This Girl Can

Whoops posted too soon. All of those things I mentioned would have inspired me to have a healthy lifestyle more than stupid competitive sports where I always lost or let my team down, causing horrible social pressure

I totally agree Wormulonian, the emphasis on competitive sports made me hate PE and it took me a decade after leaving school to realise it's not exercise I hate but competitive sports! Gymnastics, zumba, running (without it always being a race!)

I was just going to post a flippant reply saying that as a 13 YO girl I'd have begged to let a boy take my place. I hated sport with a blind, screaming passion. I was so jealous of the kids with good excuses not to participate. I hated everything about it. I was challenging other gender norms at the time, but, simply put, I fucking hated sport. I even managed to win a few minor things, but as soon as I could give it up I trashed my kit. I didn't hit a gym until many years later when I discovered that when I wasn't been yelled or whistled at to do this or that or run here or there or pay attention then exercise was not all bad. I don't mind exercise if other people get the hell out of my face, if I don't have to do classes or team things and if I don't have to talk to anyone. Yeah, I'm the one on the treadmill staring straight ahead and studiously aviding everyone in the pool. I also love walking if there is a point to it a nice pub.

What I am getting at is that this should not be compulsory for girls.

Also, this makes a lot of sense to me I think there needs to be a fundamental shift in school PE away from traditional team sports in the secondary years. If you aren't "good "at Hockey/netball etc you tend to feel sidelined.They could do exercise where you are not judged such as Zumba, where everyone can achieve at their own level and the teacher is not constantly haranguing girls. If girls want to wear tracksuit bottoms rather than shorts or a skirt -let them.

Dds school did this last year,not that many girls went for it.Dd used to be quite sporty but the school keeps having mixed sports lessons where the girls don't try as the hate being watched by all the boys(this is secondary school).

My 19 year old twins think it is a patronising load of Bull. They have only seen the advert which they loathe. I didn't realise there were lots of events/money being thrown at it and it was part of a wider campaign.

I think there needs to be a fundamental shift in school PE away from traditional team sports in the secondary years. If you aren't "good "at Hockey/netball etc you tend to feel sidelined.They could do exercise where you are not judged such as Zumba, where everyone can achieve at their own level and the teacher is not constantly haranguing girls. If girls want to wear tracksuit bottoms rather than shorts or a skirt -let them.

My friend was a PE teacher at a school that experimented with sports afternoons for each year group. Timetabling all the staff for each afternoon on one year group meant they could offer a really diverse range of sports competitive and non competitive and when the afternoon ended the kids could shower or go home - no having to go back to class sweaty/ wet haired/in a panic etc. It had amazing feedback and results. The pupils were much more enthusiastic and motivated. about exercise. Lots of kids wanted to do GCSE/BTEC PE courses. Three years in a new head sadly pulled the programme.

I think I would just urge anyone to take a look at the website or follow the Facebook page. It's not meant to be patronising and is supposed to reach all women whatever your age, fitness or size. Missnevermind, your group sounds terrific. When I started on breeze rides I was on a second hand bike and didn't have any fancy cycling gear. I did 30 miles yesterday on my own and thoroughly enjoyed it. Breeze gave me the confidence to do that. The link is on the website for Breeze, but take a look. There is loads of information.

My Womens group has received money for activities through the this Girl Can campaign.
As a very overweight middle aged woman who walks with a stick, I love seing people's faces when I talk about my kickboxing classes and aerobics dance classes with glow sticks.
These are things I never thought I would be able to do or afford and I feel great to be able to do them.
I also do Bollywood style exercise classes. They are reaching the people that never feel able to do anything like that.

I still dislike the use of the world girl, but I find the ad content uplifting and I like seeing it.

I hate it sorry. I find it really patronising.

I love that video Pringle!! It always makes me a bit teary and proud.

If you haven't seen the latest ad, I really like it:

I actually have the same t-shirt as one of the women in this video, which makes it feel a bit more personal to me!

Than the campaign I mean!! I love personal stories!!

Pringle I think that's fantastic!!!! 👍👍😃😃 I think you are more inspiring though!!

I've seen that as well - it caught my eye as soon as I saw it come on and I loved it.

Just watching the trailer for the Womens Euro on Channel four. Now that is brilliant, a young girl, obviously talented just kicking anything she can find, including keepy uppys with a dolls head. This is the sort of thing we need to see more of.

I think sports bras should be part of pe kit. Watching sports day this week was interesting: boys sprinting round the track; girls battling wobbling breasts and holding their heads at weird an g les. I could go to the gym without trainers, but not my sports bra.

LastGirlOnTheLeft It's the kind of thought that I have when I'm dragging myself round out of pure damn stubbornness rather than any kind of basic fitness or skill level. But that probably reveals a lot about my relationship with sport and why campaigns like this are so important. I will never ever like sport, but I now feel able to go out there and do something anyway and This Girl Can is a part of that attitude change.

May not work for everyone, but it's helped me.

That's a good point, Pringle!! I never thought about it on a personal level like that!!

Sittinginthesun I think your son being furious just because something is being done which centres girls is something to address as well. Whilst I'm not saying he's doing this or would in future, it's this kind of attitude which leads to all sorts of initiatives and services for women being attacked, with variations of "what about the men" being shouted.

I love this girl can. So many girls drop out of sport as teens because we are programmed to think women shouldn't sweat or jiggle. It has effects on physical and mental health for the rest of their lives. Anything that shows women properly exercising, doing whatever sport they like at any age/size/shape, sweating, wobbling and enjoying it is brilliant in my book.

I think non-participation of sport by boys is a different problem that needs tackl8ng in a different way. OP maybe your son could think what might encourage those boys into sport and suggest it as an alternative to the lessons while the girls are out. Like trying a new kind of sport?

LastGirlOnTheLeft I find it motivational. When I'm out doing sport (something I would never have done as a young girl), I think this girl can, as in me. I can. I actually can. No one would have ever believed it, but I do, and it's therefore true. I bloody well can!

I loved their latest advert, especially the giving birth bit

I think its supposed to be addressed in the first person isn't it? This Girl Can, meaning if I can, anyone can.