Current:Home > NewsWimbledon will allow women to wear colored undershorts, in nod to period concerns -SecureWealth Bridge
Wimbledon will allow women to wear colored undershorts, in nod to period concerns
View
Date:2025-04-13 06:00:55
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! (5259)
Related
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Burning Man attendees advised to conserve food and water after rains
- As Taiwan’s government races to counter China, most people aren’t worried about war
- AI project imagines adult faces of children who disappeared during Argentina’s military dictatorship
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Man convicted of 4-month-old son’s 1997 death dies on Alabama death row
- Suspected robbers stop a van in Colorado and open fire; all 8 in van hurt in crash getting away
- Spectrum Cable can't show these college football games amid ESPN dispute
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- No Black women CEOs left in S&P 500 after Walgreens CEO Rosalind Brewer resigns
Ranking
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Iowa State starting lineman Jake Remsburg suspended 6 games by the NCAA for gambling
- Martha Stewart Stirs Controversy After Putting a Small Iceberg in Her Cocktail
- An Ode to Chris Evans' Cutest Moments With His Rescue Dog Dodger
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Florida fishing village Horseshoe Beach hopes to maintain its charm after being walloped by Idalia
- 'Howdy Doody': Video shows Nebraska man driving with huge bull in passenger seat
- Pro-Kremlin rapper who calls Putin a die-hard superhero takes over Domino's Pizza outlets in Russia
Recommendation
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
Kevin Costner Says He’s in “Horrible Place” Amid Divorce Hearing With Wife Christine
Utah, Nebraska headline college football winners and losers from Thursday of Week 1
Kevin Costner Says He’s in “Horrible Place” Amid Divorce Hearing With Wife Christine
Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
SpaceX launch livestream: Watch liftoff of satellites from Vandenberg base in California
Sister Wives Previews Heated Argument That Led to Janelle and Kody Brown's Breakup
Paris' rental electric scooter ban has taken effect