“Jogbras” and girl consumer power
I recently leapt to my feet and roared (maybe cried) with JOY watching this DICK’S Sporting Goods commercial, which opens with the story behind the first woman’s “jogbra” — which, I didn’t realize, came to us from several University of Vermont female athletes who dared sew two jock straps together in 1977.
Let me repeat: jock straps. In 1977. 🤯‼️
BEST PART of the commercial (which sent me screaming to my husband, who might have teared up, just witnessing my primal happy): the narrator reveal, USWNT 1999 Women’s World Cup champ, Brandi Chastain 🤩, who famously made magazine cover headlines for scoring the winning penalty kick, and, in her primal happy, ripping off her shirt and showing her “jogbra” to the world.
Of course I googled the hell out of the commercial, which sent me to this update on DICK’S Sporting Goods’ 2020 Women’s Initiative program, which is redesigning stores to make more room for women’s and girls’ products; a three-year, $5 million grant to the U.S. Soccer Foundation to engage 100,000 girls in underserved communities by 2023; and a sponsorship of USA Softball. 🤯‼️‼️
FINALLY, a sporting goods store that gets it: “shrink it and pink it” does not work for my daughters. Girls are athletes, gawddammit.
The store gets it because their president, Lauren Hobart, gets it: There are two types of female athletes: “the younger team-sport consumer and a whole other group who may not be playing active team sports, who we call the athletic female — who’s into sports, exercise, the outdoors — and we didn’t feel like we were serving them well enough.”
I AM THAT ATHLETE. My girlfriends are those athletes.
Turns out that DICK’S did a trial in roughly 100 stores recently where they eliminated their guns section in place of female athletic clothing and equipment for women and high school athletes. The move was so profitable they decided to expand it to an estimated 400 stores.
Thank you, DICK’S Sporting Goods, for seeing my daughters, sisters, girlfriends, mom and myself for who we are. This former marathon coach turned yogi/soccer mom to two teenage girls is now a loyal customer for life. Raising my water bottle to those two jock-straps-turned-jogbra from 1977. And cheers to girl consumer power.
Now, who can connect me to Lauren Hobart, so I can pledge my allegiance and go to work for her ASAP? (While I’m at it, a chance meeting with Brandi wouldn’t hurt either. I am her biggest fan…)
Originally published on LinkedIn.
#SheBelieves #GirlPower #womenathletes #womenleaders #equalpay
