Power Play

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uncovering THE SPORTSWEAR INDUSTRY'S PERSPECTIVE ON COMMUNICATING WITH FEMALE ATHLETES

Uncovering the Sportswear Industry’s Perspective on Communicating with Female Athletes T2110134 Yana Petrova Fashion Communication and Promotion Word Count Without Quotes: 7,650 COVER PHOTO: HAWKINGS, SARAH @ http://sarahhawkinsphoto.blogspot.co.uk/p/stories. html

pow·er play noun 1. behaviour or tactics intended to magnify a person’s influence or power

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ta b l e o f contents

6 Introduction 8 methodology 10 womens psychology & participation 29 ATHLETES & THE media 38 sportswear industry & advertisement 54 implementation 58 bibliography 72 appendix

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intro d u ct io n 6

The initial concept for this report originated from a Design and Visual Culture study that was conducted in the previous two years. The study was based on spectatorship in professional sport, and looked at how fashion and looks played a vital role in spectator sports. Several brand advertisements were analyzed, focusing on brands which collaborated with fashion designers.

In addition, the study covered how the brands communicated with their consumers thorough imagery and copy used in communication strategies.

Another topic that was investigated was the image that the sportswear industry had, and if it there was a balance between their approach to selling performance and fashion-based sportswear. However after considering this topic from a personal point of view, and taking into account current events and consumer trends, a more timely question arose – does the sportswear industry look at women as serious athletes? And is there a balance between the genders?

The purpose of this report is to explore these questions by first looking at female sports psychology in order to understand how women engage with sport. Female participation, power, and vulnerability will be also discussed in relation to the sports industry.

In the second chapter, the subject will focus on current media, and the rise of the female athlete as a role model, considering the London 2012 Olympics and its aftereffects. Looking at the media today will determine if the media segregates female athletes from the sports industry, and how that affects participation.

Subsequently, the advertising and promotional imagery that sportswear brands use will be critically analyzed and discussed to answer the main question of this report. Lastly, strategic outcomes and possible implementations will additionally be discussed in the fourth chapter.

M E T H O D O LO G Y This report was compiled using a range of primary and secondary research, which contributed to the understanding of the subject.

Several in-depth email interviews were firstly sent out to brand managers, authors, and marketing speakers. Unfortunately, no replies were received. Although this was a drawback, in one way the other methods of research have made up for the lack of response.

A mass online survey was conducted for the report (see Appendix C), which involved 71 respondents, and contained questions about their shopping habits, sports participation routines, favorite brands, and their views on the sportswear industry. The survey was posted on November 14 2012, and consisted of ten questions, which featured a mix of multiple choice and open-ended questions, which helped to also collect qualitative data. The answers were collected over the course of one month using a website service called Survey Monkey. The reason why the survey was distributed online was because this method allowed to gain a more international perspective, rather than just from people who live in the United Kingdom. Additionaly, it also saved more time when analyzing the results. The survey was aimed primarily at females, and that is why 84.5% of the respondents were women. The only drawback of this survey was the fact that it mostly had participants who were aged 18-25, with only 2.8% of the participants in both the ‘25-50’ and the ‘over 50’ brackets. Overall, the survey was used to gain an understanding of the overall opinion about the sportswear industry today.

Another method that was used was a short online questionnaire. The main difference between the survey and the questionnaire is that it featured questions that required in-depth answers, and the sample of participants wasn’t random. The participants were picked out based on their participation in sport, and knowledge of the media industry in order to get a less-bias opinion. The reason for this questionnaire was to look at how female athletes reacted to sportswear brand advertisements, and their opinions on how the brands target them. The images chosen were a mix of new advertisements from Nike, and a few female sport brands, such as LuluLemon. The questionnaire was also made using SurveyMonkey.com, due to the service having the option to input images into the questionnaire.

The link was sent out to each individual via email or Facebook in order to get a timelier response.

In an effort to gain understanding about the participation of women in sport, several gyms were visited in order to conduct observations. Three different gyms in Nottingham were visited, all of which were different levels. The gyms that were looked at were Virgin Active, Formula One Fitness and Hoofers Gym. Formula One Fitness was the cheapest of the three, followed by Hoofers and Virgin Active being the most expensive out of the three. This method was chosen because it directly shows how women interact with sports in a social setting, and also shows the relationship between the sport industry and women. The primary research took two days to complete, and generated a good amount of qualitative data.

Secondary research was carried out in order to acquire an understanding of sport psychology and how women relate to sports today. A variety of sources were used such as journals, books and online sources. Marketing reports were also looked at in order to gain insight into the UK sportswear market today, and make the report relevant to current times.

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Semiotic analysis of advertisements and promotional imagery has also been conducted to look for clues about campaign priorities of sportswear brands. These advertisements can be found in Appendices E - I and include a range of brands and different types of media. The television advertisements were taken from You Tube, while the print adverts were obtained using the ‘Creative Club’ online database and other online sources.

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T H E . 3 6 . W O R D s “By the age of seven, 40 per cent of girls will say they are not “sporty”.

The centuries-old stereotype that sport is not for girls - that it is, crucially, unfeminine - remains” (John, 2007: online) Living in the current decade, many don’t realize that women’s sport has come a very long way. In the previous decades, women were greatly discriminated against and discouraged when it came to participating in sports and physical activity. This was also true for younger women in schools, colleges and universities. Female college athletes received only two percent of overall athletic budgets. (NWLC 2013). “While some argued that mild forms of physical activity were beneficial, others saw physical exercise as incompatible with women’s fragile nature and dangerous to their health” (Theberge in Coackley, J., and Dunning, E., eds., 2000: 323).

Nevertheless, many women had the desire to participate in physical activity. Julia Chase grew up in the 1940s and 50s in Connecticut with a strong desire to be able to take part in competitive running, which was very unorthodox at that time for a woman. “Back then, women were expected to be morally and spiritually strong, but physically and intellectually weak.” (Theberge in Coackley, J., and Dunning, E., eds., 2000: 322). Chase remembers that she would often miss the bus on purpose, just so that she could have the excuse of running the mile to her school.

“You rarely heard about women runners in those days. Women weren’t allowed to compete in events with men. And they weren’t allowed to enter races longer than 880 yards. If a woman ran too much her uterus would fall out. That was the thinking. You never heard of an actual case, but it was just in the air.”

(Chase in NWLC, 2013:online) Chase would often watch her local teacher John Kelley, who would compete in the Boston Marathon, train on a nearby golf course.

Eventually, Chase built up the courage to come up and ask if she could also train with him. Kelley referred Chase to his trainer, and she was able to start training for the New England Championship. At the time, women could only participate in short distance events, and events such as the New England Championship were only half a mile long. However, that didn’t stop Chase from winning, and in addition breaking the track record for the race. (NWLC, 2013: online)

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The Boston Marathon back in 1967 was a mens – only event for 70 years, and before Katherine Switzer, women weren’t allowed to run the race. Despite that, Katherine Switzer participated while ignoring the ban on women, and was almost removed mid-race by the officials.

Switzer mentioned that one of the Officials was furious, yelling things such as “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.”

(Concannon, 1987: online). However, the other runners came to the rescue and Switzer was able to complete the marathon, even thought The New York Times at the time printed that Switzer didn’t manage to finish the race. (Kislevitz 2003: online). The incident was captured

by Harry Task (Boston Traveler) in a series of photographs, showing the officials attempting to drag Switzer out of the race (see Figure 1).

What Switzer did that day was a crucial strep forward in the movement of women in sports and is still remembered by many female runners today.

Women’s participation in sport kicked off with the law entitled Title IX, making it possible for women to become a part of the sports culture and stopping any discrimination against women taking part in sports.

Title IX passed in June of 1972 in the United States Supreme Court, and contained the following 36 words,

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

(Title IX in NWLC 2013: online)

Fig 1. Boston Marathon, (1967)

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In addition to lifting the ban on women participating in sports, Title IX encouraged girls to participate in high school sports. The numbers of female participants increased radically from 194,015 in 1972 to 3,386,965 in 2011(National Federation of High School Associations 2013: online).

Fifty years after the New England Championship, even thought Julia Chase was 75 years of age, she able to compete in a 4.75-mile race in 2011. This time, however, Chase competed with hundreds of other women, thanks to Title IX, containing the 36 words that made it possible. (NWLC 2013: online) “Despite the stunning advances made in the 40 years since Title IX was enacted, high school girls still receive 1.3 million fewer participation opportunities than do boys, and evidence suggests that the money spent on girls’ sports programs lags significantly behind the money spent on boys’ programs.” (Cook, 2012: online).

Title IX has gained a bad reputation regarding the impact on male athletes since its arrival. Ever since 1979, the interpretation of Title IX by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has been a form of ‘gender quota law’ (Irving 2003, online). “The 1979 interpretation required colleges to meet at least one of the following three criteria: that the number of athletes from each sex be roughly equivalent to the number of students enrolled; that colleges demonstrate a commitment to adding women’s sports; and that they prove that the athletic interests of female students are effectively accommodated.

The problems lie in complying with the first criterion.” (Irving, 2003: online).This first criterion made it necessary for colleges and universities to cut down many of the men’s sports and activities (Irving: 2003: online). For example in the eighties and nineties, university athletic departments were forced to eliminate 171 men’s wrestling teams, 84 men’s tennis teams, 56 men’s gymnastics teams, 27 men’s track teams, and 25 men’s swimming teams (Williams, 2009: online.).

Even thought Title IX did have its preliminary problems with introduction and implementation due to ratios of men to women being higher, difficulties were resolved and today Title IX still stands as one of the most important laws for raising female participation in sports throughout history.

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p o w e r . v s vulnerability During the first original Olympic games, the ideal athlete and the ideal woman were polar opposites (Tännsjö, and Tamburrini, eds. 2000).

One was meant to be strong, and have masculine qualities while the other was meant to be weak and fragile. From adverts on TV to the covers of magazines, this image is true in society today, where women are often believed to be physically weaker than men, and very fragile.

The media also constantly reinforces this message, targeting kids and teenagers. This plays a vital significance because the society is one of the reasons women decide against participating in sports.

In the book entitled Athletic Intruders, Shari L. Dworkin argues that “Despite a desire by some women to seek increased strength and size, most women also express a sense of fear – they are fearful not only of becoming too big but also of becoming too much of a ‘threat’.”

(Dworkin in Bolin, A., Granskog, J., eds. 2003:145) Dworkin (see Bolin, A., Granskog, J., eds. 2003) raises an important point, which could be integrated with Graydons’ (see Clarke, G., Humberstone., 1997) ideas about women’s power in “Researching Women and Sport” . He mentions that the feeling of power in women directly correlates with the amount of self worth and self esteem.

It seems as though women set themselves a limit on their sport performance based on the values in life. The women that care more about how they appear to the opposite sex tend to have a certain view about feminism and their social standing. Therefore, stay away from activities such as sport, which could undermine their feminism and the set standard of appearing lean.

However this can be argued in a sense that some women believe that power comes from appearance and self-control, therefore downplaying her strengths and appearing more vulnerable will be more appealing to the opposite sex. In her book “Women and Sport”, Tess Kay explains that one of the vital things in being feminine is the need or wish to establish a heterosexual partnership. This pushed women to behave in a way that is suitable in order to attract a male partner. (Kay, 2003). Kay also goes on to underscore that these feminine behaviors are often expressed through a decorative and attractive appearance and passive feminine bodies, therefore, as mentioned before, activities like sport tend to contradict their social expectations of femininity.

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g e n d e r . r o l e c o n f l i c t “Female athletes have been hypothesized to experience gender role conflict (Goldberg & Chandler, 1991; Holland & Andre, 1994; Miller & Levy, 1996), especially if they engage in sports traditionally regarded as more masculine (Koivula, 1995; Metheny, 1965; Sage 47 & Loudermilk, 1979)” (Royce, S., Gebelt, J., Duff, R., 2003). Therefore, women tend to stay away from sport or only choose the type of sports that are considered acceptable for a woman, and won’t make them ‘bulk up’.

However, the perceptions these women have are not entirely untrue. A study was conducted in The Online Journal of Sport Psychology (Royce, S., Gebelt, J., Duff, R., 2003), in which an interview was given out to students in a private university in USA, which is a part of the NCAA Division I AAA athletic program. This athletic program means that the university did not sponsor an American football team. However, the university did have male and female participants in the schools sport teams, which included all of the typical sports (ie. Football, basketball, tennis, etc.). Qualitative data for the interviews was collected from 33 athletes, and 31 non-athletes with the average age being 20.4. One of the questions of the interview asked the candidates if they believed strong women were feminine. The answers included a simple yes or no, and two more options which were if they believed it depended on the women’s’ physique or behavior. The results were divided up by gender in order to show contrast in views (Figure 2).

The results exposed that 54% of the men thought that strong women seemed unfeminine, while women thought that it depended on their physique. Only a surprising 19% of men thought that a strong woman’s physique determined if she was feminine or not. The Journal also discusses that many of the female participants mentioned sports like body building, stating that they did not consider ‘bulkiness’ as very feminine or attractive.

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The idea of ‘bulkiness’ was also mentioned previously by Shari Dworkin (Bolin, A., and Granskog, J., 2003) In athletic intruders, where many female participants stated that they did not want to appear ‘bulky’, and some even stated that they hid the fact that they lift weights from people.

Another point to consider when looking at women’s participation in sport is looking at the different types of sports women are taking part in. “more “hypercompetitive, aggressive, hierarchically organized, and detrimental to play and physical health” however women’s’ sports were more categorized as “more playful, less competitive, more health-inducing and body affirmative”. (McKay, J., and Messner, M., and Sabo, D., eds., 2000: 6) A survey was conducted for this report (see Figure 3, Appendix C), in which the 71 participants were asked to ‘categorize’ different types of sports into three categories. The participants had to choose if they though each sport was more masculine, feminine or equally unisex.

The results showed that the most masculine sports were football, rugby, basketball and boxing. On the other hand, the most feminine sports were considered to be dance, yoga and pilates.

One of the patterns that could be seen in the results is that masculine - categorized sports tend to be high contact sports, while feminine sports tended to be the types of sports that required less contact.

These results also greatly contribute to the debate that often times, women tend to pick physical activity that will make them physically leaner, and not ‘bulk’ them up. These results go hand in hand with the idea of femininity, and that there still are pre-determined social standards today.

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Fig 3. Survey Responses to Categorizing sports by Gender, 2012: Appendix C rugby football boxing basketball hockey cycling tennis swimming jogging Dance Yoga Pilates

masculine

unisex

feminine

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Aside from a clear ‘health and fitness’ theme seen in the sports that were categorized as feminine, another point to take into consideration here is that most of the sports that were classed as masculine were in fact team and outdoor sports. Theberge (1987) agrees: “the historical exclusion of women has been more powerful in the case of team sports” This has not allowed women a chance to enjoy a sense of community, and association which is widely seen in male team players today.” (Theberge, 1987: 324).

The sense of community that Theberge is talking about is what brings athletes together, and is a way of socialization between individuals (Figure 5). Unfortunately, many women miss out on this opportunity and this slowly minimizes the need for female team sports. This is why so many football clubs in the UK have separated out their female teams. This leads to less motivation from younger participants, because the future of womens football seems to offer very little compared to male players.

Figure 4 shows an Adidas advert in which there are four members of a team leaning in for a pre-game pump up. With the tag line ‘stand together’ this advert sends a powerful message about being a part of a team, and having the support of your team mates. It’s very uncommon to see ads with similar messages for female athletes, since brands just assume that the team concept wont attract as many consumers.

“Women’s football has grown rapidly among girls: the number of teams for under-16s has risen from 80 to 8,500 in the past ten years.

Yet its elite arm is crumbling, leaving those girls who do take enjoyment from the sport nowhere to pursue it into adulthood. In the past year, Manchester United, Sunderland, Fulham, Bristol City and Charlton Athletic have all disbanded their women’s teams. With no paid staff, most women’s clubs are run on roughly £40,000 a year - the cost of one week’s salary for a middle-of-the-road Premiership player but club executives have claimed that such costs are unsustainable.

Meanwhile, the FA talks of equality but moves towards it at a glacial pace.”

(John, 2007: online)

Fig 4. Adidas Commercial, (2012) 23

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Another opportunity that women miss out on is finding out the limit of their physical strength (Royce, S., Gebelt, J., Duff, R., 2003). As mentioned before, it’s simply because many women don’t want to appear threatening, or ‘bulky’. In Athletic Intruders, Dworkin (see Bolin, A., Granskog, J., eds. 2003) interviewed several women about this topic, and the responses she collected showed that women don’t want to bulk up, therefore always tend to step onto the treadmill on the gym because they know doing cardio programs will keep them lean.

Having said that, she also interviewed athletic women who were ‘bulky’, who in turn said they were pleased with their bodies and liked the fact that they were stronger than many of the men they know. One of Dworkin’s participants, who is a woman that lifts weights and fits into the ‘bulky’ category, recalls an experience, “…the other day I bought a computer, and there was this huge guy at the desk He puts this huge box on the counter and just looks at me. He didn’t offer any help and I was not going to ask for any. I said thanks, hiked the box on my hip, on my side, ad left with it under one arm…. They look at me like ‘she can’t carry that’ and I’m like **** that, come here, Ill carry you up four flights of stairs”.

(Bolin, A., Granskog, J., eds. 2003: 145) Looking at these two different examples of attitudes in women much needs to be considered, especially for sportswear brands that target female athletes. It seems like there is almost two different two attitudes to the previous debate of power. The first example would be the women who go to the gym to participate in yoga and pilates classes, in attempt to get leaner, and the second would be the ones that go there to ‘pump iron’. The biggest difference here is that once finds freedom, and power in looking feminine and up to social standards, while the other finds their freedom in independence, and physical power.

Unfortunately, that second type of woman is the minority in society today. Because of the gender role conflict, many women never get to explore the limit of their physical strength, therefore never being able to have a chance at experiencing the power and freedom that female athletes can experience. (Bolin, A., Granskog, J., eds. 2003: 145).This is also one of the contrasts between men’s and women’s sports.

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w r e st l i n g . w i t h t h e . . m e d i a Theres no argument in that the media strongly shapes the society we live in today. Therefore, it shapes the views and values of people in everyday lives through news stories and advertisements. The reason the media is so strong these days in particular is because it is multi platform and has access to the individual at all times. Smart marketing can today target the right people and have the ability to make ideas go viral.

The effect that the media has on professional female athletes today must be analyzed in order to understand and contrast it with society’s view and understandings of female sports. The media plays a vital role in the “construction of the ideology” of women’s sport (Theberge in Kay, 2003) by showing the socially accepted notions of feminism through advertising. (Kay 2003). Largely, the media is one of the principal channels for sport communication and stands responsible for how female athletes are viewed.

Women in advertisements today tend to always be portrayed as beautiful and very feminine. One can almost never see an image of a woman without any makeup on, or that hasn’t been airbrushed and photo-shopped.

“In the present climate of body-image paranoia, it thrives. Women are far happier to walk, swim, or visit the gym - the three most popular physical activities for females over 16 - than to get involved in a sport that may bulk up their physique. “ (John, 2007: online) Essentially, the media is therefore partly responsible of how female athletes get acknowledged today. In the case of television, networks don’t allow nearly as much time on air for female sports as they do for male sports. Currently, female sport coverage on the TV is only an astonishing 5%. In the small cases that female athletes do receive coverage on the news, it is often with negative connotations (WSFF 2012: online). Often times, the headlines highlight injuries, and the style choices female players make, failing to comment on the athlete’s actual skills and performance (Brackenridge, 2001).

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b e a ut i f u l . p e o p l e p l a y i n g b e a ut i f u l . s p o rt “The only time women are covered fairly is in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition or ESPN Body, sending a clear message to women: it’s OK for you to play sports, but the only time you deserve national media attention is when you take off your clothes, show some skin, and act like a girl.”

(Hueter, 2012: online) Pre-conceived notions of gender roles and femininity play a big impact on how the media portrays female athletes. Therefore, sports such as tennis receive a lot more coverage, because it is more accepted as a feminine sport.

“The idea that female sport is uninteresting runs through media since female sport started in 1972. I have also been with male friends trying to find something to watch on the television and whenever there is a women’s sport on whether it be soccer, basketball, volleyball, whatever, they skip right over but usually not without a “Nobody wants to watch women play sports”. I am sure they say it just to set me off but based on past experiences, I know they aren’t joking.”

(Benett, 2011: online) Hope Powell, coach of England women’s football team points out that the press and the media are only interested in female events when there’s a big event on, such as the World Cup. “We get to a major final and the press are all over it. We get to the World Cup, the press are all over it. And then they disappear,” she stated in a BBC Sport interview (Creighton 2011: online).

In a questionnaire (see Appendix D) conducted for this report, a college volleyball player in the States was asked if she felt that female athletes received enough coverage on television. Her response was, “I don’t think so at all. Most of what I know about women athletes are due to other reasons they are famous (like their looks) or through large sporting events like the Olympics. I don’t think female sports are covered hardly at all” Participant 3, 2012: Appendix D The significance of this response is that the participant participates in sports on a daily basis, but still seems to be more aware of male role models in sports, rather than female. She also mentioned that the only reasons female athletes tend to get recognised is their looks. Usually, the most attractive female athletes get noticed and

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recognized over athletes who aren’t considered attractive partly because of sponsorships and how much media coverage they recieve.

Whether it’s the media who portrays this image, or the sports industry itself, it contributes to the debate that female sport isn’t being taken seriously.

Nevertheless, there are several websites on the rise today that focus solely on covering women’s sports. A great example is ESPNW, which is a branch of the main ESPN website, owned by the Walter Brothers Company. ESPN is the most popular sport channel in the United States. ESPNW mostly tend to favor WNBA, and also covers college sports. At the moment, the company has four key sponsors – Gatorade, Nike, Oakley and Procter & Gamble (New York Times 2012, online). Although the ESPNW does cover some female sports, athletes have heavily criticized it.

The problem lies in the fact that by having its own brand, ESPNW in a way points out the fact that women’s sports need to be separated from sports in general. Instead of female sports being accepted by the general ESPN network, and receiving more coverage, ESPNW seemed to have segregated female sports from it entirely (Thomas, K., 2010).

Julie DiCaro, author of a fan blog for Cubs comments, “It seems like this is the broadcasting equivalent of making something pink and putting sparkles on it,” (DiCaro in Thomas, 2010: online) In effect, segregating female sports coverage from the main channel could lead to major networks like ESPN to cut out female coverage further, or don’t see the need to cover more female sports. However, websites such as ESPNW could be a whole new opportunity for brands to tap into the female sports market and a place to cater for the female sports fans.

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In the small amount of coverage that female athletes do receive today, a big part of it tends to usually have some kind of negative connotation about the athlete. For example, the media often exposes athletes that have injuries, or are involved in a scandal. An interesting example of this is the recent scandal with a tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

Wozniacki recently made a joke about Serena Williams’ physique while on the court, by attempting to recreate Williams’ curves by using hand towels. The two tennis stars friend off the court, Williams only found it funny, since some of the other male tennis players have done the same things previously. (Sheppard 2012: online)The minute it happened, there was a massive uproar in the media, claiming that Wozniacki was rude and racist in doing this. However when the media asked Williams’ if she had been offended, she replied: “I know Caro and I would call her my friend and I don’t think she meant anything racist by it...Roddick and Djokovic do it all the time and Caro does it and now it’s racist??”

(Williams in Groberman, 2012 : online) The scandal seemed to be a massive over-exaggeration, and the fact that the media didn’t react so outrageously when male tennis players made fun of Williams, shows that its okay for female athletes today to be exposed to the public with negative connotations.

Fig 5. Ennis for Olay, (2012)

Many believed that the London 2012 Olympics would be the chance for female Olympians to rise and shine. Not only was London 2012 the first Olympics where women were allowed to participate in all types of sporting events, it was also the perfect platform for showing the success of female athletes as role models, specifically in the UK. Athletes such as Jessica Ennis rose to fame, landing contracts with the cosmetics brand Olay (Figure 5), and Powerade (Figure 6).

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Fig 6, Ennis for Powerade, (2012)

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Seeing Jessica Ennis as the face for Olay cosmetics proved to have a positive effect on consumers, companies don’t use female athletes for promoting products as often as they probably should. In a questionnaire conducted for this dissertation (see Appendix C), one of the participants stated that she would love to see more athletes in brand promotions. “Maybe athletes should be who we look up to used as models in campaigns - healthy weight, inspirational and real role models.” (Participant 4, Appendix D). In this case, the participant was referring to the fact that there are too many unrealistic photos of celebrities and models in the media. This sets unrealistic standards of beauty for young women today, and in addition puts out the message that in order to be successful in life, women must look feminine, beautiful and be a certain weight. (Kilbourne, 2012: online). Ennis was a succesful role model for these companies, however she only recieved those contracts leading up to the Olympic games. So if the Olympic games never happened in London, would individuals still be aware of Ennis as they are today?

Many female Olympians received horrific media coverage during and after the Olympic games. One of the athletes that the media took notice of was a young swimmer Ye Shiwen. Ye was criticized greatly for being ‘too fast’ for a woman, and was also said to have and ‘unusually masculine physique’. An anonymous writer on an Internet news website reflected on this incident, “The fact that Ye, a young woman, had one lap faster than male Lochte has been bandied around as evidence that she was doping, ignoring the fact that overall Ye’s time for the 400 meters was still over 20 seconds slower than Lochte’s, and that it’s not humanly impossible for women to swim faster than men sometimes.”

(Racialicious 2012: online) In addition to raising suspicion when a female athlete performs better than a male athlete, women in sports often get critiqued on their appearance, rather than their skills in the sport. One example that must be looked at is the case with Rebecca Adlington, an Olympic swimmer. Adlington was harshly criticized for her appearance by a comedian Frankie Boyle, stating that she had an unfair advantage over her opponents since her face looked like a dolphin. Adlington replied, stating “I don’t look good in post-race interviews,” she said.

“My hair is wet, I’m bright red from racing and working hard. I don’t focus on trying to look good then.” (Adlington in Huffington Post, 2012: online).

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Criticizing a female athlete by appearance when they have dedicated their entire life to sport and performance is absolutely unacceptable, and sends a terrible message to not only female athletes, but also all women in general. Bianca London (Daily Mail 2012: online), a reporter for the Daily Mail published an article with the headline reading “After the abuse that weightlifter Zoe Smith and swimmer Rebecca Adlington received on Twitter, it’s no WONDER 60% of women shun sport because they have low self-esteem”. She states that Companies such as Dove have started up the Dove Self-Esteem Program (DSEP) as a result of these shocking statistics. The article goes on to predict that by 2050, Britain could loose 16% of its Olympic medalists due to lowered self esteem in today’s girls and young women. (PRNewswire 2012: online) Sponsorships also play a big role in the under-representation of women in sports. Currently, women’s sport receives just 0.5% of womens sponsorship in the UK (WSFF 2012: online). Often times, the most attractive-looking female players are chosen to be sponsored.

Most famous female athletes that get sponsored by major sportswear brands, such as Nike or Adidas often play a feminine sports, such as tennis. In my questionnaire, the tennis athletes, such as Maria Sharapova were recognized more often than any other female athletes, which just underpins the fact that female athletes gain media attention if they play a feminine sport and have an attractive appearance. In support, author of ‘Gender and Leisure: Social and Cultural perspectives’, Carl Aitchinson makes the point: “Sponsors of sportswomen are often attracted by women perceived to be ‘feminine’ and representing ‘feminine’ sports.“ (Aitchinson, 2003: 100).

Once again, appearance seems to take the lead on the importance when it comes to sponsorships. It isn’t coincidental that the highest endorsement money goes to athletes who are physically more appealing.

Although, 81% of women feel that athletic women are better role models. Not only because of their looks, but also because women can see how much work they’ve actually put in to achieve their success (Day, E., 2012: online). Especially after the Olympics, many women talk about aspiring to Olympic female athletes. However, it’s the way that brands portray these athlete role models that really reflects on the message being sent out to the consumer.

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u k s p o r t s w e a r m a r k e t The sportswear maket in the UK was estimated to be 4.71 billion pounds. According to a Key Note (2012: online) report, the market is estimated to grow continually up to 5.34 billion pounds in 2016, which is a 9.2% increase. This market relies heavily on the amount of sports participation among its consumers (Keynote 2012a: online). One of the reasons why the sportswear market in the UK is being discussed is because of the London 2012 Olympics, which took place from July 27th to September 9th. This event directly affected the sportswear market in the UK today. Sportswear continues to be have the largest amount of consumer expenditure over the amount spent on participation costs, such as gym memberships, and sports equipment (figure 7) (KeyNote, 2012a: online).

Globally, the sportswear market follows similar trends as in the UK. This is believed to be due to Adidas and Nike being the two biggest global brands, which are estimated to be responsible for just under half of all of the sportswear sales worldwide. (Keynote 2012a: online).

The current leaders for sportswear retailing in the UK are Sports Direct, JD Sports and JJB. However, there will be a new retailer coming into the UK market, called Decathlon, which will also feature a ‘village’ concept, which will bring over a health club, café, sporting facilities and a store all within one location.

These sportswear retailers offer consumers brands such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok at outlet prices. Consumers can also shop online and compare prices between these retailers. Although being more convenient and timesaving for the consumers, this can also be harmful to the sportswear Industry since it can devalue the sportswear industry.

Although a great amount of sportswear is being used for fashion purposes ever since the sportswear trend emerges in the 1990s, most of the sportswear that is bought today is used for participating in sports activities (Keynote, 2012a: online). The category that is currently leading the sportswear market in the UK is clothes for outdoor pursuits, such as waterproof and fleece based fabrics for hiking, and general outdoor wear. This is followed by sportswear for football and rugby purposes.

“The extent to which interest in the London 2012 Olympics is translated into higher participation rates depends on the quality and readiness of the programs that governing bodies have put in place to capitalize on the opportunity – and of consumers’ willingness to overcome the personal barriers that discourage them from taking to the field, court or streets.”

(Walmsley, D., in Mintel, 2012c, online.)

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One of the survey (see Appendix C) participants stated that she believed that the sportswear industry had nothing to do with under-representing female athletes, but that it was, rather, the media that portrayed that image.

“Yes and No. Oftentimes they help perpetuate the stereotype that women’s sports and athletes ‘aren’t real’. But it’s mostly the news and sports media, not the sportswear industry itself, that does this. A lot of brands, like Nike and Under Armour, have launched really great, empowering ads about female athletes. But there is still a much greater focus on the male than the female athlete.”

Female, 18-25

Fig 7. UK Consumer Expenditure on Sports by Sector by Value at Current Prices (m pounds at rsp) , (2011)

4,705 Sportswear

4,705 Participation Costs

1,050 Sports Equipment 860 Sports Equipment

Source: Key Note, 2012: online

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In order to investigate this statement further, attention must be paid to whether the media and the sportswear industry stand on different sides when it comes to women’s sports. And although brands such as Nike and Under Armour do release empowering ads about females, is that just a way of marketing and smart advertising, or are brands really looking at females as serious athletes today?

The first major part of the sportswear industry that will be discussed in this chapter is the product range. In the survey conducted, the last question, which asked if the participant believed the sportswear industry paid enough attention to female athletes, generated a mixed feeling about the amount of product on the market for females. Many mentioned that there weren’t enough, however there were a few participants who believed that there was an equal amount of male and female sportswear products on the market.

“I went shopping for gym clothes recently and the menswear section was double the size of the womeswear. There didn’t seem to be enough technical sportswear for women. I think there is definitely room in the market for a stylish yet technical womens sportswear brand/ collection. Especially since womens role within sports is becoming more apparent.”

Female, 18-25.

Several sportswear brands were mentioned in the survey, and those analyzed using their product stock count online. The brands examined were Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, and New Balance. In the case of Adidas, the women’s section on the website had 1,909 products, while the men’s had 2,819. The difference is almost 1,000 products.

When looked into further, the men’s section was had around 1,800 performance products, while the female section only contained around 1,000 in comparison. This can be seen in screenshots in Figure 8. The case of Nike also showed that the company only had 686 products for women, while offering 1,380 products for men. These results were also consistent with Under Armour, having one half less womens product than men’s. When looking at the brand New Balance, the footwear product section was also considered, in which the women’s products still loosing at 47 to 79 men’s’ footwear products (see Figure 9).

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Fig 8. Comparison of the Adidas Female vs Male Product Range, (2012)

Fig 9. Comparison of the New Balance Female vs Male Product Range, (2012).

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i m a g e & c o p y Wile conducting observations of window displays of shops around London and Nottingham, the stores tend to put forward a lot of men’s wear, rather than womens wear. Occasionally, one could see a female mannequin in the store window display, however most of the time the men’s products dominate in sportswear stores. For example, the Nike town in Oxford Circus features a much larger menswear section on the ground floor, while all of the womens wear is located on the second floor.

The most efficient way for most brands to communicate with consumers today is through advertisements. Throughout the years, the techniques used by marketers and advertising agencies have improved their skills to the point where we don’t realize were being communicated to directly. Many believe they aren’t influenced by advertisement today. Dr. Jean Kilbourne talks about the fact that “We all believe were not influenced by advertisement and the reason that we believe that is because we don’t pay conscious attention to advertising, but what we don’t realize is that that makes advertising more powerful, not less. Because it’s meant to effect us subconsciously. It affects us on a deep emotional level. But were not conscious of it.”

(Jean Kilbourne in Makers, 2012: online)

Fig 10. Nike Advert for Women, (date unknown)

1985 was a pivotal year for women’s sport advertising for many reasons. Prior to 1985, women weren’t targeted by sportswear brands, party because these brands believed that they would

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undermine their masculine brand image its authenticity (Miner, 2009). Still, Reebok took the plunge and started targeting women who participate in sports by promoting fitness. By the time Nike picked up the trend on womens advertising in 1987, many of the advertisements were viewed to be too ‘aggressive’, unmotivational and were considered unsuccessful (see figure 10). (Grow, 2006).

“Nike is the signified, always imploring readers to join its community of empowered women. It is now time for the creative team to embrace and construct the next community - a community of athletes.” (Grow, 2006:12) Grow is talking about a community of athletes which Nike successfully declared to its consumer in their Participation campaign. This was considered one of the most influential female sportswear campaigns and was created seventeen years ago, in 1995. Nike used the twentieth anniversary of Title IX to push forward the message of empowerment towards its female consumers. It focused on the lack of women’s participation in sports, and revealed some alarming facts about how the lives of girls can change for the better if women were allowed to play sports. The adverts featured the tagline ‘If You Let Me Play’, which was also supported by print campaigns.

If you let me play sports, I will like myself more; I will have more self-confidence, if you let me play sports.” (see Figure 11)

“If you let me play I will like myself more I will have more self-confidence

I will be 60% less likely to get breast cancer I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to I will learn what it means to be strong If you let me play sports”

Fig 11. If You Let Me Play Sports, (1996)

I will suffer less depression

f b

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e s Fig 12. Sweaty Betty Catalogue Intro (2013)

Smart use of word juxtaposition in the advertisements and powerful imagery played an impact on the meaning of the advert.

Overall a powerful campaign, featuring small girls talking about their relationship with sport received lots of attention at the time.

In response to male sport leading the sportswear market, the UK and American markets already have established sportswear brands that claim to focus solely on women. A few examples are Sweaty Betty in the UK market, and LuluLemon in the US market.

Both companies were chosen to be analyzed because both share a similar price point and target consumer.

Sweaty Betty is no exception. When looking at the Sweaty Betty website and online store, its very easy to spot a few things that compromise the brands intentions of promoting to professional female athletes. One way of illustrating this is by analyzing their promotional imagery in the Spring 2013 catalogue.

First off, the copy used to introduce the catalogue and the spring campaign is “Fit is the new it. Strong is the new skinny” (Figure 12). The idea that strong is replacing skinny is interesting when it comes to promoting a sportswear brand, but is ‘skinny’ really

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Fig 13. Sweaty Betty Catalogue Pg. 25 (2013)

the quality that this brand wants to eliminate?

Fig 14. Sweaty Betty Catalogue (2013)

When analyzing their photo shoot imagery, it certainly doesn’t seem that way. All of the models wearing the brands products in the catalogue are certainly skinny, and the company reinforces this image on page 25 (figure 13), with the headline “Meet the Models”, meanwhile introducing three athletes. It seems like the brand is after promoting a certain image of an athlete, and it certainly isn’t focusing on their athletic ability. When looking at their ‘pro running’ product range on the website, one of the pictures has the athlete wearing sunglasses while she is supposedly jogging (Figure 14). Although it looks fine from the first glance, one would never see a male athlete posing with fashion sunglasses for a sportswear ad. Furthermore, men’s sportswear advertisements usually feature the athlete playing the sports.

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Fig 15. Nike Advert (2012)

Sportswear brands still use the idea of the male gaze in order to create an image of a powerful woman. But is this really necessary while trying to target women? At first glance, the Nike advertisement below (Figure 15) seems to feature a woman stretching before a run, although one can also see the blurred image of a man standing behind her and looking at the woman, which ultimately puts her in power.

The woman looking at this advertisement is meant to see herself in the woman’s position, and that is why this advertisement works. It’s almost saying that if you see yourself as a beautiful woman with an attractive appearance, and wear Nike, you will have the benefit of the male gaze. Although this could be a potential way for women to feel powerful, is it really necessary for the male gaze to be present when the advertisement is meant to focus on the customers’ personal

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Fig 16. LuluLemon Advert (2011)

performance in sport?

Another example of an advertisement that features awareness of the male gaze is from Lulu Lemon.When compared to leading sportswear brands such as Adidas or Nike, LuluLemon has a much wider female product range and focuses prominently on the appearance of their sportswear. The brand targets women who participate primarily in yoga, pilates, and running. Although the brand does feature some great products for women, their communication strategy tends to ignore the performance feature of their fashion - based products.

This advertisement (see Figure 16) was picked out for evaluation because it taps into the womens relationship with how they see themselves when participating in sports. It was featured in the June issue of Runners World in 2011. (Runners World 2011: online) The photograph in the advertisement is meant to look like a man’s point of view when a woman is jogging in front of him. With the copy that reads ‘keep your eyes on the road’, it sends the message for the man to stop admiring the woman’s body and to focus on his running.

This advertisement succeeds in the way because of the smart

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juxtaposition of type and the humor behind it.

However, this advert takes on a whole new level of meaning when thinking about who it is actually meant to target. As mentioned previously, Lulu Lemon is a female sportswear brand. Therefore, the advertisement is meant to target a woman. Unintentionally, this advert is saying that women who jog know that men are looking at them while they go jogging. This strongly undermines the message of the brand about the seriousness of their customers’ athletic performance. A participant of a short interview was asked what she thought about this advertisement, and one of the respondents said: “It is very sexist; it’s taking away the idea of sports and sexualizing women, rather than admiring the ability of the subject.”

(Participant 2, Appendix D) Several similar responses were received from women aged 18-25 about this advertisement, which meant that the brand essentially failed to communicate with their consumers correctly.

The biggest thing that should bother women about this advert is the fact that the runners face or even head isn’t in the frame. The woman that is actually pictured in the ad is Angie Stewart-Goka, a

professional yoga instructor and marathon runner with 20 years of experience. On her own website, Stewart-Goka mentioned she was happy that LuluLemon at least kept her legs and torso in the advert.

The fact that some people can look at this advertisement and just think its funny is surely ignorant, and the sportswear industry needs to take responsibility for this.

In a way, these brands have the same effect as the effect ESPNW has on the female athletes. It tends to segregate the sportswear market into ‘sportswear’ and ‘female sportswear’. When visiting local gyms in order to look into female participation in sport, one thing that was noticed was the fact that many gyms had a ‘females only’ section. One of the gyms even kept women and men in two separate gyms. The male gym was bigger and had better weightlifting equipment while the womens gym was smaller and didn’t have a big weightlifting section.

The reason gyms do this is because they believe some women feel ‘insecure’ about working out if front of men. The fact that so many gyms think that already only adds to the idea that womens sport is segregated.

Following the “If You Let Me Play” campaign mentioned earlier, Nike recently released a short ad film called ‘Voices’ in the States this June, which was also dedicated to the 40th anniversary of Title IX. This time, W+K, the advertising company in charge, chose a few female athletes who talk about the difficulties they have had to endure being a woman in sport (see Appendix F). Although it was also a very powerful campaign, it only aired on ESPN in the States. Very little awareness of the campaign was shown in the UK. The video alternates between the athletes and the girls, speaking in the athletes voices.

Lisa Leslie, an Olympic basketball player talks about how none of the boys would pass to her when she started playing basketball. The advert is a great step forward for the brand, however there are a few drawbacks about it when considering history of Title IX and its target consumer. Firstly, the only ‘voice’ that is relevant in the advert is the marathon runner Joan Benoit Samuelson’s. This is because she was the only one that was old enough to be around during the pre-Title IX time (Kangas, 2004: online). Therefore, all of the other athletes only received the benefits of Title IX, and didn’t know how it felt before Title IX was released. Another drawback in the advertisement is that it tends to target a much older consumer. Using girls to speak out about participation in sport tends to extend an emotional connection to moms with children. Therefore, the advert doesn’t really speak to the younger generation of women.

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Consequently, one could say that brands aren’t really focusing on delivering advertisements that deliver the female athletes the correct drive to participate in sports. And as leading global sports brands, that should be one of the vital things to be considered when targeting women as their consumers. In addition, brands must also put forth and effort not to isolate women away from the sports industry, but rather, show that they believe women are a part of it just as much as the men are.

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After investigating the sportswear industry’s view of female athletes, the findings of this report suggest that there is much room for growth when it comes to targeting female consumers correctly.

The research shows that there is an opportunity to raise female participation in spots. In the United States, this push came from Title IX, however in Britain no such law was created in order to raise female participation. “In Britain, 40 per cent of girls drop out of all sporting activity by the time they are 18. Among 16- to 24-year-olds, almost double the proportion of men to women take part in sport; and half of the women in the UK do little or no physical activity at all.” (John, 2007: online). There is a great amount of room in the market for creating an atmosphere for women in Britain to feel comfortable about sports and realize that they have something more to gain from it, besides physical appearance. Brands on the forefront for sportswear can help do so by engaging in more events and having a stronger presence in local and professional sport teams.

The idea of power and vulnerability was also discussed, and the reason for this is because sportswear brands can help push a healthy image of proper role models for teenage girls.

"It's very sad that WAGs is what young women aspire to be. I think of all my friends in my athletics club who gave up the sport when they were 15. How do we get them to carry on?

It is a big, big battle. So much talent is lost because it's considered more important to have boyfriends."(John, E., 2007: online). Sportswear brands can change the idea of physical education from something that is male dominated into something that lets girls feel more powerful and gain a higher self-esteem from a young age. One way would be to also start targeting younger female athletes, as well as providing more resources for them when they get older. Seeing as the sportswear industry tends to lead with only two or three major brands, it could be a major influence in helping change perspective in young women.

The awareness for power can be used to suggest to consumers that women can gain power and confidence by playing sports. A recommendation for the industry would be to stop generalizing women who play sports as one mass of consumers. There is a big distinction in how different women interact with sport; therefore there must be more than one approach to marketing sportswear to them. In a book by Malcolm Gladwell called The Tipping Point (2000), he talks about how marketing to the majority is wrong, introducing ‘The Law of the Few’. He believes that just by influencing he right type of people with the right information, a certain idea or concept can ‘tip’ and become viral, or the new trend. In a way, companies can use this simple idea in order to target the consumers that aren’t getting what they want from their sportswear brands now. Brands can also tap into the whole new market by opening up opportunities for women to participate. Reebok is trying to do so at the moment using its ‘Cross Fit gym’ campaign, which involves the brand setting up small gyms for cross fit around the country in which people can come and participate.

Another point to consider for industry leaders such as Nike or Adidas is to start accommodating the same volumes of product to women as they do to men. In the survey, it showed that many women were aware that there was less attention paid to female

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athletes; therefore this needs to be considered and possibly changed. For women who participate in sports regularly this might not be a major concern, however having more product available for those who are ‘on the fence’ about whether to make time for sports or not could be that one extra push to get them to participate.

Brands need to also stop assuming and segregating women into the ‘yoga, pilates, and jogging’ categories and start paying attention to the consumer that is passionate about other kinds of sports. One example that was mentioned was women’s football, which is often over powered by men’s football. With more exciting opportunities, there is no doubt that more women will be enthusiastic about participating and trying out team sports. The brand PUMA made great example of this in 2011 with their sponsorship of the WPA in the United States. They also held a launch event, in which the WPS league showed off their new jerseys, and achieved some great press for the women’s football athletes (Appendix ??). A similar type of direction could be taken by sport brands here in the UK, since football is the most popular game for women at the moment.

Brands that do specialize in garments for yoga and pilates must then alter their communication strategies in order to show their consumer that they care and are serious about the consumers performance, and not just about how their consumer will looks like in the brand’s product.

The study shows that brands will be able to do this by integrating athletes from other areas of sports (other than tennis) into their sponsorship deals in order to raise awareness of more female athletes. As mentioned in the report, a big part of the female population looks up to male athlete role models only because they are unaware of female athletes. A good example of this is what Nike did in the states with Hope Solo, the keeper for the US national team by releasing a series of advertisements to show off the toughness and skill of the goalkeeper (Appendix ??).

This can also influence the image of female athletes in the media. For example, if brands gave out more sponsorship to athletes for their talent rather than looks, many people would want to look up to them and more interest would arise to watching them in action. There is also an opportunity in the UK of having an alternative to ESPNW, with sportswear brands acting as sponsors.

Therefore, the brand communication strategy of major sportswear brands needs to stop sexualizing images of female athletes in advertisements and appreciate them for their ability to play sports, so that their consumer can do so correspondingly.

This can potentially be applied to either major sportswear brands – such as Nike or Adidas, or even smaller female sportswear brands, such as LuLuLemon or Sweaty Betty. Something as simple as a fresh campaign, or sponsoring a specific sport team can really put a brand on the radar for female sports and help gain credibility for female athletes.

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62 Illustrations 64 references 68 bibliography

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biblio graphy

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l i s t o f i l lu st r at io n s Fig 1. Boston Marathon. (1967) by Harry Task: online. Available at: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4430501652_4daf8e4e45_o.jpg [Accessed on: Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 2. Interview Responses to “Are Strong Women Feminine?� by Gender. (2012) by Keynote 2012a: online, www.keynote.com [Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 3. Survey Responses to Categorizing sports by Gender. (2012), Appendix ??

Fig 4. Adidas Commercial. (2012) Screenshot: online, Available at: www.adidas.co.uk [Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 5. Ennis for Olay. (2012) Screenshot: online, Available at: http:// img005.lazygirls.info/people/jessica_ennis/jessica_ennis_olay_advert_2012_10_JkgcPZm.sized.jpg [Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 6, Ennis for Powerade, (2012) Alan Clarke: online. Available at: http://www.alanclarke.com/gallery.php?album_id=120 [Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 7. UK Consumer Expenditure on Sports by Sector by Value at Current Prices (m pounds at rsp). (2011) KeyNote 2011: online, Available at: www.keynote.com [Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 8. Comparison of the Adidas Female vs Male Product Range.

(2012) Screenshot: online, Available at: www.adidas.co.uk [Accessed on 10/10/2012 ] Fig 9. Comparison of the New Balance Female vs Male Product Range, (2012). Screenshot: online, Available at: www.newbalance.co.uk [Accessed on 10/10/2012]

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Fig 10. Nike Advert for Women, (date unknown) The Shoe Buff: online, Available at: http://theshoebuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/ Old-Nike-Advertisements-8.jpg [Accessed on 10/10/2012] Fig 11. If You Let Me Play Sports, (1996) Marilyn V. Yarbrough: online, Available at: http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/sportslaw/vol6/ iss2/3 [Accessed on 10/10/2012] Fig 12. Sweaty Betty Catalogue Intro (2013) Sweaty Betty: online, Available at: http://www.sweatybetty.com/e-catalogue-artlecatalogue/ [Accessed on 10/10/2012] Fig 13. Sweaty Betty Catalogue Pg. 25 (2013) Sweaty Betty: online, Available at: http://www.sweatybetty.com/e-catalogue-artlecatalogue/ [Accessed on 10/10/2012] Fig 14. Sweaty Betty Catalogue Pg. 30 (2013) Sweaty Betty: online, Available at: http://www.sweatybetty.com/e-catalogue-artlecatalogue/ [Accessed on 10/10/2012] Fig 15. Nike Advert (2012) Nike Lunarglide: online, Available at: http://media-cache-ec4.pinterest.com/originals/bb/8b/cf/bb8bcf9698c15ee07de63e560582d95f.jpg [Accessed on 10/10/2012] Fig 16. LuluLemon Advert (2011) LuluLemon: online, Available at: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ktD6QpbNnKU/TbeXM9XPbVI/AAAAAAAABt4/2u_7HUpTF2U/s640/Screen+shot+2011-0426+at+6.30.06+PM.png [Accessed on 10/10/2012]

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bi b l io g r a p h y AITCHINSON, C., 2003. Gender and Leisure: Social and Cultural Perspectives. Routledge: London ARTHURS, D., 2012. ‘I never compete without full make up!’ Olympic star Jessica Ennis reveals she likes to run in style. Daily Mail UK. [online] Available at: http:// www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2122884/London-2012-Olympics-star-JessicaEnnis-reveals-likes-run-style.html [Accessed on 13/11/2012] BENNETT, K., 2011. Men VS Women. Women Talk Sports. [online] http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59480176.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current BOLIN, A., and Granskog, J., 2003. Athletic Intruders: Ethnographic Research on Women, Culture, Exercise. New York Press: Albany BRACKENRIDGE, C., 2001. Spoilsports: Understanding and Preventing Sexual Exploitation in Sport. Routledge: London.

BADENHAUSEN, K., 2012. Soccer Legend Mia Hamm On Women’s Sports, Her Heroes and Raising Kids. . PGASB [online] Available at: http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/ boston/access/59480176.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current [Accessed on 10/11/2012] CLARKE, G., and Humberstone, B., eds., 1997. Researching Women and Sport. Macmillan: London COACKLEY, J., and Dunning, E., eds., 2000. Handbook of Sports Studies. Sage: London COLLIER, M., 2012: Katy Perry Joins David Beckham in Adidas Commercial. CP Entertainment. [online] http://www.christianpost.com/news/katy-perry-joins-davidbeckham-in-adidas-commercial-72494/ [Accessed on 15/1/2013] CONDOTTA, B., 2012. Washington gets into the spirit of Title IX. Seattle Times [online]http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018453643_huskies17. html [Accessed on 20/12/2012] COOK, B., 2012. For National Girls and Women in Sports Day, More Evidence Fighting Title IX is Losig Battle. Forbes. [online]. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ bobcook/2012/02/01/for-national-girls-and-women-in-sports-day-more-evidencefighting-title-ix-is-losing-battle/[Accessed on 20/12/2012]

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CREIGHTON, J. 2011. Do we value women’s sport in the UK? BBC. [online]. http:// www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16216427 [Accessed on 10/11/2012] DAILY MAIL UK. [online] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2179206/Afterabuse-weightlifter-Zoe-Smith-swimmer-Rebecca-Adlington-received-twitter-WONDER-60-females-shunning-sport-suffer-chronic-low-self-esteem.html [Accessed on 20/12/2012] DAVIS, P., and Weaving, C., eds., 2012. Philosophical Perspectives on Gender in Sport and Physical Activity. Routledge: London.

DAY, E., 2012. Bye bye, Kardashians: Olympic athletes give women new, strong role models. The Guardian. [online]. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/11/olympics-women-body-image-role-models [Accessed on 27/11/2012] ELLIOTT, S., 2012. ESPN’s Web Site for Women Adds a Sponsor . The New York Times [online] http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/espns-web-sitefor-women-adds-a-sponsor/ [Accessed on 15/11/2012] ELLIOTT, S., 2012.

Nike Harnesses ‘Girl Effect’ Again. New York Times. [online] http://www.nytimes. com/2010/11/11/giving/11VIDEO.html?_r=0 [Accessed on 20/12/2012] GLADWELL, M., 2000. The Tipping Point. Little, Brown & Company: New York CONCANNON, J., 1987.1967: Semple Meets Switzer. Versions vary but everyone remembers that infamous marathon. PGASB. [online] http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/ boston/access/59480176.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current [Accessed on 20/12/2012] GOLDMAN, R., Papson, S., (1998) Nike Culture. SAGE: London GROBERMAN, A., 2012. Serena Williams Says Caroline Wozniacki’s Impression of Her was Not Racist. Opposing Views [online] http://www.opposingviews.com/i/ sports/other-sports/serena-williams-rejects-idea-caroline-wozniacki-s-impression-her-was-racist [Accessed on 15/11/2012] GROW, J., 2006. Stories of Community: The First Ten Years of Nike Women’s Advertising. Marquette Publications pp. 1-23.

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HUETER, M., 2012. ESPNW set to focus on womens sports. Chicago Bandits News [online] http://chicagobandits.com/news/index.html?article_id=976 [Accessed on 20/11/2012] HUFFINGTON POST, 2012. Rebecca Adlington Hits Back At Frankie Boyle Over ‘Dolphin’ Comments [online] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/08/21/rebecca-adlington-frankie-boyle-dolphin_n_1816422.html [Accessed on 10/11/2012] IRVING, P., 2003. Wrestling with Title IX. New York Times. [online] http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/opinion/28IRVI.html?pagewanted=3 [Accessed on 20/12/2012] JOHN, E., 2007. No Place for a Woman. New Statesmen. [online] http://www.newstatesman.com/sport/2007/08/women-girls-male-british [Accessed on 11/10/2012] KANGAS, D., 2004. Women in Sports. Make It Happen. [online] http://www. makeithappen.com/wis/bios/benoitj.html [Accessed on 20/12/2012] KAY, T., 1995. Women and Sport: A Review of Research. Sports Council.

KEYNOTE, 2011. Sports Clothing & Footwear. [online]. Available via: Key Note [Accessed 13/11/2012] KEYNOTE, 2012a. Sports Clothing and Footwear. [online]. Available via: Key Note [[Accessed 13/11/2012] KEYNOTE, 2012b. Men and Women’s Buying Habits. [online]. Available via: Key Note [Accessed 06/11/2012] KILBOURNE, J., 2012 Double Standards. Makers [online] http://www.makers.com/ jean-kilbourne [Accessed on 11/10/2012] KISLEVITZ, G., 2003. The Spirit of the Marathon. Breakaway Books: New York LONDON, B., 2012. After the abuse that weightlifter Zoe Smith and swimmer Rebecca Adlington received on Twitter, it’s no WONDER 60% of women shun sport because they have low self-esteem. [online] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ article-2179206/After-abuse-weightlifter-Zoe-Smith-swimmer-Rebecca-Adlington-

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received-twitter-WONDER-60-females-shunning-sport-suffer-chronic-low-self-esteem.html [Accessed on 11/10/2012] MARKULA, P., ed., 2008. Olympic Women and the Media. Macmillan: Hampshire MARSHALL, B., 2012 Nike Celebrates Title IX, Female Athletes with ‘Voices’. Media Bistro [online] http://www.mediabistro.com/agencyspy/nike-celebrates-title-ix-female-athletes-with-voices_b35124[Accessed on 20/12/2012] MCKAY, J., and MESSNER, M., and SABO, D., eds., 2000. Masculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport. Sage Publications: California MESSARIS, P., 1997. Visual Persuasion. Sage: London MINER, D., 2009. Provocations on Sneakers. The New Centennial Review, Vol. 9, No. 2, Routledge: London MINTEL, 2012a. Sports Goods Retailing - UK - May 2012 [online]. Available via: Mintel [Accessed 13/11/2012] MINTEL, 2012b. Clothing Retailing - UK - October 2012 [online]. Available via: Mintel [Accessed 13/11/2012] MINTEL, 2012c. Sports Participation - UK - September 2012 [online]. Available via: Mintel [Accessed 14/11/2012] MINTEL, 2012d. Snowsports - UK – May 2012 [online]. Available via: Mintel [Accessed 15/10/2012] MOSS, G., 2009. Gender, Design, and Marketing. Gower: Surrey NWLC, 2013. 10 Key areas of Title IX. NWLC [online] http://www.titleix.info/10-KeyAreas-of-Title-IX/Athletics.aspx [Accessed on 20/12/2012] PAYNE, G., ed.. 2006. Social Divisions. Macmillan: London PRNEWSWIRE 2012. Self-Esteem Issues Impact Women’s Future Success [online] http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/self-esteem-issues-impact-womens-future-success-145443215.html [Accessed on 20/11/2012]

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RACIALICIOUS, 2012. Sexism, Racism, And Swimming At The London 2012 Olympics. [online] http://www.racialicious.com/2012/08/08/sexism-racism-and-swimming-at-the-london-2012-olympics/ [Accessed on 13/11/2012] ROYCE, S., Gebelt, J., Duff, R., 2003. Female Athletes: Being both Athletic and Feminine. The Online Journal of Sport Psychology. Sage: London RUNNERS WORLD, 2012. Runners World Archives, 2011. [online] www.runnersworld.com/archive11 [Accessed on 13/11/2012] STEWARK-GOKA, A., 2011. Yoga & Fitness. LCC [online] http://angiestewart-gokafitness.com/about/angie/ [Accessed on 05/11/2012] TANNSJO, T., and TAMBURRINI, M., eds. 2000. Values in Sport. Routledge: London THOMAS, K., 2010. ESPN Slowly Introducing Online Brand for Women. The New York Times [online] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/sports/16espnw.html?_r=0 [Accessed on 15/11/2012] VAN RIPER, T., 2012. The Sports Women Watch. Forbes [online] http://www.forbes. com/sites/tomvanriper/2012/10/02/the-sports-women-watch-2/[Accessed on 20/12/2012] WILLIAMS, A., 2009. Title IX – Tipping the Scales of Equality. [online] http://www. law.du.edu [Accessed on 20/12/2012]

70

71

72

73

A

77 Declaration form

B

78 tutorial record sheets

C

84 survey

D

94 questionnaire

E

98 ad analysis Keep Her In The Game

F

100 ad analysis nike: voices

G 74

102 ad analysis adidas: we all run

H

104 ad analysis puma: wps

I

106 Ad Analysis Nike: Hope Solo

75

76

a School of Art & Design

ba

fcp3

Declaration Form 2012/13 Module: Negotiated Project Stage 1 Module Leader: Tim Rundle Ref. no: FASH30001

I confirm that this work has gained ethical approval and that I have faithfully observed the terms of the approval in the conduct of this project.

This submission is the result of my own work. All help and advice other than that received from tutors has been acknowledged and primary and secondary sources of information have been properly attributed.

Should this statement prove to be untrue I recognise the right and duty of the board of examiners to recommend what action should be taken in line with the University's regulations on assessment contained in its handbook.

Signed

Yana Petrova

Date:

January 15, 2013

77

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: Name :

Learning outcomes ยง Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion ยง Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal ยง Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication ยง Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Makin ideas and possible research questions

Learning issues to discuss in session: The main topic of the written work Topics to research

Feedback from session: Link the two main ideas together in order to create one stronger, specific topic.

Keep the research current Look at how the Olympics changed perception of female athletes

Tasks for next session: Start producing a Critical Path Produce a Mind Map in order to plan out research topics

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Yana Petrova

78

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date:

B

Name :

Learning outcomes ยง Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion ยง Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal ยง Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication ยง Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Critical Path Mind Map of research

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Bridging the connection between all my research (female sport psychology and sportswear advertising) Questions to ask for primary research

Feedback from session: Look into different sportswear designers Nike Amterdam Primary research in gyms?

Look at Cosmo Body magazine

Tasks for next session: Start Chapter Outline Start on Table of Contents page Start Primary research

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Yana Petrova

79

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: Name :

Learning outcomes § Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion § Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal § Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication § Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session: Chapter Outline Table of Contents page

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Questions about primary research – contacting ad agencies.

Work out the main title of work

Feedback from session: Look at Olympic athletes - profiles Check out women’s power list / Sports person of the year Research with more different sources – ex. Youtube, guardian, telegraph.

Tasks for next session:

Start work on Interim Presentation Continue Primary Research /try to reach out to more people to interview

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Yana Petrova

80

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: Name :

Learning outcomes § Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion § Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal § Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication § Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Interim Presentation Chapter Outline

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Current progress of primary, secondary research and chapter plan.

Feedback from session: Come up with creative headings for chapters Mention the currency of the sports trend Adidas case study – interesting, expand with other brands to prove point More market statistics Mention more Olympic athletes – Rebecca Adington Tasks for next session:

Consumers opinions on advertisements

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Yana Petrova

81

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: Name :

Learning outcomes § Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion § Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal § Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication § Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Some of the writing finished.

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Comparing male and female athletes.

Moving chapters around – changing order of report

Feedback from session: Talk about how media changes perception of athletes Get responses to ad images

Tasks for next session:

Consumers opinions on advertisements Finish all of writing, bring in visual ideas.

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Yana Petrova

82

fcp3

School of Art & Design ba

Tutorial Record Sheet 2012/13 Module: Research Project Stage 1 Ref. no: FASH30001 Date: Name :

Learning outcomes ยง Produce a self determined body of work that demonstrates cultural and global discourses around theories and ideas in relation to fashion, communication and promotion ยง Use appropriate levels of research and methods of analysis relevant to the production of your proposal ยง Make informed selections and develop appropriate and creative solutions in relation to the application of visual communication ยง Question assumptions within the area of study through the ability to formulate independent judgment, contribute to discussions and articulate reasoned arguments Tutorial / Seminar Record Sheet Work to bring / prepare for session:

Finish all of writing, bring in visual ideas.

Learning issues to discuss in session:

Discuss title, Questions about referencing Info graphics Putting all of the Ad analysis in the appendix Feedback from session: Can mix visual ideas

Tasks for next session: Finish visuals and visit printers / make appointment for the printing date

Please indicate progress to hand in (1 = Not ready / 5 = Ready and Prepared) 1 2 3 4 5 Signed (Tutor) Signed (student) Yana Petrova

83

survey 1. What is your age?

Over 50 35-­‐50 25-­‐35

2.80% 0.00% 2.80%

18-­‐15

94.40%

2. What is your gender?

Male, 15.50%

Female, 85%

3. How often do you physically participate in sport-related activities?

Everyday

19.70%

Every Week

33.80%

Every Other Week

15.50%

Almost Never

Never

84

25.40%

5.60%

C 4. Please select the activities you are most likely to participate in, in the next couple of months.

Other (please specify) None of These Volleyball

14.10% 1.40% 4.20%

Jogging on Treadmill Golf

39.40% 1.40%

Swimming

33.80%

Cycling

14.10%

Basketball Rugby

11.30% 2.80%

At-­‐Home Workout

36.60%

Walking

59.20%

Yoga

19.70%

Pilates Cross Fit Kick Boxing Skateboard / BMX

14.10% 7.00% 1.40% 2.80%

Dance Class

14.10%

Zumba

12.70%

Jogging Outside Skiing Sport PlaystaEon Games Playing Football

29.60% 4.20% 7.00% 1.40%

Watching Sports on TV Playing Tennis Going to the Gym

21.10% 5.60% 67.60%

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5. What is your absolute favorite piece of sportswear that you own? Please specify brand.

Shoes (Adidas basketball anything)

sports bra

Soul cal joggers

Trainers- adidas

Polo shirt by Shotbowl

Nike trainers

Altura hi-viz waterproof cycling jacket

i don’t have one

Nike Joggers

sports top from nike and yoga pants from victorias

My Running Shoes

secret

Nike trainers

NIKE LEGGINGS

Nike jogging leggings

i dont really have one, i dont get that excited about my

My Nike Lunar Safaris

sportswear.

Etnies skate shoes

my sport top, it’s marika tek, but it’s really supportive

Jd sports sky print crop top

and nice design, also my ski wear: North face

Converse.

I don’t own any sportswear branded products

Nike track spikes

ralph lauren tennis skirt

Nike blazer trainers

sports bra

adidas jacket

trainers - comfortable and make running

My Nike gym trainers

more comfy

Nike Trainers

Kukri rugby shorts

my old navy nike hoodie because its a cosy

Nike shoes

and a comfort

nike tennis t-shirt

Jordan trainers

riding pants by Karrots

Nike Climacool 3/4 Running shorts

Reebok Basketball shoes

nike shoes

Nike running shoes

Roxy bikini

running shoes (Adidas)

nike tracksuit botttoms

Asics running sneakers

trainers nike

Champion sports bra

Vintage Adidas hoody

Nike sneakers

Nike trainers Mackenzie tracksuit bottoms n/a

86

6. Favorite sportswear brand to shop at? (including non-performance wear & footwear) 1% 4%

1% 2%

5% 3%

Nike Adidas Reebok Puma

28%

56%

Under Armour Champion Mizuno Umbro

87

8. Please categorize these sports.

88

7. When shopping at the brands that you have selected, you tend to mostly buy:

30% 41% fashion sportswear / footwear performance wear / footwear an equal mix of both

29%

9. You usually participate in physical activity in order to....

i never work out worried about your future health impress your friends

1.40% 18.80% 8.70%

stay in shape

78.30%

stay in shape

78.30%

loose weight feel good!

53.60% 73.90%

89

10. Do you believe that the sportswear industry pays enough attention to female athletes?

Why or why not?

They do. But society does not promote female sports as an importance as does the boys.

I have no authorotative view although I find it difficult to believe that the industry would not pay enough attention to such an important section of the market. Females are well catered for in sports in which I participate.

No. There are fewer ranges of clothing from which to choose.

Yes there is plenty of female sports clothing out there I would say they do pay attention to men a bit more because of sports like football and basketball etc Yes, but it’s more focused on fashion than performance, which may be a detriment to female athletes.

Yes, now female athletes are a lot more recognised and respected especially since the Olympics in this country however there is still a way to go with sports such as football.

No, mostly men are in sports campaigns yes, following london 2012 in particular i.e. Jessica Ennies Yes. There’s an overwhelming choice!

Yes I believe they do, there is much more gym and sports gear available then ever before and now on the high street at affordable prices for women.

Yes, more recently a lot of attention has been given to female athletes and the strength that they portray.

No sport is mainly a masculine arena apart from some celebration of female athletes in the Olympics yeah i think they have new ranges for both men and women. i dont really buy performance wear though, tend to just buy unisex stuff for fashion Have done more recently with the run up to the Olympics yes they do, because all the adverts have woman in just as much as men, including all branding advertising and promotion could maybe pay more attention, maybe they dont as they may feel like they are not the most obvious

90

role models in comparison to men More recently yes due to the Olympics. Female athletes have been given more attention, praise Most of the time, Although I find the trainers to always be too wide! no i think there is more focus on women yes, i think theres is a broad range of garments that are flattering for women to work out in however they are often very stereo typical, which could off put some women .

No I think it looks over women sometimes because the industry doesnt make as much money as mens Yes, there’s a lot out there for women No. Seems to only use male athletes to attract male customers.

I think so- I’ve always been able to find the sports clothes I need and had a variety of choice in style and colour.

Yeah definitely but only if you look for it there communication is more male orientsted i don’t know,but i should think so due to supportive bras & whatnot yes, always options for females now I can think about only tennis female athletes but probably also swimming, generally thinking maybe the industry pays more attention to men I believe there could be more attention paid, there are plenty of famous male athletic role models but not many females are brought into the lime light.

Yes, i feel like there are more menswear garments but i feel that they cater for women aswell no way. There is such a masculine attitude still. Female footballers aren’t paid as much as males when they do the exact same thing Yes, in some sports. Sports that are more feminine I guess. probably because the target audience is bigger. yes, sportswear commercials almost always have girls in them and women know they need to workout to stay in good shape Yes, since most of them are focusing on fashionwear and not just the performancewear

91

I think in recent years more attempts have been made to make equipment and athletic wear more suitable to women who are involved in a more broad range of activities.

I don’t pay attention to the sportswear industry, so I have nothing to say about the matter.

Yes and No. Oftentimes they help perpetuate the stereotype that women’s sports and athletes ‘aren’t real’. But it’s mostly the news and sports media, not the sportswear industry itself, that does this. A lot of brands, like Nike and Under Armour, have launched really great, empowering ads about female athletes. But there is still a much greater focus on the male than the female athlete.

In the U.S., yes. As long as they stand out from the rest. (i.e., Kerry Walsh, Misty May, women’s soccer team) Must be exceptionally good at their sport.

Not too sure. I don’t really follow sportswear brands enough to really tell.

I believe that the sports industry have a smaller women’s section but they know specifically what women need so it doesn’t have to big - so the sportswear industry does pay enough attention in that sense, however, what the sports wear industry fail to do is what women want thus, in this case it doesn’t pay enough attention.

I do think so because magazines like Fit and Shape cater to women and the best ways for them to stay in shape.

Yes. But very few women are depicted playing sport, it is normally leisure wear or gym wear.

I went shopping for gym clothes recently and the menswear section was double the size of the womeswear. There didnt seem to be enough technical sportswear for women. I think there is definately room in the market for a stylish yet techinical womens sportwear brand/collection. Especially since womens role within sports is becoming more apparent.

Not sure. Probably not in terms of the ratio of female sports wear to the amount of female athletes as the market is saturated with male sportswear In some sports yes, but other sports are very male dominated, like football, and women don’t get much coverage at all or sponsorship.

Yes because even advertising with male athletes can inspire women, it shouldn’t matter what the sex in the ads. Particularly nike ads are about wonder and inspiring people to better themselves. I think it would do a discredit to female sport if ads were too girly, as that isn’t the point. recently yes because of the olympics Currently yes because of the spotlight of the olympics and female athletes have had a lot of praise.

Prior to this however I feel that theres not been enough attention for them.

It has increased in the last few months due to the Olympics kind of since olympics and pre olympics but it did not before this and may decrease now its finished

92

I think it only pays attention when the olympics is on, then the rest of the time its all football, golf and tennis not as much as male athletes as after the olmypics all we see is Mo Farah and Usain Bolt etc in adverts. I think men just generally buy more sportswear than women as women just buy fashion led sportswear.

Yes- with the growing number of female athletes in professional sports the sportswear industry is growing along with it no i think the sports person tend to always be in beauty adds. Eg Victoria Pendleton did Loreal after the olypics. I dont think there is a massive drive for sports brands to use women as women are too switched on as consumers to kinda buy into it Yes, It’s all about supply and demand, If there was more demand to see more female athletes then the media would have to supply.

Before the Olympics, no. However during and after the Olympics, the media have payed equal amount of attention on both.

I think they do, with the Olympics I think it has brought much more of a focus onto celebrating female athletes

93

questionnaire Does this ad appeal to you as a woman? Please indicate why or why not.

Participant 1: No - it is too extreme and irrelevent to my own aspirations and goals.

Participant 2: It’s supposed to be empowering here, however it doesn’t appeal to me... It is more about physical appearance.

Participant 3: The butt advertisement makes me feel a bit awkward because I’m staring at some random girls butt and reading a poem like advertisement about how much she likes her butt.

Participant 4: The first advert- you notice the picture of the lady’s behind first. Although it is explained in the text that it is through sport that this has been achieved, you cannot help but think that the advert is quite sexualized! It is very impactful though as the image is not something you see every day. The writing is quite long for an advert and the only words that stand out are “my butt” which is does not tell a lot about the advert. It doesn’t really tell you a lot about how Nike can help/ anything about it’s clothing.

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Does this advertisement appeal to you? Why or why not? Does it motivate you to participate in sports?

D

Participant 1: I like the mood and atmosphere of the advert, however it has more of a nightclub vibe rather than serious sportsmanship.

Participant 4: Not really. I feel that this advert objectifies the woman quite a bit- the male gaze, and it is not necessary/relevant for a sports brand to do this. Sport is about strength/ physical power, not trying to look attractive for men.

What do you think is the message of this advert? Do you think its offensive to you as a woman? Why or why not?

Participant 2: It is very sexist, it’s taking away the idea of sports and sexualising women, rather than admiring the ability of the subject.

95

In what way, if any, does this image appeal to you as a woman?

Participant 4: They all have bodies to die for! Athletic women who put the work and effort in to what they do and are in great physical shape! They are all young and inspirational. Maybe athletes should be who we look up to- used as models in campaignshealthy weight, inspirational and real role models. The advert would be more impactful if I knew who all of the athletes were. Still aspirational! Slightly objectifying woman in that their mid-drifts are bare- question if relevant? But definitely role models to look up to in terms of what they do and the shape they are in.

Do you feel like the media (TV, magazines, internet) pays enough attention to female sport?

If no, why do you believe that is?

Participant 3: I don’t think so at all. Most of what I know about women athletes are due to other reasons they are famous (like their looks) or through large sporting events like the Olympics. I don’t think female sports are covered hardly at all.

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D How does the phrase ‘strong is beautiful’ make you feel? Do you think that strong is beautiful? Why/ why not?

Participant 1: I think the phrase is a healthy way to look at fitness. Instead of saying ‘thin’ or ‘skinny’ is beautiful this promotes optimum health through exercise and that’s something I really believe in.

Participant 2: Again, its relating to looks rather than ability or talent, this wouldn’t always be the case with men and sport, its usually more focused on functionality rather than appearance.

Do you believe there is a difference in how sportswear brands (ex. Nike, Adidas) advertise to men VS women?

Yes - for men it is usually more about performance. For women it is more about aesthetic.

Yes, men are targeted in relation to the competitive and aspirational nature of sport, whereas for women its always relating to looks rather than athleticism.

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40th Anniversary of Title IX:

Keep Her In The Game

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e The girl’s game is interrupted by the sounds of exerpts from advertisements on the speakerphone.

“When society bombards them with messages like these, Its no wonder that by age 14 girls dropped out of sports at twice the rate boys do. Don’t let them walk away from their potential.”

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40th Anniversary of Title IX:

NIKE: VOICES

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fL When I was growing up, girls just didn’t run in public.

No one one my all boys team would pass to me.

Dad told me I couldn’t be a boxer, he said I was too small.

There was a guy who tried to spit on me and then pushed me out of his way.

There comes a point where you have to be sure of yourself, people aren’t used to women being so passionate. It scares them.

One day, I just said it doesn’t matter what other people think.

I’m a fashion model who can dunk.

I’m a girl.

That doesn’t mean I have to wear a skirt.

It doesn’t mean I can’t get all fired up.

They used to say that girl is crazy.

But then, I just kept winning.

I didn’t set out to dominate, I just did.

Somebody has got to be the best. So why not me?

I’m 55 years old and I run close to 70 miles a week.

I never felt like quitting.

There’s something telling me to do it every single day.

Just wanna play ball.

Just do it.

Nike.

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recent advertisement:

adidas: "we all run" “Pop rock superstar Katy Perry will join David Beckham as well as some of the greatest athletes in the world to promote a new line of running shoes that Adidas has come out with. ... Perry will be joining an impressive list of athletes which includes basketball star for the Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose, along with longtime British soccer star David Beckham and Lionel Messi, who is largely considered to be the best soccer player in the world. “ (Collier, 2012: online)

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g

The advertisement features the ‘top athletes’ (none of which are women) sprinting hard in different cities all over the world. Then, the dvertisement shows an image of Katy Perry, a famous singer jogging with her friends while laughing and exchanging smiles with people running by. There is a major contrast between the effors level of male athletes when compared to Katy Perry and her ‘girlfriends’ while both are running. Accompanied by the tagline ‘we all run’ the advertisement seems to make that seperation even clear, almost showing that ‘we all run - but on different levels’

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womens football:

puma: wps

PUMA was on the right track by raising awareness of women’s football by releasing videos of woman football players in 2011. These videos would motivate girls to take part in football. However, the videos still seem a bit playful, unlike male football adverts when the men football players seem more ‘fierce’. Also, when clicked on the facebook link on the PUMA womens football website, the “Last Man Standing” ad opens up as the cover of the PUMA facebook page. Also, no imagery of women playing football were found while scrolling through the PUMA football facebook page.

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female role model:

nike: hope So lo

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I

In 2011, Nike released a series of several videos with the tagline ‘pressure makes us’. These videos featured the US Womens National Teams most popular players. The screenshots on the page are form the video about Hope Solo, the teams goalkeeper. In the video she talks about overcoming a big injury and getting back out on the field in time for the World Cup. These videos seem much more motivational then some of the Nike advertisements for women, because they show a fierce side to each of the football players, which is much more inspiring.

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