#strongisbeautiful

So it seems that it's actually a lingerie company marketing thing that just happens to feature the rugby players (so basically its primary aim is to advertise underwear). But yeah, not great.

It's a shame because rugby is the sport where body diversity is probably greatest (albeit not 7's because no front row) and you see a lot of girls joining at U12/14 who don't play more traditional sports and actually find a tribe and get self-esteem from using their size to win scrums. This might actually put them off rather than encourage them.

@ComtesseDeSpair It's just the wrong approach entirely, though.
You're right that we live in a world where bodies are sexualised, but we can challenge that rather than leaning into and celebrating it.

There are much better ways of getting girls interested in weight/ strength training than parading women around in tacky erotic lingerie. Just not necessary and you would never see a man doing it.

I suppose the reality is we live in a world where bodies are sexualised; and if the only bodies young women (and men) see in sexy underwear and touted as sexy are created through starvation or silicone, they never really have an opportunity to associate peak fitness and muscle with sexy in the same way. Young people broadly want to be sexy and found attractive by their peers, so we need to work with the tools we have.

@ComtesseDeSpair Totally get what you're saying and agree with the idea - but do they have to actively sexualise it? The lingerie they are wearing looks like it came from Ann Summers. Not particularly empowering.

I think it’s less “prancing about in your pants” and more normalising the idea that female bodies don’t just look like the bodies young women are seeing on Love Island or among influencers, but that being muscular, strong and solidly built are just as much female body characteristics. Weight and strength training, for example, are some of the most valuable forms of exercise can women can do for their long term health; yet women are hugely underrepresented in them and a big factor in that is fear of “looking like a man” because we’re so used to seeing undressed female bodies that are almost invariably thin and waifish or with a focus on big boobs and big bums.

It’s not a perfect advertising campaign and there can definitely be criticism of it; but nearly-naked female bodies in the public eye aren’t going away any time soon, and I’d much prefer that young women were having an opportunity to see a far wider variety of them as admirable and attractive.

I just saw this on X, knew there would be a thread on here! Agree it's awful. Why on earth did they agree to it? Maybe being young they buy into all of that, is all I can think of.

I can't think of anything less likely to encourage my young teen dd to take up a new sport. Such a shame, a really wasted opportunity for what could have been an amazing campaign (anyone remember This Girl Can? That was brilliant).