We can't help but make the Olympics about people's bodies.

We need to talk about the commentary around Olympians and their bodies. Because in 2024, our conversation around how athletes look is very much alive and thriving — with everything from their weight to their hair and what they're wearing on the table for discussion.

And if you've watched any part of the 2024 Paris Olympics, chances are you've probably passed some form of judgement about an athlete — whether you've vocalised it or not. 

Watch: Let's revisit the moment Cathy Freeman's gold medal winning 400m race at the 2000 Olympics. Post continues below.

Unsurprisingly, it's the female athletes, particularly those competing in aesthetic sports like gymnastics, that are subject to the brunt of commentary surrounding their appearance.

The attitude? 

You need to look strong. But not too strong.

Thin. But not skinny.

Polished. But not too showy.

Let's start with US gymnast Simone Biles, who recently received criticism about everything from her height to her muscles and now... her hair.

In an interview, the gold medalist said, "The question that I wish people would stop asking me is, 'How tall are you? Are you gonna grow?' I'm not going anywhere. I'm 4'8″. I'm stuck," she said.

"I think I've learned to love my muscles a lot more than when I was younger. I got made fun of for my arms a lot. Some people would say mean things. At the time, it didn’t make me feel the best, so I wore sweaters or jackets all year long. Now, I show off my arms all the time."

Recently, the gymnastics star also addressed the backlash around her hair at this year's Games, with viewers critiquing her for wearing a loose bun during her competitions in Paris.

"I'm just trying to figure out why Simone Biles hair never done? Like girl, come on," read one comment among many, MANY others.  

"Simone Biles hair never being done properly (is) pissing me off. Everybody else on the team is put together, then she looks like she just rolled out of bed," said another. 

Posting to her Instagram Stories, Biles shared a video of herself fanning her face on a bus, writing: "Don’t come for me about my hair. IT WAS DONE but bus has NO AC & it's like 9,0000 degrees."

Image: Instagram/@simonebiles.

She also added: "Gonna hold your hand when I say this, next time you wanna comment on a black girl's hair JUST DON'T."

It's ridiculous really. She is the sport's most decorated athlete at the top of her game, and yet people can't help but have an opinion about her body type and her hair!? 

Then there's Team USA rugby star, Ilona Maher.

The 27-year-old responded to negative comments around her weight, slamming people's warped perception of what is considered 'healthy' and 'fit'.

Responding to one particular comment that said "I bet that person has a 30 per cent BMI," Maher said: "I think you were trying to roast me, but this actually is a fact. I do have a BMI of 30 — well, 29.3 to be more exact."

"As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I’m gonna keep clapping back."

Detailing her measurements, Maher explained that she's been considered overweight her entire life because of the very flawed logic of BMI categories (that's a whole other story). 

"BMI doesn’t really tell you what I can do. It doesn't tell you what I do on the field, how fit I am," she said. 

"It’s just a couple numbers put together. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle I have or anything like that. So yeah, I do have a BMI of 30. I am considered overweight. But alas, I'm going to the Olympics and you're not."

@ilonamaher

As long as haters keep saying dumb stuff, I’m gonna keep clapping back

♬ original sound - Ilona Maher

In a follow-up post, she addressed more criticism around her athletic physique, specifically referencing her shoulders.

"I always tried to hide my shoulders," she said. "I always had really long hair because I wanted to cover it and seem feminine. It’s really taken years of learning and deprogramming to love my big shoulders and to really find them beautiful."

On Instagram, she also posted the below picture with the caption: "Dear girl with the big shoulders, You are not undesirable. You are not built like a linebacker. You are not manly. You are not unattractive. You are beautiful. You are imposing. You are powerful. You are magnificent. Put your shoulders back, wear your head high, and walk into any room like you own the place. Love, Ilona."

Image: Instagram/@ilonamaher.

There's also Egyptian fencer Nada Hafez. 

After competing — and winning — her first round in the women's individual sabre before being defeated by her South Korean opponent, she revealed she's seven months pregnant. And the response has been wild.

"What appears to you as two players on the podium, they were actually three! It was me, my competitor and my yet-to-come to our world, little baby!" she wrote on Instagram. 

"My baby and I had our fair share of challenges, be it both physical and emotional. The rollercoaster of pregnancy is tough on its own, but having to fight to keep the balance of life and sports was nothing short of strenuous, however worth it." 

The response, however, has been anything but positive. Like, people were really mad.

Image: Getty

The general sentiment from some commenters was that another (non-pregnant) athlete should've gone in her place to ensure they were the best chance of winning Gold. 

"Are you playing for your name or for the country? If for yourself then congratulations and you did a truly heroic act... if not... then would it have been better for someone physically fit to play?" said one of the many comments. 

There's also the recent conversation around camera angles and Olympic uniforms. 

Camera operators this year have reportedly been issued a warning for the way in which they film female athletes, with the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) calling for an update in its guidelines. 

"Unfortunately, in some events, they [women] are still being filmed in a way that you can identify that stereotypes and sexism remain, even from the way in which some camera operators are framing differently men and women athletes," chief executive Yiannis Exarchos told reporters: 

"Women athletes are not there because they are more attractive or sexy. They are there because they are elite athletes."

According to Exarchos, the close-ups of females athletes compared to male athletes is predominately due to 'unconscious bias'. This can also be translated to the difference between female competitions and male competitions when it comes to prime-time broadcast spots — something in which Exarchos seeks to change in the current games.

"The schedules of sporting events have traditionally been biased towards highlighting men's events," he said.

"Traditionally, in team sports, you have first women's finals, and then the men's final... In strength and combat sports, traditionally you have women's competitions in the morning and men's competitions in the afternoon."

This is not the only noticeable change for women's sports. There's also been a lot of commentary around uniform rules and why it's such a big deal for female athletes.

In fact, building on a global advocacy and pushback for a change in rigid dress codes (*insert the controversy around Norway's beach handball teams back in 2019*), there's recently been several landmark amendments in sporting dress codes — specifically in gymnastics.

Most notably, after surveying more than 200 competitive gymnasts, Gymnastics New Zealand concluded every gymnast should feel "comfortable and safe" when performing. This new ruling meant competitive female gymnasts can now wear shorts or leggings over their leotards — just like male competitors. 

Prior to these new guidelines, judges could deduct points from female gymnasts should they violate the dress code. Meaning? It was leotards or nothing.

So, where does this leave us?

If the above examples are anything to go by, many athletes have argued that the focus should be on the game and their athletic performance — after all, isn't that what the Olympics is all about?

But then isn't their physique also just part and parcel of the game? 

When it comes to competitions such as gymnastics, judges not only evaluate an athlete's technical skill and performance but also their appearance. Meaning? Our commentary around how people look is inherently skewed and almost tied to their ability.

That fact is that with the Olympics, body image will always come into play, which ultimately creates a body shaming culture in the name of elite athletic performance. Put simply, we can't help but make the Olympics about people's bodies. 

Ultimately, however, this focus has serious implications on athletes' mental and physical health. A 2021 study concluded that female athletes in aesthetic sports experience degrading comments and other forms of body shaming that are equal to emotional abuse and can cause long-lasting harm. 

This culture is all too familiar for Australian swimmer Liesal Jones, who wrote in her memoir 'Body Lengths' about being haunted by judgement about her body — even after she retired from competing. 

"We were always getting weighed in, always being judged. We were actively encouraged to skip meals to lose weight. It is irresponsible and terribly damaging. And it’s a quick way to screw up a teenage girl’s metabolism, to say nothing about the state of her head," she said. 

"Weigh-ins take place on the pool deck in our togs, and we are weighed in front of our squad (girls and guys together), plus a team of coaching staff. There are men there as old as our dads, all watching our embarrassment as we are publicly weighed. Weighed, weighed and weighed again."

So, where does that leave us? And are we really to blame? 

While we're certainly not there yet when it comes to the culture of body shaming, the voices speaking out against the outdated rules and what is considered 'inappropriate' is a step in the right direction. Especially when it comes to shaping our own thoughts and values.

Because the fact of the matter is, in 2024 stereotypes and sexism are still a thing.

As Maher put so eloquently in response to her own body shamers, "I want you to take a look at all the different body types on display. All body types matter. All body types are worthy, from the smallest gymnast to the tallest volleyball player, from a rugby player to a shot-putter to a sprinter. All body types are beautiful and can do amazing things."

What do you think about the talk around Olympians and their bodies? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Getty.