‘Parody’: Athletes slam Nike for using man to model sports bra

A global sportswear brand has been criticised after using a male social media influencer, who lives as a woman, to promote its women’s clothing range.

Nike partnered with the controversial Dylan Mulvaney, who has been documenting his ‘transition to girlhood’ on social media, to advertise its women’s sportswear range.

Videos of Mulvaney wearing Nike while pretending to exercise sparked outrage with critics questioning why a man would model clothing designed for women.

‘Insulting’

a parody of what women are

Former GB Olympian Sharron Davies MBE called for a boycott of Nike, saying: “It’s so frustrating. We take two steps forward with World Athletics and Swim England protecting women’s sport and then Nike does this”.

“The ad feels like a parody of what women are. In the past it was always seen as an insult to say, ‘run like a girl’ and here we’ve got someone behaving in a way that’s very un-sporty and very unathletic”.

She added: “That Nike would do this feels like a kick in the teeth.”

Erasing women

Olympic gold medal swimmer Nancy Hogshead, who founded the Champion Women group to campaign for women and girls in sport, said Nike’s deal with Mulvaney had robbed the opportunity from a biological woman.

“There are plenty of women – phenomenal athletes, great spokespeople, really smart, hardworking – so many people that they could have had.”

Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who has been physically attacked by trans activists for opposing male participation in female sport, said Nike has joined a growing list of companies who disrespect women by making “a sad mockery of what being a woman entails”.