This Girl Can

[Yops]

Just saw this on the BBC website;

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/get-inspired/30743750

It's a campaign by Sport England to increase women's activity in sport. I loved the message - sport for everyone, regardless of prowess. What do other people think? Would it inspire you?

[ItsAllKickingOffPru]

Just seen it linked on a thread on here.

Not mad keen on 'Girl' but the overall message is a great one.

[Vivacia]

I agree, I can forgive the use of "girl" because it has such everywoman appeal.

[fortifiedwithtea]

I saw this campaign tonight when I looked on Youtube. A series of very short films showing woman doing sport because they enjoy it. One was going for a bike ride but the one that inspired me was the single mum with 3 kids just working out to videos in front of the telly. It was the fact that she just managed to incorporate it into family life without big expense and looked amazing gave me hope.

[OmnipotentQueenOfTheUniverse]

The blurb in the article said that they found women don't participate in sport due to fear of being judged - body shape/size, general appearance, lack of skill.

So yes the campaign is deliberately targeting that, that's what they found in their survey was stopping lots of women.

I was a bit taken aback that in UK 2million less women than men do sport etc while elsewhere in Europe there was no difference.

Like when that UN person said that the UK was the most heavily gendered society in, I think it was Europe, maybe wider? Anyway I was surprised.

I've never lived in a different country so to me this is "normal" and I'm surprised when we come off badly in this sort of thing.

[meditrina]

Very, very disappointed with the use of 'girl'

Also of the shots of gyrating female torsos (dance type sequences and one of jiggling breasts).

This could have been amazing, nearly was. Opportunity fumbled.

[Showy]

I do like it very much but wince a little bit at the use of 'girl'.

I'm not the demographic either as I'm pretty active/fit but I really hope it delivers the message. I do think the words like 'fox' and 'hot' may be open to interpretation but hopefully, the point is that you can reclaim those descriptions.

[vinegarandbrownpaper]

I think the whole ad would work better without the cringey statements. The joyousness is lost with the horrible clashy (and often negative) first part of the couplet. I love the flop on the sofa and the timing of that is great. The rest of the story is told completely with pictures and music. As its a sophisticated appeal anyway there's no need to cillit bang the message home.

And who uses 'fox'. Party time, excellent? I can hear the public school (male) guffaws over that rapier strike..

I would like to see an 'unplugged' version with no crappy couplet resolution and just enjoy the liveliness. That's my two penn'orth anyway :)

[vinegarandbrownpaper]

and for the record, its better for people to be familiar with normal images without caveats if you want to deal with 'appearance concerns' , otherwise you are still reinforcing. Who cares about foxiness on the pitch. Its like a sky football montage saying 'Can still make conversation', 'Perfect free kicks, perfect genital trim'. Fine if its advertising the trim, not if its advertising the sport. iyswim

[vinegarandbrownpaper]

Apart from that its great! !

[Toomuchjiggleinmywiggle]

When I watch it, I don't think that they look like they are concerned what they look like - they look like they are comfortable doing what they are doing and enjoying it so what does it matter if they are wearing make up and feel more comfortable to do so? All of the research has shown that appearance and assumed perception is a barrier to participation so to not address it in some way would be a huge mistake.

I love it, I started a thread about it yesterday.
BUT I am biased, work in the sporting sector and have known about this work for a while.

[Toomuchjiggleinmywiggle]

I think it's a number of reasons - starting with poor experience of PE putting people off for life, drop of after 14-16 years, women taking on the prime carer role at home and having less 'me' time, poor facilities that don't appeal to some women and general lack of female role models.

I work in a specific sport and the gender split is way too big for my liking- it's very male dominated both in terms of participation and workforce. Ironically at the last Olympics the women brought home more medals

There seems to be a shift in women wanting to be 'skinny' to strong and physically fit which I think can only be a good thing- even if they do want to do it wearing their make up

[whatdoesittake48]

Saw this with my husband who said 'what was that all about, ' he didn't get it. Will women get it? Wish they used women instead of girls but liked all the jiggly tummies.

[Vivacia]

I think PE has a lot to answer for.

And gender roles - how many times do we read on Relationships that the man is at football or golf all weekend, or at the gym 4 times a night whilst there's young children at home?

One thing I'm struck by is in America how many teenage girls appear to do "track" or wrestling. Similar with Australians, strength training to support their swimming or rowing. I think now I'm in to my weight lifting I'm becoming more aware of the whole "strong not skinny" idea.

[LightningOnlyStrikesOnce]

Well that's a funny one. Too much focus on bums and boobs. Yes the bum was normal (wrinkly) and the boobs were jiggly, so probably were trying to say that that didn't matter, but the fact of the focus is inline with the women-as-sexual-objects attitude.

Having a bit of time in Belgium, I do see equal numbers of women out exercising. I'd say two reasons: it is expected here that women as well as men will be out working, there's little maternity leave and kids are usually put in (subsidised) childcare at 3 months old, every school has wrap-around care and there are lots of official organised holiday activities everywhere. (I don't like that solution myself, I don't like families never seeing each other).

The other, the question of looks: certainly that is not an issue in Belgium. The whole place is refreshingly unobsessed by what people look like. It's one of if not the best thing about it. Honestly, the preference for 'relaxed' over 'trendy' is really obvious particularly among the student-age group. I hate the way UK came to obsess over looks, and don't completely understand it. If that's what's stopping women from doing what they want to and would otherwise be dong, then, very very bluntly, that's pathetic.

The associated report did mention just 'fear of being judged' though, and that can cover a multitude of sins. Starting with not being a good mum with kids, as House implied.

For me with young kids the big problem is time, family time and not having any social support - which seems remarkably common nowadays.

[LightningOnlyStrikesOnce]

On a casual day-to-day basis I don't think I see many females wearing make-up here - of any age group. As an example. I'll have to pay attention now, I forgot about it since I don't focus on looks either!

[vinegarandbrownpaper]

I can't wait until the appropriate 'look' for women involves 12 hours of work in a gym a week, AND diet obsession AND deliberately nonchalant clothes AND 14 hours of housework and being a competent Kendo houswife (trouble-making post!)

[WhatWouldFreddieDo]

Yes there are niggles with this, but overall I think it is a Good Thing.

I read the make-up thing as: well, a lot of classes/sports will take place in the evening, women go to work in make-up, so yes, your mascara is gonna run, but so what?