There’s one group of Olympians that’s conspicuous in its absence from these magazine spreads: female boxers. Women’s boxing is making its medal debut at the 2012 Olympics, and this year’s crop of fighters has made a real effort to direct fans to their skills, not their boobs. Not a single woman has been caught in that classic chick boxing shot,looking coy in hot pink gloves.
Esparza has publicly described herself as “girly,” but that’s as far as the Americans seem to have gone in addressing the decision to keep their clothes on. For the Olympians, the tough-not-sexy posing may stem from a backlash against the Amateur International Boxing Association’s proposed dress code, which would have required the fighters to wear skirts to, apparently, help spectators distinguish them from men. The boxers balked, with Ireland’s Taylor delivering the knockout blow. “I don't even wear mini-skirts on a night out,” she said, “so I definitely won't be wearing one in the ring."
The way these fighters are choosing to portray themselves in the run-up to the Olympics might also have something to do with how female professional boxers are usually packaged and sold. For the pros—women like Holly Holm, Mia St. John, and Laila Ali—sex is the easiest route to ticket sales in a male-dominated sport. Holm, for one, has a tendency to show up at weigh-ins in a string bikini. It’s the same story in mixed martial arts, where Gina Carano parlayed her looks into mainstream fame. MMA fighter Ronda Rousey is following that same path. Phase one: a spread in ESPN’s Body Issue.
In the pro game, short skirts and bikinis still put butts in seats. But as these new Olympians seem to have figured out, that won’t be true in London, where everyone wears a modest get-up. During the games at least, the color of your medal matters more than the cut of your clothes.
Do you think that more people would want to watch this fight if the boxers were wearing skirts? That’s the logic driving a proposal by the president of the International Amateur Boxing Association. He says skirts could help signal that these are women, something he believes is lost on TV viewers. But will feminine flourishes really draw in a broader audience? Look through this gallery of relatively ladylike pro boxing outfits. Yes, it's clear, even while channel surfing, that these are women. But no matter how shiny, ruffly, or pink the sportswear, there is no obscuring that this is a sweaty, violent sport.
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Mia St. John vs. Brenda Felter, 1998
It must be noted that pros have always had way more freedom than amateurs to dress as they like. (Pros are barred from Olympic competition.) Not only can they experiment with fabrics and colors, they don’t have to wear the hair-obscuring headgear that the AIBA says makes it so hard to tell that amateur competitors are women. American Mia St. John (left) rarely dressed like other boxers, wearing outfits more reminiscent of the world of gymnastics or aerobics.
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Mia St. John vs. Imelda Arias, 2001
Another typically sparkly outfit from Mia St. John (right) and another typical functional outfit from Mexican boxer Imelda Arias. St. John drew fans as well as critics by posing for Playboy and branding herself as the “hottest woman in boxing.” Some suggested the “Bunny Boxer" made a mockery of the game, while others credited her with proving that it’s possible to look feminine while boxing.
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Sumya Anani vs. Lisa Holewyne, 2004
Massage therapist turned boxer Sumya “the Island Girl” Anani (left) breaks stylistic conventions with a sort of tie-dye skort.
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Myriam Lamare vs. Olena Tverdokhlib, 2003
Myriam Lamare (right) of France shimmers as she lands a right hook on her opponent Olena Tverdokhlib of Ukraine.
Mehdi Fedouach/AFP/Getty Images.
Myriam Lamare vs. Eliza Olson, 2004
Lamare(right) takes shiny to the next level the following year as she exchanges punches with Eliza Olson of the United States during their World Boxing Association Light Welterweight bout.
Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images.
Noriko Kariya vs. Cindy Christian 2005
At right, Noriko Kariya’s skirt threatens to untie as she throws a punch at Cindy Christian of the United States on May 28, 2005. ''I want the sport to get to the point where you can't see a difference between men and women, stylistically,” Kariya, of Canada, has said—referring of course to boxing style, not fashion. “I want to be part of what elevates boxing … to move it past the Mia St. Johns and girls slugging it out like a bar fight."
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Sharon Anyos va. Christina Tai, 2005
Shiny pink World Champion Sharon Anyos (left) ducks a jab from Christina Tai during the Women’s Lightweight boxing fight at Trusts Stadium in Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand.
Sandra Mu/Getty Images.
Regina Halmich vs. Ria Ramnarine, 2006
In an outfit reminiscent of Tinker Bell from Peter Pan, Germany's Regina Halmich (left) celebrates after winning her WIBF flyweight world champion title fight.
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Myriam Lamare vs. Anne-Sophie Mathis, 2006
In what was perhaps the most shimmery match in French history, the referee stops France's Myriam Lamare (left) and her compatriot Anne-Sophie Mathis during the WBA Women World Boxing Championship in Paris. Mathis won the match.
Medhi Fedouach/AFP/Getty Images.
Marzia Davide vs. Usha Nagisetty, 2009
Wearing the sort of skirts currently under consideration by the AIBA, Indian boxer Usha Nagisetty (left) and Italian Marzia Davide battle in the 57 kilo exhibition match before the men's final of the AIBA World Boxing Cup in Milan. Most women boxers in the AIBA have been less inclined to adopt skirts. The uniform discussion has been intensified by the fact that women boxers will participate in the Olympics for the first time this year.