Around this time, showing body parts other than fingers, necks and faces to the public would be inappropriate for the women. Women wore floor-length dresses everywhere, even on the basketball court (Jenkins). Although the players wore women’s bloomers at games which “contained yards of cloth, … mothers thought them immodest and [they] wore [their] skirts over them, to and from games” (Lannin 29). To make the game more proper according to society’s views, the women athletes needed to have combed hair, use proper language, and could not call each other by last names. They also could not lie or sit on the floor. Men wanted women to look beautiful even on the court so women paid more attention to their appearance (Jenkins). Even the local newspapers described “the women’s dress and manner on the court rather than the quality of their play” (Lannin 33). Their appearance was critical to the way they played and went to the
Around this time, showing body parts other than fingers, necks and faces to the public would be inappropriate for the women. Women wore floor-length dresses everywhere, even on the basketball court (Jenkins). Although the players wore women’s bloomers at games which “contained yards of cloth, … mothers thought them immodest and [they] wore [their] skirts over them, to and from games” (Lannin 29). To make the game more proper according to society’s views, the women athletes needed to have combed hair, use proper language, and could not call each other by last names. They also could not lie or sit on the floor. Men wanted women to look beautiful even on the court so women paid more attention to their appearance (Jenkins). Even the local newspapers described “the women’s dress and manner on the court rather than the quality of their play” (Lannin 33). Their appearance was critical to the way they played and went to the