On 8th March, I was equal parts humbled & exhilarated to have conducted a Sports Bra Education session at Nike‘s International Women’s Day 2020 celebration in Manila! The objective of the day long celebration was to create a community of strong, powerful women from a variety of fields because we are Stronger With Support.
We started with a panel talk at Manila’s flagship Nike store about body positivity led by curvy model Gracey Linda, professional volleyball player Alyssa Valdez & sisters Stacey & Danah Gutierrez who are the pioneering advocates for embracing body positivity in Manila. These ladies led an open & emotional conversation about their struggles to fit into the “beauty mould” that social media & their communities enforced on them, overcoming eating disorders & the importance of finding a strong female mentor in your field to guide you through the glass ceilings we all inevitably encounter in our respective industries. I often find myself feeling frustrated with the “empowering” women’s ad campaigns that run rampant in the media because they repeatedly reiterate what’s already wrong with society’s expectations of women rather than focus on how to fix them. So it was a refreshing change to hear from women who were more solution-focused and shared applicable advice on how to navigate difficult situations.
After addressing how to find support through your community, we discussed how to find support through the right product. Did you know that 80% of women across the world experience discomfort while working out because they are wearing the wrong sports bra?Not having the appropriate physical support is one of the many barriers that prevent women from pursuing sport or any type of physical activity, be it at a recreational or professional level. The ligament damage done while not being supported correctly is irreversible. The store full of women attending the session were rightly shaken by this information!
To ensure none of the 37 women attending our event would ever have to experience this discomfort again, we gave them each a free Nike Swoosh Sports Bra which they got to customize with fun, empowering stickers & their names.
Having inspired them, we then enabled them to move & work up a sweat with a quick warm up run around the neighborhood followed by an exclusive spinning session at the Ride Revolution studio in Shangri-la, BGC. Watching these women, many of whom had never run outside or attended a spinning session was so exciting, but watching some of them have the courage to do so in their new personalized sports bras was emotional for me. If you’re a woman, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about the internal debate & insecurities that come with even considering working out in just your sports bra & tights in public, so this was in particular a huge win for me – to have given these women the confidence, however fleeting, to overcome their doubts & focus on feeling strong in their bodies. Sometimes a taste is enough to inspire a bigger change, but having a safe space to experiment with your boundaries is the key to making it a habit. That right there is the power of community & the reason we are stronger with support.
We rounded up the action packed day with a private dinner at Manila House for these women. It was heartwarming to watch Nike consumers mingle with their idols – a mix of athletes, models & activists who they follow on social media. The casual atmosphere allowed them to dive deeper into the conversation we started at the panel talk and gave them a chance to get to know their idols on a more personal level as well as make new friends.
If you know me, you know I believe sport is one of the most singularly unifying & empowering channels for personal growth, particularly for women. I would never have had the courage to jump headfirst into some of the most intimidating life decisions I’ve faced (moving blindly to the Philippines two and a half years ago, for instance) if I didn’t have the confidence that my golf career gave me to know that I can overcome anything I put my mind to. I feel humbled & grateful to work at an organization where I am able to extend access to sport to women on a daily basis so that more of us can benefit from the discipline, grit & confidence that come from knowing you can overcome something difficult.
My hope, like most women I know, is that someday in the not too distant future we can do away with the concept of having an “International Women’s Day” because we will be at par with our male counterparts in every way and won’t have to create a public holiday to raise awareness about the issues we face. I believe sport & community are powerful tools in our kit to help us get there, so if you’re reading this – I hope you make the time today to compliment the woman on the treadmill next to you on her pace or attend that yoga/Zumba/pilates class you’ve been meaning to get around to because there may be a whole new support system waiting for you there.
kasvi malik 