  Wouldn't I love to see that runner with a bit of an ass, a bust, some curves that were strong and muscular and imperfect too.  Or any of these women looking the way people I know do when they exercise - bulging, straining, teeth-grittingly physical.  Also goofy, extended, awkward, drenched, reaching, sprawling, moving, using themselves.

Because the empowering (sorry) thing about exercise is feeling at home in your own body, and yes, improving it inside and out.   Not just outwardly, for the gaze of someone else somewhere who, heaven forbid!, should be offended by flesh actually moving....or by a women so absorbed by her own commitment to an activity that she forgets to be attractive for a minute there, but inwardly, for better health, calmer mind, an active life.

I guess I wouldn't mind so much the idealized bodies - it is advertising, after all - if when I clicked on through to the Nike site (I admit it, I was dazzled for a minute).....I could find something to buy other than sneakers. 

Seriously.  Two pair of gloves that look too light duty for real free weights.  Not one sports bra that I can find on the site will accommodate my needs.  Not one.  As far as I can tell from the website, they don't make a single item of women's sports apparel for a bust size larger than 41-3".  I could be wrong - it is one of the worst sites I've seen for finding information as opposed to pretty pictures (it's been updated since I wrote this, and it slightly better.   So I take back some of it: there was one top I found that might fit.) 

And while they have specific categories for golf, and fitness dance, and running and yoga and sports culture - which means posing, I think - they don't have a category of weightlifting equipment for women.   Not pretty enough, I expect.  If we are celebrating the beauty and power and real sexiness of women, shouldn't that message include ways for everyone to get dressed for the gym?  (edited to add - And sexiness has WHAT to do with my ability to hit a golf ball, or swing a racquet, or run, or lift or bend?  I concede the point for sports culture though.  Posing is all about the external eye.)

They are far from the only company I've seen that clearly thinks their brand will be debased if it is widely available to the less aerodynamically sleek.  But I'm suffering a particular revulsion of feeling because they make such a point of their promotion of women and fitness, of the beauty in strength, of the fierceness in women as competitors.  It's a lie - clearly you should only Just Do It if you can be aesthetically pleasing while you're Doing It.  And if you have a little extra flesh on top of those muscles you've worked so hard for, you can rot.  Out of sight, please.

Unless you're a guy.  I notice the guys size chart goes up to a 3X.  That's nice.  I see that under their FAQ's - that would be FREQUENTLY asked questions - they say "at this time Nike does not produce plus sizes for women. However, this is an area that is being researched by our apparel department."  I bet.

Needless to say, my new sneakers are not Nikes. 

They are pink though.

I don't know what came over me.  A feeling of being empowerful, probably.  Got to watch that.

Comments

[michal]

the glove thing happend to me too just about a month ago. after i finished off an actually decent pair of old nike gloves (that was for women and did last 2+ years), i went looking for the same - but noooooo... i guess the already well discussed subject of shape, thickness, support and color really doesn't occur to anyone at the major fitness companies. arrgg! i too ended up buying a men's pair, that's too loose to accomodate my large hands (large because i have those long womanly fingures, thanks a lot) and hence don't grip as well. sigh... and by the way - did you notice that the same kind of glove in "manly" colors cost less than the same in "girly" color?
as for the sizes on clothes, i'm a size 2-4, (in xs tops...) so i have to say i'm no guru about curve friendly brands, but i have a "nordstrom rack" in my local mall, and if you're around one - they have more fitness clothes from all the fancy brands in sizes lare and up than small and extra small. here's a double whammy - get them on the size and for way cheaper (because we know how overpriced these clothes are). also, under armour seems to be a more modest and practical brand, and target has champion which seems to go up in sizes too (and is fairly priced).
companies these days make clothes for the guys who're watching your ass when you're doing deadlifts, i swear...

[michal]

the glove thing happend to me too just about a month ago. after i finished off an actually decent pair of old nike gloves (that was for women and did last 2+ years), i went looking for the same - but noooooo... i guess the already well discussed subject of shape, thickness, support and color really doesn't occur to anyone at the major fitness companies. arrgg! i too ended up buying a men's pair, that's too loose to accomodate my large hands (large because i have those long womanly fingures, thanks a lot) and hence don't grip as well. sigh... and by the way - did you notice that the same kind of glove in "manly" colors cost less than the same in "girly" color?
as for the sizes on clothes, i'm a size 2-4, (in xs tops...) so i have to say i'm no guru about curve friendly brands, but i have a "nordstrom rack" in my local mall, and if you're around one - they have more fitness clothes from all the fancy brands in sizes lare and up than small and extra small. here's a double whammy - get them on the size and for way cheaper (because we know how overpriced these clothes are). also, under armour seems to be a more modest and practical brand, and target has champion which seems to go up in sizes too (and is fairly priced).
companies these days make clothes for the guys who're watching your ass when you're doing deadlifts, i swear...

[Allyson]

I am ringing in a little late on this one. My view is slightly different on the Nike ad. Sharapova got a lot of attention early in her career solely based on her looks. It was disappointing (to me) to see that a player was getting attention for her looks and not her ability. She was not even ranked but was more widely recognized than Leslie Davenport. I know she had nothing to do with writing the ad but to me it says "I am more than a pretty face". In auto racing there were many women before Danica Patrick.

[Laura]

I think it's interesting what you said about other things besides knitting moving you to words lately, because this is the post that made me want to leave a comment...

I recently started running and have never been an atheletic person. It's hard to find clothes that are comfortable and fit (and I am supposedly of "standard" size and shape and if anything on the small side)!

I am just frustrated that in the years of "physical education" I had in school I was never taught how to train for anything like running, how to get clothes that support a woman's body and are comfortable, and I never learned anything about using gym equipment. No wonder so many Americans have so many resources and are out of shape!

Incidentally, I have been very impressed by companies like Terry Bicycles and Title Nine that are giving Nike a run for their money (and Terry does have plus sizes).

[Cadi]

Awsome rant, and great comments!

Have you ever checked out www.stumptuous.com ? Love her!
It's the best website I've found on women's weight lifting.

[ellen]

Oh sports clothes. This is an issue with garments others than sports gear, too. Why do women's trousers have such puny zippers, inadequate pockets, and flimsy hems? Why does everything made for women have to be shoddy? And about those bike jerseys - I had not noticed that a woman's cell phone, snacks, and stuff that needs to go in the jersey pockets was so much smaller than a man's. Did no one notice that a person who is short in the body may also have breasts that need a little breathing room? One need only go to one big bike event to notice that all cycling women are not 23 and size 5. Please make jerseys for the rest of us! And Spinningwife - you might mention to your bike shop that repeat sales, maintenance, and new customers come from word of mouth. In the cycling community people do not listen only to the recommendations of the young and beautiful! A good cycling shop does not try to marginalize a person coming in the door with her money in hand.

[claudia]

Try finding bicycle clothing for women that isn't pink or baby blue. WTF? The only sports type site I buy from these days is Terry.

[Chris]

I think perhaps we should all chip in for a ticket to send you to visit the Nike CEO. :)

[Lene]

"And sexiness has WHAT to do with my ability to..." etc. Everything, dahling, simply EVERYTHING! Didn't you know? It's always about the sexy. And the pretty. Heaven forbid women should actually be anything but.

And they say there's no more need for feminism. Barf.

[Norma]

So I mulled on this overnight, trying to remember where I got my weight-lifting gloves, and just now I remembered it, only to come in here and find that Lee Ann had already said it. Yes, indeed, the best "weight-lifting" gloves I have are biking gloves. Leather and padded palms with mesh on the top, and I believe they are now over 15 years old and still going strong on those occasions when I either bike OR weight-train.

[Kristina]

For what it's worth, I go to Five Below for weightlifting gloves--they're made by Weider and they're nicely padded and made for women...and they even have different women's sizes. But I know that that's not the point of this entry. I have many of the same issues.

[Anna]

I like the sports wear from Junonia.com As a backpacking hiking size 22, I am right there with everyone on the difficulty of finding decent active wear.

[Kathy]

I have three words for you: Title Nine Sports. Sports bras in all kinds of sizes (big, tiny, ample, not so much) that actually support. The rest of the clothes only go up to XL in clothes, though.

I'm waiting for women to be glorified for being *women*. Not holding my breath on that one.

[Jenny]

Spinningfishwife, you might try the Terry Bikes site, since they seem to have a wide range of sizes for women's cycling shorts and tops. I haven't tried their stuff on, though, so I'm not sure how true to size it is. Also, the Moving comfort sports bras have some D cup things (Maia or something like that). Now I just need to actually find some time to get *out* of the house and on my darn bike before it gets dark... Juno, fantastic post.

[Rfx1982]

I actually really like the NIKE commercial, because I agree with Deb's comment. The music stops as soon as Sharapova slams the ball, showing that she is more then just a pretty girl and that the spectators should not underestimate her (though seriously, are pretty girls not supposed to be powerful?).

[Lee Ann]

RYKA for shoes. They get it.

I haven't bought weight gloves in a while, but when I was a powerlifter (um, yes, I was on the team in high school), I ended up using biking gloves, which lasted longer because you are expected, no matter how pink you are, to put constant pressure on your hands if you are biking. They worked very well.

Rock the house, babe.

[anne]

great rant and thanx for the twisty link
i have indulged in hard exercise all my life—racewalking, weightlifting, cycling, basketball—and i never once could find anything nike that really fit. and i AM small! but i have big feet, huge hands, and big legs. their shorts are made for toothpick legs—ugh.

i have bigger hands than any of my three husbands had—please tell me where you bought those good gloves! i tried to use cycling gloves for weightlifting, but that doesn't work for me—i prefer weightlifting gloves to have the longer cuff for wrist support. i would kill for a great pair (or three) of those!

[--Deb]

Huh. When I see those Nike ads, I never think about how the woman IN the ad is feeling pretty while she's hitting the tennis ball. I always think that the people SEEING her are thinking, "Oh, how pretty," and then being blown away by her strength, fierceness, skill. As in "Whoa, she's more than just 'pretty'!" It's showing THEM, the people just thinking, "Aw, pretty," their misconception--because clearly, a Nike woman is more than just "pretty."

[k sallyjo]

Speaking of strong women; does anyone have acurrent link to "Granny gets a vibrator"? The last couple of times I've tried, I get an ad for vibrators.

[julia fc]

It's all been said in ways far better than I could say it (esp by Maryse), but I will tell you that I've not bought a thing by Nike since I was 18, which was the last time I could fit into anything their size. And even then the seams were skimpy, the shoe lasts narrow, and even back then that baby company was already expoiting my body issues for my money. Same as it ever was.

[Ruth]

A most excellent rant!! I've been actually told by men in the gym (after pumping heavier weights than they were straining over) that I ought to be careful or I would ruin my looks with too much muscle. (All the more ludicrous since I am 5'10" and 135 lbs). "If you want to look toned," one told me earnestly, "you really should focus on low weights and high reps." To which I replied, "I already look good, I want to be strong." I spent countless futile hours looking for women-specific tips for optimal weight training, only to be confronted over and over again with images bordering on porn and the clear assumption that women only ever exercise for the sake of appearance. It seems our society still considers functional strength and power to be a solely male domain.

As an aside, have you checked out Mountain Equipment Co-op online? (Sorry, can't find the link at the moment). It's a Canadian company, low on shallow hype, big on quality, and the gear is designed for practical use. Mainly outdoor oriented, but they do have sports bras, trail running gear, etc.

[Gina]

Fabulous post! Grrroooowwwllll!

[Amanda]

Well put. I am beyond fed up with not even being able to find a good, FIRM-support sports bra in a size bigger than a 38C. I don't run often, but part of the reason is because I don't want my boobs flapping up into my face and knocking me unconcious! And, hand-in-hand with the disturbing trend of making clothing smaller and smaller every year (a size 16 should be the same from the same manufacturer every year, it just should!), I've noticed that Nike's sneakers seem to be getting smaller and narrower, too - as if it's not bad enough to try to cram our "plus-sized" bodies into smaller clothes (or try to ignore the larger numbers that now mean nothing but are still degrading in their way) but now we have to cram our big feet that have nothing, really, to do with our weight (my mom is 5' 2", 125 pounds, and has a size 9.5 foot) into a shoe that is smaller, narrower, and STILL made by small children in developing countries for next to no pay. I used to wear a size 10 Nike, but have recently had to buy an 11 to get any kind of wiggle room and comfort. There is no quality anymore, I'm afraid. And nothing but pink? It's like those pathetic, wimpy, cheapshit pink toolsets for women. Give me a break. I have a fix-it father who gave me a well-stocked, QUALITY toolbox when I moved into my own apartment, adding to the one I've always had in my car. You know, tools with scratches, oil-stains, ones that won't break if applied to a stubborn bolt. I'm just sayin'.

Rant over. Sorry.

Oh, and that guy? Not worth the sex, even if it's really good.

[Mariz]

What a fabulous post! In recent years I've not been around people who think like you (and me), its so nice to be reminded from your post and the comments, that I'm not a crazy femnazi, but a thinking human being! And thanks for the link to Twisty. Can't wait to read her blog too.

My two cents on products: Title 9 has a nice catalog, somewhat overpriced and, unfortunately, I've been told not such great quality although I like the 2 sports bras I from them (before I became too ill to need that sort of "equipment"). I discovered several years ago that if you buy "running socks" at Foot Locker, the men's are more padded than the women's! I was SO MAD, running socks for god's sake! Why not make both of them equally comfortable? Craziness, absolute craziness and very stupid in a capitalist society. Hey, Mr. Capitalist, we'd buy more of your stuff if you made us better stuff to buy.

I'm so glad your posting more, again.

Yes, what we sometimes put up with for sex.... I hope he's good in bed!

Oh, and thanks for the link to Twisty.

[Martha]

Clearly, I don't pay nearly enough attention to commercials because the Nike commercial completely eluded me. I also love Title 9 Sports, although some of their cycling tops are not offered in sizes large enough for my chest.