There’s a new campaign to get teenage girls into sport. Called #strongisbeautiful it’s been kicked off by Team GB rugby players posing in lingerie. Feels really regressive and sexist to me. Maybe I’m old. pic.twitter.com/4LXYdZpoTp
I’m still not sure who the campaign is really FOR. The players look thoroughly embarrassed, and those are NOT the kind of bras you wear to run anywhere – they may as well have gone all the way with high heels instead of rugby boots. As I said on Twitter, if it had run when I was a teenager, it would have hammered home the message that all previous PE lessons had given me: the Sporty Girls are an entirely different species, so I should continue to avoid the entire awful business.
On second thought, I think the people it’s most likely to resonate with are teenage boys with AGP.
“Strong is beautiful” and rugby players. Great idea, terrible execution. If only the shoot had been taken with the players in their muddy colours after a match!
Sure, that’s exactly the kind of picture that would encourage my daughter to play team sports. Not.
Bluebella states: “For eight years, we’ve collaborated with some of the most inspiring women in sports and beyond to celebrate the strength it takes to do what they do. Nearly half of girls drop out of sports after age 13 and are three times more likely to drop out of sports than boys, with self-belief and body image concerns found to be key issues.”
And… they’re going to fix 13 year old girls’ body issues by making those girls compare themselves to professionally fit women in lingerie? Seriously, this kind of BS is why girls don’t want to play sports.
This somewhat reminds me of a scientist who gave a talk in sparkly clothing because she wanted to show it was possible to do both, to be a scientist and to like sparkly clothing. True, of course, but that doesn’t mean you need to do both at the same time.
Following the Twitter thread linked in the OP, I’m of the opinion that they are trying to show it is possible to be “feminine” and play a sport such as rugby. I think this is aimed at girls who think being “feminine” is of high importance, and who think a lot of areas are off limits to them if they want to be “feminine”.
Well yeah and you can be a scientist or lawyer or deep thinker and also sleep, but that doesn’t mean you should wear pajamas to give a talk on science or law or deep thought.
On the brighter side, Jennifer Sey — a speaker on the Take Back Title IX bus tour — is the founder and CEO of a new company of clothing for women and men:
God, that’s awful, and insulting. Show women having a good time playing sports – the English Lionesses bouncing about singing after winning a tournament comes to mind – but of course they wore sports clothes, not lingerie.
I have just come back from a hiking holiday and the group I was with included some young women joyfully running up mountains, and of course wearing trekking trousers, waterproof jackets and hiking boots. They were beautiful young women, in great shape, and having the time of their lives, enjoying the physical action, the wonderful scenery and making new friends. You would think that would be enough inducement for girls to take up sport.
The kit on the right is about where I’d start if I wanted to make a porno.
Far better would be two images of the same female player, one all kitted up, muddied, and pumped after a game, the other of the same woman dressed for work or a night out with friends/family.
Three of my four granddaughters play rugby (the fourth isn’t quite six months old yet) and I sincerely hope that they don’t see those awful photos. Sadly, I suspect that they are going to be getting shown them by boys at school, using the pictures as yet another opportunity to bully girls who dare to show any independence. What pre-teen girl is going to be anything other than mortified by those pictures?
I’m still not sure who the campaign is really FOR. The players look thoroughly embarrassed, and those are NOT the kind of bras you wear to run anywhere – they may as well have gone all the way with high heels instead of rugby boots. As I said on Twitter, if it had run when I was a teenager, it would have hammered home the message that all previous PE lessons had given me: the Sporty Girls are an entirely different species, so I should continue to avoid the entire awful business.
On second thought, I think the people it’s most likely to resonate with are teenage boys with AGP.
“Strong is beautiful” and rugby players. Great idea, terrible execution. If only the shoot had been taken with the players in their muddy colours after a match!
Sure, that’s exactly the kind of picture that would encourage my daughter to play team sports. Not.
And… they’re going to fix 13 year old girls’ body issues by making those girls compare themselves to professionally fit women in lingerie? Seriously, this kind of BS is why girls don’t want to play sports.
@Holms #2:
A bit like this?
Not post-match, but definitely strong. (Bollocks to the “beautiful” part – you don’t attract men to rugby by saying “strong is handsome” do you?
Ah, ok, it strips links. Try this
https://greydog.blog/2023/11/26/rugby-5/
Papito: apparently they’re trying to encourage women to buy bras rather than play sports. Which does make slightly more sense.
This somewhat reminds me of a scientist who gave a talk in sparkly clothing because she wanted to show it was possible to do both, to be a scientist and to like sparkly clothing. True, of course, but that doesn’t mean you need to do both at the same time.
Following the Twitter thread linked in the OP, I’m of the opinion that they are trying to show it is possible to be “feminine” and play a sport such as rugby. I think this is aimed at girls who think being “feminine” is of high importance, and who think a lot of areas are off limits to them if they want to be “feminine”.
Well yeah and you can be a scientist or lawyer or deep thinker and also sleep, but that doesn’t mean you should wear pajamas to give a talk on science or law or deep thought.
On the brighter side, Jennifer Sey — a speaker on the Take Back Title IX bus tour — is the founder and CEO of a new company of clothing for women and men:
XX-XY Athletics
Their quality looks first-rate. And if I find a piece or two that I really enjoy wearing, then buying some will be well worth my money.
God, that’s awful, and insulting. Show women having a good time playing sports – the English Lionesses bouncing about singing after winning a tournament comes to mind – but of course they wore sports clothes, not lingerie.
I have just come back from a hiking holiday and the group I was with included some young women joyfully running up mountains, and of course wearing trekking trousers, waterproof jackets and hiking boots. They were beautiful young women, in great shape, and having the time of their lives, enjoying the physical action, the wonderful scenery and making new friends. You would think that would be enough inducement for girls to take up sport.
May I remark that that is fucking weird looking lingerie? It’s like halfway between Mass Effect bodysuits and Victoria’s Secret.
The kit on the right is about where I’d start if I wanted to make a porno.
Far better would be two images of the same female player, one all kitted up, muddied, and pumped after a game, the other of the same woman dressed for work or a night out with friends/family.
You know, normal women who play sport.
Like this:
https://ibb.co/CHfNcbM
Three of my four granddaughters play rugby (the fourth isn’t quite six months old yet) and I sincerely hope that they don’t see those awful photos. Sadly, I suspect that they are going to be getting shown them by boys at school, using the pictures as yet another opportunity to bully girls who dare to show any independence. What pre-teen girl is going to be anything other than mortified by those pictures?