Mexican women—who are usually thrust into antiquated gender stereotyped roles—have never had it easy, and this is especially true in sports.
If you’re a gymnast or a diver you are allowed a bit of reverence and acclaim since those sports are considered more lady-like.
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But female athletes in Mexico who participate in team sports have always been handed a second class status to their male counterparts. Funding for women’s team sports in Mexico verges on abysmal. Parents rarely encourage their daughters to participate in sports that are regarded as primarily for men.
So it was a welcome sight on Friday when the Mexican soccer federation unveiled the uniforms that the women’s national team will wear for this year’s World Cup and, miraculously, the jerseys were different than what the men will wear this year during the Gold Cup and the Copa America.
Finally, the women’s team, playing in only its second ever World Cup, could revel in a bit of individuality. And better yet, their uniforms are much more aesthetically pleasing than the men’s uniforms.
The men’s uniforms—black shirt, white shirt—were so bland that Adidas preemptively put out an ad acknowledging that people will likely hate them. And most people do.
Sure you can make the claim that the color contrast on the women’s shirts is a bit cartoonish, but in this era where the color of a dress is disputed, we can at least all agree that the women’s team is actually wearing Mexico’s traditional green while the men are not.
I suppose a cynic can look at the women’s team getting a separate uniform as a reaffirmation of their second class status because they aren’t going to be wearing the same thing as the men, and really, what Mexico needs is gender equality not another thing to further differentiate the two sexes. But it’s Friday. And we’re in a good mood. So we’ll call this a move toward progress. Also, it bears repeating, the men’s uniforms are terrible. So anything that takes us away from those works for us too.
