Current:Home > NewsWimbledon will allow women to wear colored undershorts, in nod to period concerns -Excel Wealth Summit
Wimbledon will allow women to wear colored undershorts, in nod to period concerns
Algosensey View
Date:2025-04-09 21:28:29
Wimbledon's famously strict rules requiring all-white clothing for its players now comes with an exception: female players can wear dark-colored undershorts beneath their skirts or shorts.
The change comes after current and former players described the stress of having to wear an all-white ensemble at the tennis tournament while on their menstrual periods.
The organizers of Wimbledon said the new rule follows discussions with the Women's Tennis Association, clothing manufacturers and medical teams.
"This means that from next year, women and girls competing at The Championships will have the option of wearing coloured undershorts if they choose," Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club, said in a statement. "It is our hope that this rule adjustment will help players focus purely on their performance by relieving a potential source of anxiety."
Wimbledon's dress code dictates that "white does not include off white or cream" and "a single trim of colour around the neckline and around the cuff of the sleeves is acceptable but must be no wider than one centimetre."
Now an asterisk has been added to the rules, permitting female players to "wear solid, mid/dark-coloured undershorts provided they are no longer than their shorts or skirt."
The Grand Slam rulebook states that "clean and customarily acceptable tennis attire shall be worn as determined by each respective Grand Slam Tournament."
The other Grand Slams are far more liberal than Wimbledon in their assessment of acceptable tennis attire. Players at the U.S. Open, for example, often wear bright and expressive outfits.
The menstruation issue had been raised repeatedly by players and others in recent months.
Former Puerto Rican player Monica Puig tweeted in May about "the mental stress of having to wear all white at Wimbledon and praying not to have your period during those two weeks," in addition to how a period can affect a player's performance.
Australian player Daria Saville said she had altered her period specifically because of the tournament's dress code. "I myself had to skip my period around Wimbledon for the reason that I didn't want to worry about bleeding through, as we already have enough other stress," she told The Daily Aus.
"Imagine being a swimmer or a ballet dancer," she added. "Sometimes it just sucks to be a girl."
Likewise, British player Heather Watson told the BBC that she had gone on birth control pills to change her cycle so she wouldn't have her period during Wimbledon — both for fear of bleeding through her whites, and because of the cramping, bloating and fatigue that are typical period symptoms.
At July's Wimbledon tournament, a group of protestors wore red undershorts underneath white skirts, holding signs emblazoned with messages including "About Bloody Time."
Somewhat ironically, the rules about white clothing initially began as a measure to prevent sweat stains from showing on colored clothing.
While the issue may have only been discussed publicly in the last few years, the fear of bleeding onto one's tennis whites is nothing new.
"My generation, we always worried because we wore all white all the time," tennis legend Billie Jean King said in a recent interview with CNN. "And it's what you wear underneath that's important for your menstrual period."
"We're always checking whether we're showing. You get tense about it because the first thing we are is entertainers, and you want whatever you wear to look immaculate, look great. We're entertainers. We're bringing it to the people," King said.
Wimbledon's new apparel rules will come into effect in July at the 136th staging of the tournament.
veryGood! (158)
Related
- Current, future North Carolina governor’s challenge of power
- Here's Your First Look at Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell's Headline-Making Movie Anyone But You
- Colorado police officer convicted in 2019 death of Elijah McClain; ex-officer acquitted
- 1 officer convicted, 1 acquitted in death of Elijah McClain
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- In its quest to crush Hamas, Israel will confront the bitter, familiar dilemmas of Mideast wars
- Get $160 Worth of Sunday Riley Brightening Skincare Products for Just $88
- Social Security's cost-of-living adjustment set at 3.2% — less than half of the current year's increase
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Republican challenger uses forum to try to nationalize Kentucky governor’s race
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- State Department announces plan to fly Americans out of Israel
- NYU law student has job offer withdrawn after posting anti-Israel message
- Elijah McClain’s final words are synonymous with the tragic case that led to 1 officer’s conviction
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- How Travis Barker’s Daughter Alabama Barker Gets Her Lip Filler to Look Natural
- Israel's 'Ground Zero:' More than 100 civilians killed at the Be'eri Kibbutz
- Mapping out the Israel-Hamas war
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Christopher Reeve's Look-Alike Son Will Turns Heads During Star-Studded Night Out in NYC
Chipotle menu prices are going up again, marking the 4th increase in 2 years
How Birkenstock went from ugly hippie sandal to billion-dollar brand
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
Nearly 500,000 Little Sleepies baby bibs and blankets recalled due to potential choking hazard
AP PHOTOS: Surge in gang violence upends life in Ecuador
More than 85 women file class action suit against Massachusetts doctor they say sexually abused them