LPGA To Enforce more Strict Dress Code

[CMartis]

Personally I think they should hold an LPGA tournament that is based on clothing. The more clothes they wear. The lower the handicap. The only thing mandatory is shoes. Golf shoes are required...     

[iacas]

23 minutes ago, chspeed said:

Paige Spiranac wrote a good article about this topic. It frames the argument in the same way we do, making clear that it's not currently an issue on the LPGA, but may hurt the game by turning off young women athletes.

Oh boy.

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I respect and understand that golf is enveloped in tradition and that certain rules and regulations must be upheld. But as both an ambassador for golf and an advocate for the continued progress of women’s rights and equality in society, I fear that these new rules are stifling the growth of the women’s game.

Really? It's about "women's rights and equality in society"? I think most people would say that the men's dress code more restrictive than the women's. Not only can they not wear pants that show off their "bottom area" they can't wear pants that show off their "shin area." They can't wear tank tops, collared or otherwise. They can't wear low-cut anything.

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Back in the early 1900s, it was suggested that women should refrain from hitting the ball longer than 70 to 80 yards since “the posture and gestures required for a full swing are not particularly graceful when the player is clad in female dress." Women were required to meet societal pressures, even if that meant not being able to correctly execute the same swing.

Sorry, but a collar or shorts that are 2" longer are not going to affect your golf swing.

Paige then compares golf to pole vaulting, while ignoring the very obvious differences. Why not swimming, Paige?

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Up to this point, there have been no incidences or photos of LPGA players dressed in a way that has cast the tour in a negative light.

Says you. My wife has commented a few times on a few outfits. Specifically… on several of Paige's outfits (though she isn't close to an LPGA Tour player).

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But if the LPGA players themselves aren’t the problem, these new rules may have been put in place as an exclusionary measure to make sure that only players who echo golf’s more traditional, conservative norms are attracted to and excel at the sport.

Oh boy.

That's a stretch…

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Furthermore, aside from singling out a certain style of dress, it also, perhaps unintentionally, singles out a certain body type, over which women have no control.

Uhhh… wha? The LPGA isn't mandating that you wear LESS clothing, which might make some players who are a bit larger feel odd. They're saying wear more clothing. They're saying they don't want to see cleavage. They're saying they don't want to see your ass hanging out of your short short shorts or shorts. They're saying stop wearing ripped jeans to pro-am parties.

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Take the vague banning of “plunging necklines.” What constitutes a plunging neckline? Most likely, this edict was put into place to eliminate the presence of cleavage. In that case, a curvier, fuller-figured woman would be chided and fined far more often than a woman with a smaller bust. In a world where women are continually and unwantedly sexualized, this new rule serves as yet another reason for women to feel ashamed of their bodies, and a reminder that to be respected, they must alter their behavior because of outside perception.

I give up. My wife laughed out loud at this. She couldn't finish the article.

 

You're right, Paige, you couldn't have hit that bunker shot while wearing pants and a collared shirt with sleeves.

You know, like Jordan Spieth must wear when he plays a PGA Tour event. Or even a practice round.

[gregsandiego]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

Oh boy.

Really? It's about "women's rights and equality in society"? I think most people would say that the men's dress code more restrictive than the women's. Not only can they not wear pants that show off their "bottom area" they can't wear pants that show off their "shin area." They can't wear tank tops, collared or otherwise. They can't wear low-cut anything.

Sorry, but a collar or shorts that are 2" longer are not going to affect your golf swing.

Paige then compares golf to pole vaulting, while ignoring the very obvious differences. Why not swimming, Paige?

Says you. My wife has commented a few times on a few outfits. Specifically… on several of Paige's outfits (though she isn't close to an LPGA Tour player).

Oh boy.

That's a stretch…

Uhhh… wha? The LPGA isn't mandating that you wear LESS clothing, which might make some players who are a bit larger feel odd. They're saying wear more clothing. They're saying they don't want to see cleavage. They're saying they don't want to see your ass hanging out of your short short shorts or shorts. They're saying stop wearing ripped jeans to pro-am parties.

I give up. My wife laughed out loud at this. She couldn't finish the article.

 

You're right, Paige, you couldn't have hit that bunker shot while wearing pants and a collared shirt with sleeves.

You know, like Jordan Spieth must wear when he plays a PGA Tour event. Or even a practice round.

Paige is cleverly co-opting the issue to get a little free publicity. Smart marketing.

[rehmwa]

 

[Vinsk]

2 hours ago, rehmwa said:

 

Easy now ....you're getting way too close to the truth...and today that is strictly forbidden!

[Vinsk]

Edited July 21, 2017 by Vinsk

[Vinsk]

6 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

It sure seems certain players are opposed to the restrictions, and another type, well not so much....

[Jeremie Boop]

These players and other people seem to be going way overboard with what these guidelines are set up to say. If, as Paige says, she hasn't seen anything that would even be effected by this new set of rules, well then there's no reason to even complain right?? On the other hand, if they are simply just trying to pre-empt any possible future inappropriate clothing choices by players then it's just smart thinking.

Either way, they idea that this is some how "sexist" is ridiculous because, as already mentioned by another LPGA player, basically every single other professional sport has a dress code in place for it's athletes.... Typically way more stringent when it comes to male athletes, which @iacasand others have also pointed out when referring to the PGA dress code.

Edited July 21, 2017 by Jeremie Boop

[oregongolfguy]

I'm kind of trying to wrap my head around this whole thing still.....sooooo.....are people mad because the lpga is limiting the ability to see more skin of young ladies playing golf because they only watch to stare at the girls bodies.....are people mad because a company is enforcing a dress code just like thousands of other companies due in all different fields of work....

  I guess i just don't quite understand it.  

[Hategolf]

Of course Paige is going to disagree with the suggested dress code changes. Paige is making money with her cleavage more than with her golf swing. Do not get me wrong, as male I love to watch her videos in skimpy outfits and such, so I am not complaining. In all honestly though, I personally can no longer take Paige seriously, that is the price you pay for using certain marketing strategies that are a little risque. 

Regarding the outfits in the LPGA, Michelle Wie has pushed the boundaries a little. I went to see her in the Kia classic and her yoga pants were..how do I say it....distracting to say the least ...not to mention with her new swing and posture where she needs to keep her rear end as far out as possible it made watching her  golf swing a different type of entertainment. The rest of the girls however seem to be more online with the expected professional look and they were still fun to watch and appreciated as good athletes. 

I do like the idea of keeping the ladies online with a professional look should be. Golf can be a fun family event and kids should not be expose to certain looks at an early age. 

[iacas]

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/someone-actually-loves-the-lpga-dress-code-heres-where-theyre-woefully-misguided

https://www.lady-golfer.com/news/lpga-dress-code-right/

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You should be able to wear whatever makes you most comfortable. But not when that style turns to immodesty or offence. And this is what the LPGA are trying to stamp out.

I agree, but where the Golf Digest article gets it wrong is that it doesn't really matter if the audience isn't offended (they're not, and many would say they like it), it matters if the sponsors are offended.

I keep having the feeling that in this whole discussion what's constantly overlooked is that the sponsors drove this forward. And for all we know it was more about the parties and things, too, with some other things thrown in for the heck of it, perhaps because what we don't see on the Symetra Tour is even worse (I don't know, I haven't seen it either).

Sponsors are probably almost all old white dudes, and unfortunately their sense of style doesn't match the modern female athlete sense of style.

So on one hand you have Julie Inkster complaining that they're not getting the sponsorship dollars they "deserve," and on the other hand you have people complaining that the LPGA is trying to cater to the sponsor demands that players not show up at sponsor parties with ripped jeans and bikini tops with their butts hanging out.

[MacDutch]

On 30-8-2017 at 7:15 PM, iacas said:

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/someone-actually-loves-the-lpga-dress-code-heres-where-theyre-woefully-misguided

https://www.lady-golfer.com/news/lpga-dress-code-right/

I agree, but where the Golf Digest article gets it wrong is that it doesn't really matter if the audience isn't offended (they're not, and many would say they like it), it matters if the sponsors are offended.

I keep having the feeling that in this whole discussion what's constantly overlooked is that the sponsors drove this forward. And for all we know it was more about the parties and things, too, with some other things thrown in for the heck of it, perhaps because what we don't see on the Symetra Tour is even worse (I don't know, I haven't seen it either).

Sponsors are probably almost all old white dudes, and unfortunately their sense of style doesn't match the modern female athlete sense of style.

This is spot on. But where do these sponsors get the money from to sponsor these events? I think mostly from selling their products to us, costumers.

So these old white guys should not listen to their old white wives, but to us who will watch more lpga golf if it is attractive enough. 

[iacas]

1 minute ago, MacDutch said:

This is spot on. But where do these sponsors get the money from to sponsor these events? I think mostly from selling their products to us, costumers.

So these old white guys should not listen to their old white wives, but to us who will watch more lpga golf if it is attractive enough. 

I think that a female athlete can be "attractive enough" without a ton of cleavage or butt cheeks hanging out the bottom of her super-short skirt.

[MacDutch]

10 minutes ago, iacas said:

I think that a female athlete can be "attractive enough" without a ton of cleavage or butt cheeks hanging out the bottom of her super-short skirt.

I agree, but did we see that during play at a lpga event? I have never seen that, so to me there was no need for this dress code. 

[iacas]

18 minutes ago, MacDutch said:

I agree, but did we see that during play at a lpga event? I have never seen that, so to me there was no need for this dress code. 

Logic kinda says if there was no need, they wouldn't have just made it up out of the blue.

Supposedly the rule may be targeted more at the Symetra Tour and the things they're wearing, as well as at players wearing inappropriate (ripped jeans, etc.) clothing to sponsor parties.

[WUTiger]

37 minutes ago, MacDutch said:

This is spot on. But where do these sponsors get the money from to sponsor these events? I think mostly from selling their products to us, costumers.

So these old white guys should not listen to their old white wives, but to us who will watch more lpga golf if it is attractive enough. 

Part of the impetus involves older country club wives not wanting younger women to "distract" their husbands. Years ago I tended bar at a country club near a major US university. I tended bar there because of cross-gender discrimination among the drinking establishments in town. Young women would get hired to work at sports bars, but not so often at country clubs. Guys were less likely to get hired to work at sports bars, but got their chance at the local "dinner houses" and the country clubs.

At my country club, one young woman "came back" as a bartender after being away for a few years. She had her hairdresser put a gray streak down the center of her hair so that the wives would not think she was a "young hussie."

Therefore, women in golfdom appear to pay a price for too much attractiveness, whether they tend bar or play on the pro tour.

[iacas]

5 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

Part of the impetus involves older country club wives not wanting younger women to "distract" their husbands.

Says who? Where did you unearth this nugget about the LPGA Tour dress code? Or is it just pure speculation?

[mvmac]

2 hours ago, MacDutch said:

So these old white guys should not listen to their old white wives, but to us who will watch more lpga golf if it is attractive enough

Gotta disagree.

Sponsors don't want to "risk" being associated with anything that is potentially controversial. They want to protect their brand.

Also I don't think the majority of the viewers are watching or not watching the LPGA based on what the players are wearing. If I want to look at girls not wearing a lot of clothes (or less) that's pretty easy to do.