We Helped Challenge Sports Media to ‘change The Angle’ Towards Female Athletes
QR code initiative with the South African Women’s Beach Volleyball team highlighted sexism in sports coverage - and called for focus on achievements, not physical attributes
The challenge: We wanted to take a stand against casual, institutionalised sexism, and to this end, we worked with Unilever’s beauty brand LUX - and creative agency VML Singapore - to make a bold statement based on creating awareness about the casually sexist way female sports are sometimes televised and photographed. We’ve all seen it… the just borderline or sometimes deeply inappropriate angles used when portraying female athletes when they are competing in professional or amateur sports - from tennis to athletics to ice skating.
Whether it’s intentional - or ‘accidental’ these close-ups frequently highlight physical attributes - rather than sports prowess. This has to change. The choice of beach volleyball is a strategic one, as the sport suffers more than most from baked-in bias due to being played under hot conditions and in minimal clothing.
The angle: Working with VML’s fantastic team on the ground in South Africa, the activation took place at a live beach volleyball match, where female beach volleyball players wore QR codes on their bodies - across the same areas that sports broadcasters tend to focus on. When scanned, the code directed the viewer to a film made by LUX and creative agency VML, where leading sportswomen call on broadcasters and cameras to ‘Change The Angle’ of how female athletes are portrayed - by focusing on their strengths and aiming the lens at their sporting prowess, rather than their physical attributes.
The video highlights shocking statistics regarding sexist sports coverage, including “2500 pictures objectifying women reported at the 2021 Olympics” and includes powerful statements from female athletes. It ends with six best practice tips for the media on how female athletes should be portrayed.
Watch the film here
But while beach volleyball may be one of the most obvious sports in terms of misdirected attention, the problem is a global one. As a result, key sports influencers including Cricket commentator Kass Naidoo, Netball star Bongi Msomi, LUX Brand Ambassador Zozibini Tunzi threw their considerable online and real-world influence behind the campaign, helping to spread the QR code and its underlying message.
The results: This topic caused quite a stir - leading to attention from journalists all over the world, resulting in reaching almost half a million sports fans. Obviously, it was a slightly touchy subject as the campaign by default is critical of how the media (mis) represents women.
But many journalists responded directly to us to voice their support - especially male journalists
“This campaign is really an eye-opener for everyone.”
“Great initiative, I’m a big sports fan and love to see this being addressed”
Additionally, the campaign has been highly successful in terms of industry accolades, leading to:
Gold and 3 Silvers at one of Asia’s leading awards shows, Adfest 2024
The Unstereotype Award at Unilever's Unmissable Awards
Leading to For the Right Reasons becoming the 4th most influential PR agency in Asia
“Women in sports are 10 times more likely to be objectified by camera angles that focus on certain body parts compared to their male counterparts. When we found out that this is also an issue for top female athletes who have achieved incredible things, we knew we had to act,…
This doesn’t only devalue the female athletes’ professional performance and achievements, but also perpetuates the objectification issue many women face every day. At LUX, we believe that beauty should be a source of strength, and that the focus should be on celebrating the beauty of their strength, skills and achievements in sport.”
- Severine Vauleon, Global Brand Vice President of LUX