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Ban the bra: Adidas’ “scandalous” commentary on body positivity
Is it not safe for work, or just Twitter being Twitter?
katherine mutschler
s&h editor
Christian Wiediger via Unsplash
The breast bras around.
On February 9, the official Adidas Twitter account posted a photo of a variety of women’s breasts with the caption: “We believe women’s breasts in all shapes and sizes deserve support and comfort, which is why our new sports bra range contains 43 styles, so everyone can find the right fit for them.” The hashtag included was #SupportIsEverything. As can be expected, there were a lot of mixed opinions on this advertisement. Some people believe the advertisement was just a way for Adidas to tap into the body positivity movement and make money. Others believe it was a great advertisement and
that it created a discussion. I will walk you through what body positivity is and give some of the opinions on how this advertisement creates a broader conversation.
The body positivity movement has a vague beginning. Some people believing it is a movement that began for burn victims and amputees to experience representation, others claim it began as a fight against diet culture and unattainable standards for people. For the purpose of this article, I will be defining it as a movement that creates representation of all kinds of bodies, that there is a fight against extreme photoshop and typical bodies one sees in fitness ads. In this Adidas advertisement, the chests are of all varieties; they are not just the perky ones one would expect to see. There are diverse body shapes, stretch marks, skin colors, and different sizes of chests.
Some of the criticism of the advertisement comes from the question “is a woman’s chest appropriate to show?” Many of the comments under the post are sexualizing the women in the ad or making jokes about the NSFW nature of the photo. Some people have even called the advertisement tasteless. Some underwear companies responded by show-
ing genitals as a way to parody the advertisement. The official Fleshlight Twitter made a post showing various Fleshlights and saying, “we believe vulvas of all shapes and sizes should be supported,” imitating the language of the original Adidas ad. This opens up a conversation that goes beyond a bra: whose nipples are okay to be shown? How does gender binary play into it, and how can transgender and non-binary people contribute to this conversation?
Of course, Adidas was expecting this controversy when posting the ad, and many people assume that this was a way to make money. When Cathy McComb, the professor of “Underwear and Social Meaning” class was asked for her opinions, she said, “I think this ad is an attempt by Adidas to be perceived as a supplier for the growing Free the Nipple campaign. The FTN movement was formed by artists and activists worldwide to bring to light the double standard with reference to the exposure of women’s breasts versus men’s chests in popular culture. I presume that Adidas actually sees an opportunity to sell more merchandise rather than a reason to take a moral stance.” The fear for many is that this ad is a way for
Adidas to market towards people who believe that the female presenting nipple is okay to be shown (only Tumblr 2018 veterans will remember) and that they will be attracted to Adidas because they feel the company aligns with their values.
Despite the controversy, Adidas has claimed that this campaign was made for good reasons. After a tweet was made by someone shaming female bodies for showing too much skin, Adidas responded with their campaign and the phrase: “All bodies should be celebrated and supported, without shame or exception.” Adidas claims that all people should be able to find a sports bra to fit them, and that this ad shows the variety of shapes and sizes that breasts may come in.
When looking through the #SupportIsEverything hashtag, there are a lot of people praising Adidas for their campaign. The official Woodward Sports Network Twitter posted photos of men topless in solidarity and showed the variety of men’s bodies and fitness levels. There are unattainable standards for all genders, especially in fitness. People are praising Adidas for fighting against these arbitrary standards.
When looking at this photo, many of my friends felt empow-
“When I saw this advertisement, even though I knew it was probably just a way for Adidas to market and make money, I felt at peace. I was able to see people use this campaign as a way to take back power, just as I am currently taking back power as I write this article.
– Katherine Mutschler
ered by the image. Even knowing it is just a campaign, it has created an opportunity for many people to talk about their insecurities. Adidas is not the first company to hop into the body positivity discussion. For one April fools’ “prank,” Aerie got into some heat for their #AirieMan campaign, where a diverse cast of men were shown. It was later revealed that it was a prank, and after backlash, Aerie actually adopted the campaign to try and “do some good.” Rihanna has been praised for her Fenty shows, which includes all genders and all bodies (including people with disabilities and pregnant people). Online content creators like John Glaude (aka Obese to Beast) show photos of themselves with their loose skin. There is usually one kind of body in fitness, and it is not attainable for the majority of people. People want representation in fitness, and they want it now.
There is one final angle that I want to approach this advertisement with. The Sunday before I discovered this advertisement, I had to report someone for harassing me based on how much of my chest was showing. During this time, I felt a lot of anger, shame, and disgust. When I saw this advertisement, even though I knew it was probably just a way
for Adidas to market and make money, I felt at peace. I was able to see people use this campaign as a way to take back power, just as I am currently taking back power as I write this article. The act of talking about bodies in fitness, bodies in media, and the sexualization of various genders brings back control to the people who are marginalized and victimized in sports and media. Whether this campaign by Adidas is a money grab, distasteful, or a part of a social movement, it creates a conversation for the sports and health world – and that is all that matters to me.
Learn about your cake and eat it, too
victoria baht
s&h writer
What is something all of us do 3-5 times a day? The answer is eating! Is this something that you feel guilty about doing? Is this something that you are trying to get better at? You are in luck. The Carillon decided to do an interview this week with a registered dietitian, Sydney Wright, who has been registered for almost two years. A unique aspect of her work is that she takes a non-diet approach. Sydney works in Regina in private practice at “Food to Fit Nutrition”, and she works at “Bridge Point Center for Eating Disorder Recovery” in Milden, SK.
We are going to talk about healthier food options you make, and a reason why you choose the foods you do. Then we will look at how food sources can fuel us.
Where did you go for post-secondary education and how long did it take you?
“I went to the University of Saskatchewan at the College of
Pharmacy and Nutrition, and to get into the preprogram you have at least one year of prerequisites. I started in Psychology at the University of Regina. That was two years at Regina and four years in Saskatoon.”
What motivated you to be a dietitian?
“Ironic story, but I was neck deep in an eating disorder around the time I discovered the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. It was my own disorder that led me to wanting to be healthier. Then I went through school and it motivated me to become a dietitian.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
“All of the work I do has to do with trauma. I am grateful for all my trauma informed training. The hard part is knowing the issue is not something I can help with. This can involve no support system, no safe home environment etc.”
How does trauma relate to food habits?
“Big or small trauma is almost always the underline of an eating disorder. Eating can be a way to cope with the trauma, and it can be about or not about the food when it comes to eating disorders.”
What does a typical day look like as a dietitian?
Sydney has two types of days when she is involved with work.
Private practice, which involves “Meeting with clients virtually going to the office to see them in person.”
BridgePoint, in Milden SK: “I go on sight and stay over night. At BridgePoint we eat all our meals together and have morning, afternoon and evening meetings.”
What is your feeling about the term “cheat day”?
“Implying eating as cheating does not work. You must eat food to stay alive, function, and enjoy life. Look at this scenario: if you were to hold your breath for as long as you can, eventually you will have to gasp for air, although when you do this no one would consider that cheating. Often with cheat days people try to restrict and it is a planned binge which is a disordered eating behaviour. Cheat days are slippery slope that can get you into a binge cycle, and I would not recommend cheat days.” and avocado oil has different fats.”
What are some good brain foods that our students should know about?
“Carbs [are] our brain’s best friend. Carbs get a bad reputation because they seem to be associated with weight gain, although this is not true. Our brain is one of the only organs that cannot store energy, and it likes to run on sugar. Having carbs is important to have your brain to function at an optimal level. Research is showing about 120 grams (depends per person) of carbs a day (480 calories) just for our brains to function at baseline to think, remember, move around, and have emotions is a sustained amount. If you pair carbs with fiber or protein they will last longer. Plus, omega-3s are good for brain development. An example would be fish, walnuts and flax seed.”
What supplement should be taken regularly?
“I would never regularly not recommend for everyone because everyone is different. Although those of us that live in Saskatche-
– Sydney Wright
What is a more affective way to lose weight? Do you restrict the “bad foods” to a limited amount, or do you cut them all out entirely and then have them occasionally as a treat?
“With a non-diet approach, we do not promote weight loss. Instead of categorizing foods into healthy and non-healthy we try to keep all foods neutral. Look at chips; this something someone would look at for being ‘bad’, but when we keep it neutral you can look at what purpose the food can serve. They taste great, are a convenient snack, but won’t keep me full for a long time and don’t have a lot of protein or fiber. Knowing that, you can decide the best time to eat. I personally would not recommend restricting foods that we see as bad because the more we restrict, the more drawn we are to them, and the more power they have over us.”
What oil is best to cook with?
“So, it depends on what you are cooking or baking, although the more variety the better. Olive oil is a good source of Omega-9’s, canola oil good for Omega-3’s, wan should take Vitamin D.”
Is going by your BMI accurate for everyone in our society or does it differ based on your lifestyle?
“BMI is not accurate for most people. It was developed looking at White European men in the 1800’s, so it is not super accurate. Even if you are a White European man, the accuracy dates were only predicted body composition in 50% of people which means it only had 50% accuracy rate even when it was first developed. It is not accurate, it does not consider how much muscle someone has, bone structure, variables of genetics. Even though BMI can be a tool to tell if they have dropped weight fast or gained weight fast for health reasons, I do not recommend going by the BMI.”
I don’t know about you guys reading this, but I loved all of these answers and finding out why I eat what I do and how my body works. Thank you, Sydney, for educating us all about foods in a non-diet approach, and I hope all you Carillon readers go eat some good food to fuel your bodies!
Victory for the women’s team
victoria baht
s&h writer
This past weekend, the University of Regina women’s curling team had a tournament, and saying they did a good job is an understatement. This was the Canadian West tournament, and it was a home game taking place in Regina, SK, involving three teams: University of Regina, University of Alberta, and University of Brandon. Each of these teams did well in this tournament, but the University of Regina’s team was lucky enough to take home the championship! The Carillon contacted a team player to get the insights of the sport itself and how the tournament went down. This week we are hearing form Taylor Stremick herself, so let’s get down to business!
How long have you been curling for, and what is your position?
Taylor has been curling for a long time now, she thinks around 10 years, and she is currently third position.
For those readers who do not know curling well, what is third position?
What does it mean to “call the line?”
Curling seems like a very mind driven sport that needs lots of thinking. Can you explain the skill you have to line up perfectly for your shot?
Taylor explains both positions: “For thrower perspective it all comes from practice which creates a natural feeling. I try my best to stay up to date with all the different techniques, plus I listen to the best coaches and how they inform on how to throw right on the broom. This is my first time calling the line as a third so this was a big step, and so honestly [my teammate] Krystal Englot and my coach Tom were a great help. Listening to coaches always ends well.”
In your opinion, what is the most important position in curling?
“I personally do not think there is one important position; we all work as a team. I cannot really say which is the best, hardest, or the easiest, because they are all equal!” To Taylor, it seems like curling really is a team effort and that it is meaningful to the curling team to work together.
Can you tell us how the tournament happened in detail, for those who could not make it?
Tom Hamon
The women’s curling team brought down the house (get it? Curling joke) tournament, and it was great to have a home rink advantage. We ended up going two wins and two loses and between the three of us teams all of us had a 2-2 record. Which meant on Sunday it came down to who had the best ‘stone draw’ which it turned out to be us and that won us first place!” Alberta has won Canada West the last two times here, so it felt good to beat that rivalry.
How is your overall season going after this weekend and what do you expect to see for the rest of the season coming up?
It was great to hear the U of R team was victorious. The Carillon wants to wish the women’s curling team a last congratulations on your championship and a huge thank you to Stremick for taking part in this interview. We hope both the women’s and men’s teams continue to work hard for next season and that everyone gets more opportunities next season to play!
NBA All-Stars roster
Let’s hear what’s going on with basketball
amir said contributor
With all votes and decisions finalized, the 2022 NBA All-Star game is officially mapped out, with team captains LeBron James and Kevin Durant drafting players for their respective teams in a live-streamed conference call. The game is set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio, on February 20, and it’s sure to be one for the books. On February 3, the day my original article about the All-Star game was published, the All-Star reserves were officially announced after being chosen by head coaches of the two conferences.
If you read my first article, you’ll know that I made a few predictions. Read on to see which I got right! The reserves, according to the NBA’s website, are as follows:
Eastern Conference: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers James Harden, Brooklyn Nets (about that…) Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors (called it!) Western Conference: Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks (called it!) Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
After the selection, two other players were added as replacements for Kevin Durant and Draymond Green, an eastern starter and western reserve respectively, who are unable to play due to injuries. Added to the list as their replacements were first-time all-stars LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets (called it!) and Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs.
The live-streamed draft took place on February 10. The rosters of Team LeBron and Team Durant, besides the eponymous team captains, are as follows:
LeBron’s starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks; Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors; DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls; Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets.
Lebron’s reserves: Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat; Luka Dončić, Dallas Mavericks; Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers; James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers; Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz; Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns; Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors.
Durant’s starters: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers; Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies; Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics; Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors; Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks.
Durant’s reserves: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets; Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns; Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz; Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls; Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks; Dejounte Murray, San Antonio Spurs; Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves; Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors.
Highlights of the live stream included Kevin Durant being asked to provide an update on his injury recovery process and bluntly replying “no,” LeBron bursting into uncontrollable laughter and hiding his face behind a clipboard (more on that shortly), and the usual wit and sarcasm of former NBA superstars and current analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal. James Harden, who was selected as an all-star for the tenth time of his career, recently left the Brooklyn Nets, where he played alongside Kevin Durant for the Philadelphia 76ers. The lead up to and aftermath of the trade could be the subjects of their own lengthy article, but the situation clearly did not sit well with Durant. During the draft, he refused to pick Harden as a teammate and left him as the only player not to be selected. This elicited snarky comments and laughter from Charles Barkley and LeBron James, while Durant maintained a straight face. He did, however, crack a small smile a couple of times, presumably knowing full well how silly the whole situation was and how petty he was being.
This game is shaping up to be an interesting one, with legendary players on both teams and plenty of drama involved. Who will win? My money’s on Team LeBron (don’t gamble, kids) but there’s only one way to find out for sure: watch the NBA All-Star game on February 20.
op-ed
Live to suffer and suffer to live
The way we talk about our engagements isn’t always what motivates us to continue them
The way we frame our thoughts and reasoning for why we spend our time doing different things makes all the difference as to how we will feel about ourselves as a result. By looking at everything that we do through a negative or forced lens we are not going to find the enjoyment that we should in the activities we are participating in. Even if this is something that we genuinely enjoy doing, if we feel as though we are doing it because it is something that must be done we will lose that spark of enjoyment. Isn’t that why they suggest that
one should not turn their hobbies into their profession, as you will lose the reason why you loved it in the first place?
I, like many others, am guilty of framing things in this kind of negative way. I’m guilty of doing things because I have to and not because I want to. By looking at things as though they are a balancing act, we think that we must do so many things that we don’t enjoy just to be able to justify spending time on the things that we are passionate about. This is something that I have been trying to train myself out of and I encourage any of you reading this article to consider the ways that you might be doing this and challenge your way of thinking moving forward.
One of the most obvious ways that I do this, and I am sure that many of you will agree that you do something similar, is when I look at exercising. If asked by someone why I choose to go to the gym or for runs, my immediate thought is because I like to torture myself, or another answer along those lines. It is always surrounding the idea of punishing myself as the reason why I bother to engage in this activity. Truthfully, when I think about it in a more genuine way, that isn’t why I do it. I enjoy the rush of adrenaline when I hit a new personal record and the feeling of
being capable enough to perform the way I do. It is also a nice way to thank my body for allowing me the opportunity to engage in such an activity by taking care of it and strengthening it to ensure that my performance and abilities can be maintained long term.
Why then is my initial response one that screams self-loathing? Again, I’m not sure. When asked why I participate in sports, which can be considered a very similar type of activity, my answer is very different. It centers around the ideas of enjoyment and the fostering of community with my teammates. Thinking about it seems quite strange, that these two are separated so much in the way that I choose to frame how I talk about them, as they both present similar benefits. It is as though the idea of participating for the sake of my team, rather for my own enjoyment and success, appears to be a better answer.
I present a very similar answer whenever I am asked what I’m studying or why I chose to attend university. The reason I came to university is because I love to suffer and the reason why I took on two degrees is because I’m crazy. Again, this isn’t really the case. I did want to pursue more schooling and I do love both of my degrees an ungodly amount. However, it feels as though
– Sarah Nakonechny
admitting that and going into details about it is selfish and not why I should be doing it. It’s almost as though the reasoning isn’t good enough. Ask most people why they chose the areas that they did, and they are going to tell you that they did it because they want to help people, or someone else inspired them, or any number of reasons that are outside of themselves. So maybe it’s because my reasons do not sound good enough or that the people pleasing reasons I have come up with sound too Miss America for me to want to use them. This somehow leads us back to the “everything is horrible and I’m only here to live out my predetermined punishment” mentality.
How does one go about trying to reframe these ideas – especially when there is the expectation that your reasoning cannot be self-fulfilling in any sense? Instead of accepting the fact that these are my reasons and I am doing them for me, it still does not feel like this is something that can be said out in the world. These are thoughts and rationales that must not see the light of day and one must hide them away from the eyes of the world.
It has come down to accepting that regardless of the reasons I tell people why I am doing an activity, it ultimately doesn’t really matter. I can tell them whatever it is
that I think they want to hear, or I could give them the true answer and explain the details of my motivation. People are going to come to their own conclusions anyways about why they think I’m doing it. The only thing my answer will do is either confirm or deny their believed motivation, which means that ensuring that I remember why I am doing these things and that the way I phrase these does not reflect my true feelings about them is what is important. Doing what bring me satisfaction, although it may be hard, is more fulfilling than trying to change my motivation for engaging with it in the first place.
sarah nakonechny
op-ed editor
From video calls to chatting with friends, Zoom has seen it all (and then some)
In about a month, it will be two years since students at the University of Regina started getting emails about the pandemic, the need to practice social distancing, and the temporary move to online delivery and working/ attending classes from home. Since then, we have tried a gradual return to a normal way of life, while being set back by new developments in the pandemic. We still hope that there is an end in sight soon, but there is no denying that it has been a weird two years, in every sense of the word. Hopefully, we have learned some important lessons that will stay with us even when all of this is behind us. While I doubt anything can make up for the stress and isolation we have gone through, the optimist in me hopes that there can be some silver lining - maybe just the realization of how much we took for granted about our daily lives up to March, 2019.
One big part of our online lives during the last two years has been video conferencing solutions. While somehow Zoom seems to have become the most successful, to the extent that many of us now use Zoom as a verb for making a video call the same way we use Google as a verb for searching something, there are also rival softwares like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and for that matter the hastily launched Rooms feature on Facebook Messenger. At least one peer of mine back home lamented how he is in four classes, and each is using a different app for video meetings!
In the first few weeks of this pandemic Zoom was also being used for more than just online classes and work meetings. Looking back, I feel a little self-conscious in admitting that some friends and I used it for virtual hangouts for a few weekends, gaming together or just chatting for a couple of hours over tea or coffee. As the lockdown persisted though, we stopped that soon enough. Most of us were getting enough screen time through work and school, and while seeing friends was nice, additional screen time was not.
Personally, I have found Zoom to be a mixed bag. I cannot appreciate enough how easy it has made my life in terms of scheduling. In addition to being a full-time student and a part-time writer, I volunteer in several school and community organizations. In the pre-pandemic life, this often meant having to schedule multiple meetings, not all of them necessarily on campus, and worry about commuting and coordinating
everything. Now, I happily schedule a Zoom meeting, knowing I can do my own work up to the last minute before meeting time.
It probably makes sense, then, that we have collectively found it easy to overdo this aspect of it. Just yesterday, I had five Zoom meetings. By the end of the day I was done with computers, meetings, and sitting at a desk. Yet I am back at it today, with two Zoom meetings scheduled. However, the worst aspect of the Zoom experience for me has been the casualness with which we have abused this convenience.
In my work as a teaching assistant, I had encountered one student who repeatedly asked for Zoom meetings to discuss homework problems. Of course, helping these students is part of my job. Nevertheless, I feel justified in my concerns when said student explained to me that no, they simply could not articulate their question in an email for me to respond to in an asynchronous manner and yes, a Zoom meeting was non-negotiable. On the two occasions I relented and scheduled a meeting with them, each lasted five minutes and involved asking one question. I only remember one of the questions: “What is the maximum possible value of n?” I invite the readers to decide if this could indeed have been asked over email, sparing
me from having to set aside my thesis work and schedule a video call.
Then there are the amusing Zoom blunders that are now the topic of dozens of memes. I maintain that the most used phrase in the last couple of years is “You are muted!” said each time with a little more exasperation. Worse though, is when you should have been muted but weren’t, and now the work meeting you are in is featuring your pets, child, or some mix of the two as background music. My favorite along those lines, however, must be the time I was joining a prayer service, and one member of the congregation kept getting unmuted. The icing on the cake was how each time it happened, their dog began barking in what I am willing to bet was perfect tune with the songs in the service!
Unless the meeting involves a very small group or I am the one speaking, I also like to keep my video off. A related recurring nightmare always involves a series of hopefully unlikely events, like my camera suddenly coming on, and my clothes somehow disappearing at that same instant. I am relieved to report that this has not happened so far, and the most embarrassing video incident that I have had to endure are the times when my facial expressions betrayed my inner thoughts about an idea someone suggested.
I wanted to write mostly about the blunders we made in our many video meetings since 2020 but putting my thoughts on paper has made me think. Many of these incidents, I feel, portray the privileges some of us have. How many of us live in a house with personal space away from pets, kids, and other family members? How many of us already had the hardware and sufficient internet access to facilitate a complete move to our work and school lives online? Among those who did not already have the infrastructure, how many had enough savings to be able to invest in setting one up? How many were comfortable enough with technology to use it so often?
I know that having each of these things does not make me a terrible person, but I think we need to acknowledge how much privilege we have only now becoming visible in the event of a crisis or a pandemic. Maybe that can be one of the lessons we take from the past two years, and learn to be more mindful of.
– Hammad Ali
hammad ali staff writer
