Celebrating every girl's body
Real talk
Sport inspires and unites, giving us the chance to celebrate the unique beauty and diversity of our bodies. Despite this, body confidence issues contribute to girls leaving sport at twice the rate of boys. You have the power to change that.
For decades, society has created unrealistic appearance ideals for girls by promoting a narrow definition of beauty, including when it comes to sport. Our friends, family, coaches and the media have shaped what we think is the "perfect body" in sport—an unattainable goal that can negatively impact girls' mental health and sport participation. Together, we can make small changes to help girls become more body confident when playing the sports that they love.
1. Foster safe sporting spaces for girls.
Encouraging girls-only spaces, like changing rooms or bathrooms, can provide safe and comfortable environments. Ensure these spaces are well lit, offer privacy for changing, are supervised by women and do not allow entry to non-participants. Where possible, provide hygiene products such as deodorant and tampons. The aim is to provide girls with privacy, safety and comfort, particularly during a phase when their bodies are changing.
2. Champion their individuality and representation.
Evaluate girls' sporting environments and consider what factors might prevent individuality and reinforce narrow appearance ideals. For example, does she only see advertising materials with a certain type of athlete (thin, tall, abled, white), or is her changing room full of "inspirational" quotes that encourage under-eating and over-training? If so, talk to a coaching staff member about the harmful effects of this messaging and how to go about replacing it with more diverse and non-appearance-related content.
3. Offer gear choices where you can.
Uncomfortable and revealing kits can be distracting and distressing for girls when playing sport. Offering various kit styles allows girls to choose what they feel most comfortable wearing. Whether it's shorts or leggings, T-shirts or tank tops, choice can significantly improve comfort levels. So, if you can allow them to choose, do. If you're a member of a sport or organisation that regulates girls' kits, consider how you might challenge this. Even if you're a parent or a coach, questioning the status quo at a grassroots level can make a huge difference.
4. Mind your language.
Adopting gender-neutral language and using your athlete's preferred pronouns can have a profound impact. Something as simple as saying "hey everyone, bring it in!" instead of "hey guys, bring it in!" can have a massive effect on girls' outlooks.
5. Disengage from body talk.
Create a culture where girls are discouraged from talking about appearances and diets. This includes their own bodies, as well as their teammates and opponents, and seemingly "positive" comments such as, "You look good. Have you lost weight?". We call this creating "body-talk-free zones". Instead of talking about how a body looks, encourage girls to focus on what their bodies can do and experience in sport. Apply this principle at home, training and games. If you lead by example, you can ensure this standard is upheld by everyone in her surroundings.
Remember, every girl, regardless of her body type, is an athlete when she steps onto that pitch, court or track. To give every girl the best chance of achieving her dreams, it's time to shift the standards and redefine victory.
Body Confident Sport is a programme developed by Nike and Dove to help girls build body confidence and make sport a place where girls feel like they belong. The content has been designed in partnership with the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport and the Centre for Appearance Research.
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