Campaign fury
Fury at ‘sexist’ ad campaign with Team GB rugby stars in lingerie as former Olympian slams use of ‘porn underwear’
The stars fronting the campaign opened up on their experience growing up in sport
THREE former Olympians have slammed a "sexist" advertising campaign featuring Team GB rugby stars in 'porn underwear'.
Former tennis star Martina Navratilova, ex-swimmer Sharron Davies and former British distance runner Mara Yamauchi have voiced their discontent over Bluebella's #StrongIsBeautiful campaign.
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The lingerie company's ad features rugby sevens stars Ellie Boatman, Jasmine Joyce and Celia Quansah on the playing field in lingerie.
The campaign says its aim is to change stereotypes that "strong female form is not ‘feminine'".
While the website for it adds: "The idea that strength and femininity are mutually exclusive is problematic even beyond sports, we seek to demonstrate that they can go hand in hand."
It comes with a damning study from Women In Sport finding that 64 per cent of school girls drop out of sport in their teen years, with one of the main reasons cited for this being a fear of being judged.
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However, despite it's stated intentions, the campaign has been hit with backlash led by Navratilova.
The 18-time Grand Slam women's singles champion said the campaign "feels really regressive and sexist to me".
Davies, who won silver at the 1980 Olympics in the 400metre medley, took to social media to say: "What the actual - this is an utterly shameful campaign, whose braindead idea was this?
"Oh yeah let’s get professional female sports women in porn underwear! Extremely regressive… stereotypes yet again."
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Long-distance runner Mara Yamauchi added on her own page: "WT*F?! This is exploitative, demeaning, sexist, regressive rubbish.
"Of course the intended audience is men. Portraying women as sex objects will not encourage teenage girls into sport."
While the campaign has been blasted by some, it's won the support of others.
One person tweeted: "Love the celebration of a greater variety of body types; these women look strong and powerful!"
Bluebella's #StrongIsBeautiful campaign has run for the last eight years and included athletes who competed at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics, with this year's Paris games the latest edition.
Last year, a former and current Lioness stripped off for a campaign.
Fara Williams, who won 177 caps for the Lionesses, said when she appeared in the campaign: "I think we have to educate from a young age about the changes girls experience in sport and how we can support them during that process to make them feel more comfortable and confident.”
It was always tricky playing as a girl.
Jasmine Joyce
The players who fronted the ad shared their own experiences of growing up playing rugby.
Boatman, 27, said: "Not many girls were playing rugby ten years ago when I started and it was tough being the only girl on a team.
"Often our opposing teams would think, 'they've got a girl they're going to be weak'.
"Sometimes you would even hear parents telling their boys to target the girl because she would be the weak link in the team.
Girls participation in sport
A study from charity Women In Sport revealed damning figures regarding teenage girls' participation in sporting activities.
The 2022 study found that 88 per cent of girls who used to be sporty in primary school had changed views on sport.
It's poll of more than 4,000 teenagers found 43 per cent of girls who considered themselves sporty in primary school no longer saw themselves as sporty.
Of these girls, 68 per cent cited a fear of being judged prevented them from taking part, while 61 per cent said they lacked confidence and 47 per cent said they were too busy with school work.
A huge 78 per cent of girls were sporty also admitted they would avoid taking part in sport when on their period.
The study said: "This generation of teenage girls are experiencing worrying mental health issues and report being less confident, less happy and increasingly concerned with their appearance."
They added: "We are deeply concerned by the number of girls who disengage from sport and exercise post primary school."
"It was also definitely the case that the boys were celebrated a lot more and all the effort was focused on them.
"'Little or no expense would be made for girls' facilities and I would be given a boy's kit which would absolutely swamp me."
Joyce, 28 is set to become the first British rugby player to appear at three Olympic Games following her inclusion in the Team GB's women's sevens squad.
Speaking on her experience, she added: "I started playing rugby at seven-years-old at my local rugby club, but it was always tricky playing as a girl, as there weren't as many clubs with girls teams so I had to take a few years out here and there.
"But it's getting so much better now, there are clusters and hubs everywhere for girls and women to play rugby.
"The one thing I'd say to girls regarding body confidence is to enjoy who you are.
"You're never going be perfect and there's always going to be parts of your body you're self-conscious of but embrace it all."
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Despite being one of the stars of the campaign, Quansah failed to make the cut for Team GB's women's sevens squad.
The team finished fourth in both the 2016 and 2020 games.
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