Rugby May Be The Only Sport That Excludes Body Shaming

In sports, almost as prevalent as society, body shaming is a problem. It's the practice of making critical, potentially humiliating comments about a person's body size or weight.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - AUGUST 31: NZ Women's Sevens player Portia Woodman (C) with students during the New Zealand Rugby Women's Sevens Olympic Medallist Tour on August 31, 2016 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Fiona Goodall/Getty Images for NZOC)

An example of body shaming is telling a child that they are "too fat." An example of body shaming is when thin women are told they are "too skinny."We've seen pressure fired at women by men, and my other women. Athletic women struggle under constant judgement due to undermining body discourse every day. Many female athletes can gain a fit, toned, or muscularly sculpted psyche because of endless hours or work and yet still face backlash because they're supposedly lacking a feminine look to be treated like a real woman, and are deemed to masculine.

Who the hell has the gall to decide what a woman can look like? It's her body. Or what defines a woman? The commentators have no right or business of making such comments be they pundit, journalist, or keyboard troll.

The undefinable Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams are two such women who have suffered body shaming remarks. Both women are at the top of their respective sports, athletically built, powerful, attractive, and beautiful and yet come under attack for not looking holding a certain body type, but what exactly that is nobody can define. Natasha Hastings, a gold medal Olympian is 5'8" lean and muscular athlete with a psyche many would kill for, and yet she has still been body shamed.

Sanya Richards-Ross, a four-time Olympic gold champion in track and field is a tall, lean woman who has been shamed for being herself. Being tall and lean is part of what earned her athletic success. In the UFC many women fighters have suffered body shaming on top of the pressures of the sport because they have 'big legs' and 'wide shoulders.' Being strong should be commended, since it helps a woman accomplish so much. Even Beyoncé, and Michelle Obama, have been appraised for being tall or strong looking.

‘Coke-bottle’ curves aren’t a natural default for women, or the tiny waist, or petite frame. What's wrong with 'broad shoulders'? What's wrong with an 'athlete's chest', or short legs? Fitness models and women athletes who have "perfect" bodies, and that flawless and effortless air of confidence is feigned and false. All women struggle to achieve and maintain their athletic builds just like men, but also high self-esteem, because women are bombarded by body-shaming. Some fitness models are far from natural, with training and genetics only able to transform bodies do far, and so surgeries are fitness-sector secret.

Is it not terrible that women with 'bigger' legs, calves, more athletic frames, bigger chests, giant butts or skinny legs are made feel self-conscious by external forces just for being healthy, athletic, and powerful? You can be feminine, and yet strong and powerful - women should embrace all of that.

This brings me to suggest that Rugby may be the only sport that is all-inclusive and that can exclude body shaming. Just think about it. Rugby is a sport that encompasses many varied types of body structures into the sport for specific roles and suitable duties. Bear in mind these basics:

  • Bigger, heavier, stronger players go somewhere in the forwards
  • Smaller, faster, elusive players go in the backs

There are 8 forwards in a rugby team and tend to be the bigger, stronger, heavier, and taller players who are used for their size and strength to get the rugby ball and move it towards the opposition goal-line. For some positions bulk and weight are an advantage; for others, height. You can be too tall for some. They're also collectively known as "the pack".

Then there are 7 backs in a rugby team. The backs provide more of the speed; agility and evasiveness required in rugby to score, and these players are usually smaller, faster, lighter framed.

Specific positions include 'props' who need a huge, stocky, broad build, 'locks' need height, while 'centers' are smaller than a lock, taller that a prop and broad and 'wingers' need to be nimble and fast meaning a lighter frame, though wingers are getting bigger.

So, women's rugby maybe the sport that incorporates all body types, excludes inner criticism amongst players if it ever occurs, excludes criticism within the sport, the fans, journalists, pundits, trainers, organizations and so on because there is no set body type, no exclusion, but rather an incorporation of many different body types which each provide functions in different aspects with the sport of rugby. In the sports realm in general, many might understand that rugby is a varied body type sport, and many may have no idea, but those uniformed commentators may come across as ignorant if they were to body shame female players.

This doesn't mean that cliques form between female players due to personality, social prominence, and even aesthetics within society and outside of their rugby environment, but as a sport, rugby actually seems like a platform to promote a sport that can stifle body shaming.

Simply by looking at body builds and athletic suitability, we find 3 types of bodies; Endomorph, Mesomorph, and Ectomorph.


  • A pear shaped body
  • A rounded head
  • Wide hips and shoulders
  • Wider front to back rather than side to side.
  • A lot of fat on the body, upper arms and thighs

An endomorphic individual typically has short arms and legs and a large amount of mass on their frame. Sports of pure strength, like power lifting, and rugby where bulk is useful, are perfect for an endomorph. They can gain weight easily and lose condition quickly if training stops. Tend to have large lung capacity and can increase muscle mass. Scarlett Johansson, Beyonce, J-Lo are all probable endomorphs.


  • A wedge shaped body
  • A cubical head
  • Wide broad shoulders
  • Muscled arms and legs
  • Narrow hips
  • Narrow from front to back rather than side to side.
  • A minimum amount of fat

A mesomorphic individual excels in strength, agility, and speed. Their medium structure and height, along with their tendency to gain muscle and strength easily makes them a strong candidate for a top athlete in any sport. They can find it easy to lose and gain weight and respond well to cardiovascular and resistance training.


  • A high forehead
  • Receding chin
  • Narrow shoulders and hips
  • A narrow chest and abdomen
  • Thin arms and legs
  • Little muscle and fat

A predominantly ectomorphic individual is long, slender and thin, and therefore power and strength sports are perhaps not suitable as their slight build leaves them susceptible to injuries. They can easily get lean and hard, their lack of musculature hampers their ability to require mass. They dominate endurance sports and gymnastics. Their body is better at thermo-regulation, which important in endurance based sports.

All 3 types find a place in rugby as all are needed and have a purpose. It's sad that no matter how gifted a woman is in her sport, she will be critiqued for not being this shape, that shape, any another shape yet she has succeeded for being herself. There is nothing wrong about having a strong and powerful body. AT least in rugby, maybe women can find sanctuary and peace from body shaming, although they shouldn't have to. Body shaming should just not have a legitimacy or performative recursion within the topics of critique and conversation in society and women's sports.

I discuss sports and everything related. When I have time, I like to write about current events, political science and international issues. Not being a conformist often...