Like A Girl. It has always been seen as a little bit of an insult hasn't it that phrase? But being "like a girl" is something to be celebrated and the new Always campaign is looking to challenge perspectives and the impact that negatives can have on young women. I have two girls and it is important to me that they grow up believing that they can do anything they want to do from academic excellence to sporting achievements but what is saddening to learn is that over half of girls (64%) give up sport by the end of puberty, with a whopping 80% not believing that they belong in sport!

 

 

Sporting acheivements seem historically linked to male sporting figures and how many times have we heard comments like “girls shouldn’t play that sport” or seen girls’ teams playing in half-filled arenas? What impact does this have on girls and their desire to play sport throughout puberty? These are critical questions that Always, leader in global feminine care and the brand committed to championing girls’ confidence, is asking – an activity recognised for its profound and long-term impact in helping girls build and maintain confidence. As the world prepares for the 2016 Olympic Games, Always wants to urge, encourage and inspire girls everywhere to Keep Playing #LikeAGirl.

 

• By the time girls reach the age when they finished puberty (16-17 years old), 64% will have quit sports
• 8 out of 10 girls who quit sport during puberty felt they did not belong in sport
• Only 1/3 of girls feel that society encourages girls to play sport
• The top challenges for girls continuing to play sport are that most people believe girls become more self-conscious about/dislike their body (50%), most believe girls are worse at sport than boys (34%) and the lack of respect for girls in sport (32%)
• 61% wish there were more female role models in sport
• If there were more female role models in sport then girls aged 16-24 believe that more girls would continue playing sport (47%), there would be more interest in female sport (46%) and female sport would be more popular (42%)

 

 

So the team at Always are inviting everybody to join in to rewrite the rules and keep girls in sport. Pledge that you’ll Keep Playing #LikeAGirl and encourage others to do the same. Upload a picture, shoot a video or tweet using #LikeAGirl to show your support and inspire young girls everywhere to Keep Playing.

 

 

 

My girls are swimmers, they are both gymnasts and I want them to keep swimming and I want them to keep bending themselves into unimaginable positions for as long as they want to! I want them to feel positive about their abilities and their possibilities ....... so maybe one day they can be a role model for a future generation!