Why I Love This Era of Women’s Sports

While scrolling through Instagram one day, I came across a post that struck me. At first glance, it seemed to be an ordinary post any sports team or network could have put out, displaying images of sports players in uniforms. 

But this one in particular, of athletes in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), stood out to me. 

In the post, Sarah Nurse stands to the right of fellow Canadian hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin. Nurse is shown wearing a full face of makeup with her hair styled. In contrast, Poulin is wearing what appears to be minimal or no makeup at all, with no elaborate updo or fancy hairstyle. 

This post made me think about the message it sends to young girls, especially those who look up to female players. For a long time, the expectation has been that women in sports must maintain a particular appearance— one that represents a specific definition of femininity. 

Back in 2013, Britney Garner pushed back against this when she told ELLE Magazine about the inclusion of makeup classes as part of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) rookie orientation. 

The focus in women’s sports tended to be on appearance; what the athletes were wearing, their relationship status, or their family life, with little attention paid to skill and on-field play. 

Rigid definitions of what it means to be feminine and masculine deeply affect the sports community, creating a divide between the space women and men are allowed to take up. 

Sports have long been known as a “man’s arena,” which not only polices the way women can play sports, but also works to exclude them from these spaces completely. Now, seeing female hockey players wear what makes them feel confident—while still being regarded as high-level athletes—tells young girls that there is no one way to be a woman and that they can embrace their own definition of femininity. 

The injection of femininity—whatever that means to each athlete—into the stereotypically masculine space of sports is something I have enjoyed seeing, especially since the PWHL’s inception and the rise in popularity of women’s hockey.

Embracing all women and how they choose to express themselves is an essential step in diversifying sports. 

Of course, sexism and unrealistic expectations for women still continue in the sports world. However, I hope that as women’s sports continue to grow in popularity, this outdated view will begin to change. 

Sarah Nurse and Marie-Philip Poulin are two of the many role models for the next generation. On and off the ice, they prove misogynistic narratives in women’s sports to be false. Yet, these narratives are still widely believed. 

Women’s sports cannot grow if the attitudes surrounding them don’t. 

• hockey
• marie philip-poulin
• PHWL
• Professional Women’s Hockey League
• Sarah nurse
• sports
• uniforms
• womens sports