Also, just to clarify, I think the conversation above was more along the lines of discussing how different capoeira schools address stuff like this, as opposed to “like, omg, should I, like, wear a sports bra?!?!? Omg, like, I don’t know what to do!!” which you seemed to imply…

The burkha question is interesting…it kind of addresses the issue of why I was on the fence about that one, like I mentioned above. Is it “levelling” and “respecting the academy”, or “oppression” (another extreme word, but for lack of a better one I can think of right now)?

As for ‘respectfully asking them to put a large tshirt on’…what would you do if somebody respectfully asked you to wear a burkha in his house?

And about the sports bra: what about the guy’s physique? Not all men have bodies like that and might feel a little intimidated/ashamed! You’re forgetting that a lot of issues females have are also relevant to the other gender. Sure, ideal male bodies aren’t as scrutinised or publicised as ideal female bodies are, nor are we sexually objectified to the same degree (though all this is slowly changing – equalising if you will ) yet in principle it’s the same.

I didn’t really notice the sports bra at first – I was too busy checking out their capoeira! Anyway, people in tight or little clothing is familiar to me in the context of capoeira, which is another reason it didn’t cross my mind. It just seemed to fit, if you know what I mean?

Furthermore, I assumed it was chosen for aesthetics since it’s a video. What’s more beautiful than a toned human body? The best way to reveal that and keep in the spirit of capoeira is to strip both players as much as possible – no top for the guy and a sports bra for the lady. Why it is acceptable for males to bare their chests but not for women is an entirely different matter…

Actually, that’s really interesting…we’ve touched on the question of women wearing revealing/form-fitting clothing in general, but come to think of it, never directly discussed it in the context of what women wear to train capoeira!

In my group, women wear both T-shirts and sports bras to train…so I don’t know if the fact I’m okay with that is because I’m used to it or not. I’ve never felt pressure to train in a sports bra myself (for one thing, it would be completely unflattering and embarassing), and I haven’t found wearing/not wearing one really affects how you’re seen or treated, in my group anyway (luckily!).

I think I’m okay with using both if the environment makes it clear that either one is perfectly fine and okay, and doesn’t try pressuring people towards a preference for one or the other, since I can see a practical value in using sports bras as well (like easier mobility/agility and your shirt not falling down in bananeira XD).

I actually am not really sure what I think about the concensus your group came to…it could go both ways…as in, I think it makes sense to respectfully ask her to put on a t-shirt, the same way one might be expected to follow your style of play in the roda…On the other hand, it does seem to imply a tiny bit that it’s wrong, at least inside the academy, because otherwise she wouldn’t need to be asked…and in terms of keeping the focus on the capoeira, one could ask why the onus is on the visitor to keep attention off of herself, and not on everyone else for keeping themselves focused on capoeira instead of staring at her? But I also see the point about the safe space…so I’m undecided!

Yeah, I agree about the cordas being for Coke too. Haha, I feel silly. What a great idea on their part, though!

Between raw and white…yes, what Shayna said. ^^” Also, I think white is actually dyed white, so it would be brighter.

And thanks for the definition. ^^” It was bugging me because I know I’d heard it somewhere before…and I was right, it’s also the name of someone else in my grupo!