Tokyo Olympics: Knitting His Way to Break Gender Stereotypes, Diver Tom Daley’s Win is Beyond His Gold Medal!

Art has always been genderless and gold-medalist Tom Daley has proved it at Tokyo Olympics!

Tokyo Olympics: Have you ever wondered how little acts can lead to the breaking of sheer gender stereotype and makes the world look beautiful even without a rose-tinted glass? That is Tom Daley for you. The athlete, who is from the UK and is a recipient of the gold medal at the current Tokyo Olympics in men synchronised 10-meter diving, was seen knitting quietly in the stadium while watching the Olympic games live.

Knitting is usually considered a stress-busting activity. He shared a video on his Instagram profile as he stitched a pouch for his gold medal. He said, “Learning to knit and crochet has helped me so much through these Olympics and we won Gold yesterday. I made a little medal case too! 🇬🇧🇯🇵 YAY!” At present, his account which is dedicated solely to knitting and crochet @madewithlovebytomdaley holds more than three lakh followers.

Check out the video of him knitting a pouch for his gold medal here:

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@madewithlovebytomdaley)

Knitting, among other things, is always considered a woman’s job. Women who are getting older- yes, that is the perfect job requirement to start knitting. It just takes an age and a woman to kickstart their knitting journey. The fragile needles and wools are not meant to be used by men as the latter can do more ‘hefty things’ than just sitting in the corner of a sequestered house and knitting his way to glory! Adding to the list of job requirements for women to be good at knitting is patience. As it is highly believed and expected that a woman should neither lose her calm nor her temper.

The diver, just like taking a hammer and shattering glass, breaks this stereotype by calmly sitting and knitting. Daley’s priorities seemed so sorted – he just wanted to knit a little cosy pouch to prevent his medal from getting scratched. Knowingly or unknowingly, he had a major contribution towards smashing this stereotype. He was able to steer the gender dynamics of women being the only gender to knit and stitch. He was also able to bring into the light how men can be good at knitting and stitching too! At the end of the video, he was seen saying, “It all tucks in nicely so I have a little pouch to carry around my medal without it getting scratched. How about that? (sic)”

Here’s another look at his knitting work: 

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A post shared by Tom Daley (@madewithlovebytomdaley)

Basic necessity and life skills are what a person should be taught and be asked to follow. Surely, it will take a little time to wrap our heads around teeny tiny gender-based stereotypes which are at times easily brushed under the carpet. It is these tiny things and details that can lead to a better and equal future. Art does not have a gender. Neither does it hold any gender specification. It takes hard work and determination to be good at a skill and later, flaunt it as you have learnt it!