Depends on when/where the all-female rugby teams are practicing, I think! When I used to play, we'd be in long-sleeve lycra kit with shirts over the top, with tracksuit bottoms over our shorts down below. As we warmed up, we'd strip off a bit but it's not easy keeping your blood running when it's 3C on the pitch. ;-)

It's cruel and beyond atrocious.

*Whispers* Not a massive fan of them myself, but I do hate that they became a 'thing' because of wretched media identities, and there are now so many abandoned because the teacup pup is passé. There's a special place in hell for people who adopt and then abandon their pets.

Oh god. Is this fallout from the teacup dog craze? That there are loads of tiny little heartbreakers desperate for homes because their 'owners' got bored? Jesus. Sorry. Hope hope hope as many as possible get fabulous forever homes. *Sobs quietly*

From you or the retrievers?

This. I live in Dubai and this is exactly what expat-world is like over here today. Just about every family with more than one child has a live-in and even though the majority of mothers do not work, they swear by the help they get, especially in light of the fact that there is no family support network to pick up the…

*Fist-bumps Lipstick Mystic* Woman after my own heart.

Fellow 'old' here. And my peers would also be on board with these ideas. :-)

Exactly! I'm not completely averse to the behind-hug, but why [why why?!] do these hugs always seem to take place when it's the Worst Possible Time to receive one?

*Blush* You flatter me. I could write a thesis on the subject, but I'm afraid my thesis-writing years are long behind me. Like ... er ... over 20 years behind me [when I wrote the last one for my Masters].

Good stuff. That's what I like to see. Women playing great sport with all the protective gear their bodies deserve.

If you look at the rugby video I posted up above, you'll see that there ARE people who watch women's sport — a lot of them — and it is totally not about the outfits. Sure, there's a long way to go, but we're getting there.

I know a few women involved who've made the move from Australia to play LFL. And love it. Don't quote me, but even though the money is fairly crap in LFL however, it beats Club Rugby and has a higher profile as well.

Fuck yeah. Everything you said.

Exactly. A ripped fit abdomen is all very well, but it's a key target area and — in women especially — a vulnerable one. Of course women have to be fit to play but these skimpy outfits provide very little protection at all. Even rugby players — who play with considerably less padding than NFL sportsmen — have a…

ETA: Actually, I will say this. Why say agree that you shouldn't have said the women in this sport weren't "real" and then go on to say that.... they aren't real?

Mannequins in store windows then? Fembots? I stand by my conclusion. Had those women 'demonstrated' their outfits with anything close to something resembling actual human beings I might have chosen my descriptor differently. But the pouty, porn-esque, oily, come-hither-ness of these models just stuck in my craw.

You're right. I could. Cheers. Sadly, the edit function has lost its mojo though, so it'll have to stay 'as is'.

There are a number of top sportswomen taking part and — like you — I don't want to belittle them their participation. They know their game, they love their game ... It's just shitty in the worst possible way that the only way they can play the game they adore is to kowtow to the Powers That Be and dress like hookers…

I get that a lot of these players are a 'crazy breed of intense', not just the coaches. I really do. I've read interviews with some dedicated LFL players and I love their verve and passion for the game. They're sportswomen. I get it.