India has produced some great wrestlers over recent years. They have won medals in recent times for the nation and performed well in the major events. There also has been controversy surrounding the athletes for being sexually harassed by the ministers. Among them, one of the protestors for the sexual harassment faced was Sakshi Malik. The Olympic bronze medal winner has had her struggles in the protest against BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The fight was won by her and the other wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat. He was removed from the president post of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Sakshi in her new book Witness’, co-authored by sports journalist Jonathan Selvaraj revealed some shocking facts about the other wrestlers and societal pressure. She has now revealed that she was so conscious of her muscular arms that she avoided wearing sleeveless dresses.
Sakshi Malik, a bronze medalist in women’s 58kg wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympics, discussed how a female wrestler’s body differs from most women’s. Sakshi, one of the three faces of the wrestlers’ protest. She described how she frequently received comments about her large arms from fellow wrestlers. This is how the societal factor comes into play and the mindset of the athletes also changes especially for women.
Sakshi Malik’s fashion choices spark debate
Does Sakshi Malik’s insecurity highlight a larger problem in women’s sports? She said, “Our wrestler bodies are built very different from most women’s bodies. We develop very strong muscles in our arms and back, thanks to all the rope climbs and pull-ups, while our waist is naturally very narrow since we have to maintain a low body fat percentage. The combination of the two that gives us that characteristic V-shaped upper body, like that of boys.”
She stated that she felt far more comfortable in well-made Western clothing than in a lehenga or a Punjabi outfit. She did, however, point out that there were situations when there were no other options. Sakshi Malik described how, in 2015, she could not wear Western clothes to her brother’s wedding, so she informed her mother she wanted to wear a lehenga with a full-sleeved top while the other girls wore sleeveless ensembles.
