I heard a story on the news a while ago about how they are changing the female crash test dummy for the first time in over 60 years so it, you know… represents women. The industry claimed it had a female crash test dummy for a while, but not only was testing with it not required, but the dummy was a far cry from the average female size. At just 4 feet 8 inches and 105 pounds, it was more the size of a child or a tween. 

I’ve heard plenty of stories about a male bias in any kind of human biology studies too. Mainly because “a woman’s body changes over a month, it’s too hard to study when the hormones are changing so often!” I am not a scientist, but I think that might be even more reason to study. 

But let’s look at how things have changed for women in the world of sport. Not necessarily in a highly scientific way, but just in a fun way. 

Supporting the Girls

Women used to have to deal with all kinds of breast discomfort if they made any kind of athletic moves before sports bras were invented. Straps would slip and there could be pain from excessive movement, chafing and hot spots… So in the late 1970s, Linda Lindahl and Polly Smith invented the first sports bra. Their initial prototype was sewing two jockstraps together. I’m so glad that innovation has continued and we have much better options now.

The latest news stories I’ve heard regarding sports bras is that there is now sufficient proof that they can restrict airflow. They are usually very compressive to keep things from moving around too much, but it is now proven the construction meant to eliminate bounce also cuts off air. Hopefully, there can continue to be work done to improve that so women can get support while also being able to take in a complete breath.

What’s On Your Feet?

Looking at the history of running shoes, the first running-specific shoes were spikes invented in the late 1800’s. (We’re not rolling all the way back to huaraches here, okay?)

Then the world got rubber-soled running shoes in the early 1900’s. Of course, these were all considered mens running shoes. If ladies wanted to run, then they just had to get a pair small enough to fit them. And be sneaky about it, because those darn uteruses might just fall out…

It wasn’t until the late-1970’s that the first womens running shoes were introduced. The earliest versions were built on the “shrink it and pink it” model that is so common in products “designed for women”. In the mid-1980s companies finally started to actually build a women’s last for their shoe models. 

And now in the 2020’s, we are getting companies that are making solely women’s fit running shoes. Women’s forefeet, arches, and heels… they’re all different from a man’s and shoe companies are getting even more specific on these details. 

Got Your Accessories?

I’m just going to leave this 80’s era Jane Fonda pic here for you…

I’ll give Jane Fonda all the credit for bringing fitness into more mainstream arenas with home video and basically launching the whole at-home fitness industry. And I will admit a headband can be really useful for keeping sweat from falling in your eyes. 

But I’m so glad that we’ve evolved to a point where we don’t wear a leotard and a belt (A BELT! With a BUCKLE!) while we get our sweat on. 

There are still some fails in workout apparel, I will never ever accept that booty scrunch leggings are a good thing. But for the most part, we’ve evolved the whole workout apparel industry pretty well. 

Read Up!

If you want a really good history of women’s sports, I highly recommend the book Let’s Get Physical by Danielle Friedman. I read it in 2022 and found it immensely enjoyable. 

(adidas products were gifted to me for some links on this post.)