Types of Body Negativity in Sports: Weight Brackets/Aesthetics in Sports

                                                

⋇TRIGGER WARNING: EATING DISORDERS + BODY IMAGE ISSUES

This week, we will talk about Types of Body Negativity in Sports: Weight Brackets/Aesthetics in Sports. Melissa Streno, a clinical psychologist, specializes in athletic performance and its ties to eating disorders and body image issues. 

Streno references direct ties of weight brackets and aesthetics in sports to eating disorders and body image issues. Every sport is capable of causing some sort of eating disorder in athletes, but some are more predisposed to do so than others. 

For example, wrestling, boxing, football, and other school sports have certain weight brackets that athletes strive to categorize themselves in. In certain sports, this means that athletes will have a higher chance of winning or performing well in matches or tournaments. This can often cause athletes to develop eating disorders to try and be categorized in their desired bracket. Dangerous methods include extreme calorie deficiency and dehydration to try and rid the body of fats. These methods can result in serious weight drops/increase, and can be extremely dangerous to the overall well-being of the athlete. 

Aesthetics is another large aspect of many sports. Sports like figure skating, gymnastics, ballet, dance, and others have either very specific or unwritten rules about weight and body type that is considered in the judging. Athletes may be purposefully or subconsciously judged for their weight or body type and may be unfairly judged. This means that the athletes are being judged on their physical appearance, not their overall skill or quality of performance. In order to fit the judges' preferences, some athletes in these aesthetic-central sports develop eating disorders or go to drastic measures to try and become the "right" size for the sport. 

Though these are extremely dangerous and important issues to address, the world of sports is not so easy to change. Thankfully, the sports community is becoming more and more aware of these issues. After the death of three collegiate wrestlers who had used rapid weight loss techniques to get into their desired weight bracket, the NCAA created a safe weight management program to support scholar-athletes in the management of their weight loss and gain. 

What can parents do to help their children overcome body insecurities or eating disorders due to their sport's weight brackets/aesthetic requirements? The best thing for both parents and athletes to do is to educate themselves to see how to lose/gain weight in healthy ways; this can be done by studying nutritional information together and learning how to safely attain weight goals. As for coaches, they can help by providing athletes with well-fitting and comfortable uniforms that will encourage athletes to see their own bodies in a healthy and encouraging way. As an athlete, you may even want to reach out to your coach and see what you can do to make yourself feel more comfortable within your sport. Although it is a tough and uncomfortable conversation to have, it is a much healthier way to deal with body image issues within your sport. 

Athletes - if you would like, please use this article to see that there are different, healthier ways to attain your weight and aesthetic goals in your sport. Remember that nothing is worth destroying or hurting your body, and you must keep your body healthy and strong to play your sport to your best potential. 

Sources + Further Reading:

1. https://www.verywellfit.com/unhealthy-ways-athletes-lose-weight-4090250

2. https://truesport.org/body-image/athletes-struggle-body-image/

3. Google Images