Many people have their knickers in a twist after a lingerie brand’s latest ad campaign features three British female athletes in black bras and lacy underwear. Bra brand Bluebella is feeling the heat for their campaign “Strong Is Beautiful,” which features Celia Quansah, Ellie Boatman and Jasmine Joyce from Great Britain’s Olympic rugby team in some of the brand’s best-sellers. “We want to celebrate and normalize the beauty of strong and powerful female bodies, bodies that have historically been ignored by the fashion industry and stigmatised by society,” the clothing company wrote on Instagram, captioning a video of the three women showing off their strength and athleticism while wearing next to nothing.
“Our #StrongIsBeautiful campaign was born out of the fact that girls give up sports more readily than boys, partly because society does not equate the look of a strong female body with being beautiful or feminine,” the brand continued. “If young women do not equate strength with feminine beauty, it is a problem far beyond sport.” It’s the ninth year the company has been running the campaign featuring world-class athletes.
While some fans relished the “refreshing” change and the spotlight on “beautiful” and “muscular” women’s bodies, many others criticized the “terrible” campaign for “sexualizing” athletes. Tennis legend Martina Navratilova called the ad “regressive,” while former long-distance runner Mara Yamauchi labe.
