The Flaws in Women's Sportswear

Maddie Hughes
Aug 1
5 min read

Like many women, I didn’t grow up thinking of sportswear as political. Leggings were leggings. Bras were bras. You picked what looked good and hoped it didn’t fall apart after a few washes.

But over time, I began to notice small things: why did women’s shorts have fewer pockets than men’s? Why were women’s trainers marketed in soft pastels while men’s came in greys and neons? And why, despite similar materials, was I consistently paying more for a matching set than my male friends did for a loose tee and joggers?

At first, I brushed it off as branding. But branding reflects something deeper: how the industry imagines our bodies, and what it thinks we’ll accept in exchange for looking good.

It’s Not Vain to Want to Look Good – But What About Feeling Good?

Let me be clear: there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look cute at the gym or choosing sportswear that feels expressive or feminine. For many women (including me), clothes aren’t just about utility; they’re about identity and confidence, and there’s power in that.

But what frustrates me is when functionality is treated like a secondary concern. When thin spaghetti straps are sold as ‘high support,’ or when leggings marketed for training start rolling down the moment you move.

We shouldn’t have to trade support for style. And we certainly shouldn’t have to pay more for less.

The Hidden Costs: Functionality and the Pink Premium

The so-called ‘Pink Tax’ is well documented. It refers to how women’s products are generally priced higher than men’s equivalents despite no actual functional difference apart from colour, most of the time. It’s not always obvious or extreme, but it adds up. And it shows up in sportswear too.

When you compare seemingly similar items from major brands, you’ll often find the women’s version is either more expensive or uses thinner material and has fewer technical features. In some cases, it’s both.

There are a few practical explanations for this though. Women’s designs may involve more tailoring, smaller production runs or stretchy fabrics that cost slightly more. But there’s also a pricing model built on the assumption that women will spend more on clothing, especially when it’s tied to identity or body image.

It's not just about function – it’s about what brands think we care about.

And when you add in import tariffs (which are often higher for women’s synthetic apparel than men’s), the result is an industry that quietly penalises women for participating in sport in the bodies we have.

Enter Maaree: When Design Starts with Real Women

One of the few brands that makes women feel seen is Maaree, a female-founded company born not from a fashion background, but from frustration and physics.

Founder Mari Thomas, a sports science graduate from Loughborough University, started the brand after years of struggling to find a sports bra that actually did what it claimed. Instead of assuming the problem was her body, she questioned the design. This resulted in a patented feature called the Overband® - an adjustable strap that runs across the top of the chest to manage upward motion that standard bras ignore.

*Image source: MAAREE, illustrating Overband® Technology*

It sounds simple. But that’s the point. Good design often is. What makes Maaree stand out isn’t just innovation – it’s intention.

The brand treats women as athletes first, not accessories.

The marketing doesn’t condescend. The products aren’t diluted versions of men’s gear. They’re re-engineered from the ground up. And crucially, they work. They’re not cheap, but unlike many high street options, the price reflects functionality, not just branding.

Style Over Substance: Who Are We Dressing For?

The truth is, much of mainstream women’s activewear is still designed to be looked at more than it’s designed to be used.

Marketing campaigns focus on bodies, not biomechanics. The bras that sell are often the ones that photograph well, not the ones that actually stop bounce or reduce strain. And across social media, the aesthetic of ‘wellness’ is often prioritised over the gritty, practical side of movement: sweat, bounce, breathlessness, recovery.

Breast Biomechanics

A piece by James Gallagher for BBC News highlights the work of biomechanics researcher Joanna Wakefield-Scurr - and the numbers are eye-opening:

During a football game, breasts can bounce around 11,000 times.
The average bounce has around 8cm of movement without proper support.
This movement has around 5G of force - comparable to the experience of a Formula 1 driver.

This highlights why design has to incorporate biomechanics, because it isn't just a comfort issue. It's a performance and health issue and that's why brands who listen, like Maaree, are so important.

When Brands Listen, Women Win

Maaree isn't the only one. Other brands are listening too.

When Fabletics launched over a decade ago, they wanted to make clothes that were flattering and crucially, functional. One of the most requested feature were pockets.

It might sound minor, but the decision to put functional pockets in their leggings was a turning point for the company. Since then, Fabletics has sold over 76 million pairs. Now, almost every major brand included pockets in women's leggings.

So whilst progress in sportswear often comes from biomechanics labs, sometimes the most important changes occur from listening to women when say, "I just need somewhere to put my keys."

Unisex Isn’t Always Neutral – It’s Often Just Male

In response to growing discomfort with gendered pricing and aesthetics, some brands have moved toward unisex collections. On paper, this sounds promising – equal design, equal price.

But in practice, unisex gear often just means reshaped men’s clothing. Looser fits, boxier cuts, and little consideration for things like bust support, hip-to-waist ratios, or muscle distribution that differ across sexes.

True equity in sportswear doesn’t mean neutralising femininity. It means taking women’s needs seriously, without treating them as a niche or a style category.

What We’re Really Asking For

This isn’t saying “no” to a cute gym fit. It’s about asking why, in a supposedly advanced and competitive industry, so many of us are still adjusting our waistbands mid-run or doubling up bras for stability.

It’s about recognising that the freedom to move, to jump, to lift, to sprint, is not superficial. It’s fundamental. And if we’re going to invest in ourselves, we deserve gear that’s engineered to support us, not just flatter us.

Brands like Maaree show that progress is possible. But it shouldn’t take a woman with a biomechanics degree to get a decent sports bra. That should be the baseline, not the breakthrough.