How Women’s Swimming Paved The Way For Equality

Photo Courtesy: ISHOF

By Erin Keaveny, Swimming World College Intern

Today, swimmers like Katie Ledecky, Natalie Coughlin and Missy Franklin are renowned for their accomplishments as athletes. Parents don’t think twice about whether or not their daughter should learn to swim, however it wasn’t always this way.

Until around 100 years ago, swimming was an activity exclusively for men.

The first female swimmers did more than pave the way for today’s Olympians. Women’s accomplishments in the water are deeply linked to how society viewed women as a whole. Advocates of women’s swimming not only changed the sport, but helped change society.

In the medieval time period there were no bathing suits or swimming garments. Swimmers only dove in naked. Due to the association between a women’s modesty and morality, which defined her as a human being, women could not swim. These attitudes in western society have persisted since the dark ages.

In 19th century Europe, there was a huge rise in the popularity of swimming as a men’s sport. Yet, in his 1838 book, Familiar Hints on Sea Bathing, William Smith commented that “English ladies in general will [never] take to the amusement of swimming, which however, may prove useful in an emergency.”

In 1875, Matthew Webb became the first man to swim across the English Channel. This feat of incredible athleticism turned Webb into an instant celebrity. Following industrialization in England, crossing the channel was seen as an incredible testament to man’s capabilities in the face of nature, and considered the epitome of Victorian manliness. Webb continued to perform aquatic stunts, growing in fame for his acts which showed off man’s physical abilities.

Five years after Webb swam the channel, Agnes Beckwith treaded water for 30 hours in a Westminster aquarium tank. Her time equalled the world record previously set by Webb.

Swimming is one of the few sports that can claim its place as an original Olympic event. The sport has been present in the games since the first modern Olympics in 1896, where women were not included. Yet in its premiere event, a woman known as Melpomene, determinedly swam the men’s course on her own.

The founder of the modern Olympics, Barron Pierre de Coubertin, commented “it is incident that the spectators should be exposed to the risk of seeing the body of a woman being smashed before their very eyes. Besides, no matter how toughened a sportswoman may be, her organism is not cut out to sustain certain shocks. ”

In the next Olympic Games, women were allowed to compete in three exhibition events. Nineteen women participated in tennis, golf, and croquet, sports deemed acceptable for the nature of women. In the next twenty years, women’s action drastically changed these perceptions.

Annette Kellerman gained fame as the first woman to enter a race against men in 1905. Afterwords, she became an international sensation as an aquatic performer. Her act consisted of high diving and underwater ballet, a predecessor to modern synchronized swimming. Kellerman not only became the highest paid female circus performer in America, but an incredible advocate for women’s swimming.

At the time, women were required by law to wear clothing in the water, which meant corsets, bloomers and full skirts and in many places were only permitted to wade, not swim. Where it was permitted, the burdensome clothing requirements more or less prevented women from swimming at all.

In Kellerman’s native Australia, it had become somewhat acceptable for women to appear in races wearing men’s one-piece suits. This only applied in the presence of other women during competition. This kind of attire was not allowed in her 1905 race or America. In order to compete, Kellerman creatively wore black stockings under a men’s one piece, effectively creating the women’s swim suit.

Photo Courtesy: Library of Congress

Kellerman was later arrested on Revere Beach in Boston for public indecency. She was wearing a suit with no skirt that revealed her thighs. In court, she defended herself on the premise that swimming was the ideal exercise for women. After winning her case, Kellerman designed one of the first lines of women’s swimwear, a huge breakthrough in women’s swimming as well as freedoms.

By 1912 Women’s swimming was finally introduced as an Olympic sport. Women could compete in three events, 100 meter freestyle, the 4×100 relay and diving. Still, due to the Amateur Athletic Union’s policy on women’s sports, American women were not permitted to compete.

Women from the United Sates finally got their chance in the 1920 Games. They were only permitted to compete in one sport: swimming. At the games American Ethelda Bleibtrey took gold in all of the races, while Aileen Riggin won springboard diving in its debut event at just 14 years old. The success of American women in swimming helped American female athletes across the board prove they could also compete on the world stage.

In 1926, fifty one years after Webb completed it for the first time, American Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel. Not only did she do it successfully, Ederle complete the cross in 14 hours and 31 minutes. That time broke the previous record by two hours, making her the fastest person to cross the English channel ever. And, she did it wearing the first two piece bathing suit in public.

Photo Courtesy: U.S. Library of Congress

Ederle’s crossing is to this day considered the breakthrough moment in women’s athletics. Her feat represented a physical accomplishment where a women not only equated but surpassed men, disproving anti-suffragists everywhere.

Three weeks after Ederle, another American, Clemington Corson, completed the crossing in fifteen and a half hours, the second fastest time to date.

Breakthroughs in women’s swimming created the perfect storm for much bigger changes. Through swimming, these women helped to fundamentally changed the way that women were viewed in public settings, and sexist ideas concerning what they can do and wear.

These ladies pushed the boundaries of what women were thought to be capable of, and against all odds found success.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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Shauna Braun-Zukowski

6 years ago

Brooke Zukowski

Danisa Bragagnolo

6 years ago

Yane ßraga

Mark Hesse

6 years ago

Would love to see the timeline continued through modern times. We’ve come a long way but there are still challenges in the coaching ranks for females

Patricia Carroll

6 years ago

And, it appears as if bathing suits have gone full circle.

Hilary Turner

6 years ago

Mallory

Terri Haber

6 years ago

Debbie Robertson Bialick

Jan Shemorry Lee

6 years ago

Haha. I think I wore that exact same suit only it had stripes on it