Polly Hudson brands the new Strong is Beautiful campaign “incredibly depressing”, arguing it encourages participation in something that turns young girls away from sport
Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt, and say that the intentions behind it were probably good.
Although does that even matter, when what the new Strong Is Beautiful campaign has produced is so incredibly depressing #StrongIsBeautiful has been running for the past eight years, featuring female sports stars from the Rio and Tokyo Olympics as well as 2023’s Women’s World Cup.
Now lingerie label Bluebella has recruited Team GB Rugby Sevens players Jasmine Joyce, Celia Quansah and Ellie Boatman ahead of the Paris Olympics, and the photos show the three powerful, capable athletes scantily clad in transparent peek-a-boo bras and suspenders. The message? It’s ok to be strong, as long as you’re still beautiful. In other words – and don’t stop me if you’ve heard this one before, because you definitely(itals) have, repeatedly, endlessly – women: the most important thing is how you look. It’s all that matters.
These aspirational females cannot possibly be celebrated only because they’re strong. So don’t panic, they’re pretty too! Here they are in their pants, just waiting for you to objectify them. Added bonus: you can now also comment on exactly what you do or do not like about their bodies, and how well, or not, they suit this underwear.
The devastating irony here is that the campaign was launched in a bid to encourage young girls to keep playing team sports, as according to Women In Sport, 64% of them drop out before they turn 16. The main reasons they gave for giving it up were a fear of feeling judged by others and lack of confidence.
So what better way to turn the tide than a photo shoot that invites judgement by others, and almost definitely more than a few comments that would dent even the most self-assured woman’s ego? (The other explanation young girls gave for no longer participating in sports, in more utterly unsurprising news, was that they didn’t feel safe outside. Proud day for society all round.)
Bluebella CEO and Founder, Emily Bendell, said, “We have to change the perception that the strong female form is not ‘feminine’. The idea that strength and femininity do not go together is a really damaging perception for keeping women in sport but also more broadly.”
In other words, the misogyny is coming from inside the house. WHY DO WOMEN HAVE TO BE SEEN AS FEMININE? Sorry for shouting, not very feminine of me. How can Emily not see the problem with this campaign, which focuses purely on women’s appearances, when being judged for their appearances is why more than one million young girls who once described themselves as sporty disengage from it entirely after primary school? It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad, and infuriating(itals).
When will everyone involved in the body positivity movement – well intentioned or not – work out that our bodies are our business. It’s actually as simple as that. I genuinely struggle to think of times I’ve heard a group of people comment on a man’s body, and although obviously it does happen, no-one can deny that it’s far from the norm.
Appearance is long down the list of attributes men are judged on, rather than essentially the only one. And that’s all women want. I think it’s called equality. Heard of it?
