When I watched Nike’s new ad featuring athlete mothers, I couldn’t help but feel like this was incredibly dismissive of the struggles mothers have faced under this brand for more than a decade.
The minute-long ad uses all of these very inspiring motifs about moms being the toughest athletes. But to me, this ad felt disingenuous at best; Nike is co-opting the strength of mothers to mask the pain they’ve caused in the past—pain they have never acknowledged or apologized for publicly or privately.
Nike thought it was okay to not recognize the mothers who have fought against them and continue to fight. For a long time, being open about wanting to be a mother put a target on my back in the running industry, and I operated with armor on. But eventually I had to put down my armor and pick up my sword. We have been fighting for our value, fighting for equity, fighting to be supported not only before we are moms, but also while we are moms and thereafter. Nike making an ad without acknowledging that fight is, by definition, gaslighting.
When I watched the ad, I saw Nike claiming victory in this fight instead of standing with athletes and saying, “Actually, we’re going to fight with you.” It was just another hypocritical marketing piece, like their “Dream Crazier” commercial from 2019 that claimed to support women athletes at all stages of life.
After the “Dream Crazier” ad, Kara Goucher, Allyson Felix, and I shared our experiences in an op-ed with The New York Times, and we learned that there are many more women with similar stories. So we created the #DreamMaternity social media campaign so women could share their experiences.
Meanwhile, Nike has already siloed women and moms, and caused so much damage. Their new motherhood ad piles on more pain.
The psychological effects of this hurt are invisible. It’s a very isolating world to be in, fighting for the right to be a whole person. For me and many other women, being a whole person includes motherhood and an ability to feel like we’re still our strongest selves. But when you work in industries that essentially tell you that you aren’t valuable if you choose motherhood, it’s emotionally damaging.
It’s also incredibly offensive to see Nike claim themselves as industry leaders in this space; they’ve thrown away enough moms, they’ve blown up careers, and they do not have the right to come into this space and act as if they are the leaders.
If Nike believes moms are the toughest athletes and wants to come through for us, they shouldn’t try to own this space. They need to repair the damages they’ve caused and move over, especially when there are already plenty of brands and organizations that have been supporting moms all along.
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In 2015, Nikki and Adam Clarke launched Cadenshae because none of the major brands were supporting moms. Nikki, who is a personal trainer, couldn’t find maternity activewear when she was pregnant with her first child, so they created it. (The company is now one of my sponsors.)
Picky Bars put together a telethon last year to raise money for &Mother, the nonprofit organization Molly Dickens and I started to support athletes who are mothers.
Altra Running chose to sponsor two pregnant runners: myself and Tina Muir. They are also organizing a race on Mother’s Day, and the proceeds will go toward resources for our &Mother ambassadors, three athlete moms we’re supporting while they pursue their Olympic dreams on the track.
Oiselle signed Lauren Fleshman while she was pregnant in 2013, and Kara, who is a mom. Both were formerly with Nike. Athleta signed Allyson after a painful fight with Nike when she became a mom to her daughter, Camryn.
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I can tell you, having a company come in and say we believe in you—it matters, and it is energizing. It also should be non-negotiable. Brands should support the whole person, including the possibility of motherhood, and should break down barriers that limit her choices. Athletes have had to fight for an opportunity to try; companies that are doing it right are eliminating that fight for women.
From a monetary standpoint, I do want Nike to sponsor athletes because I know these other brands and companies can only sponsor so many people. The more brands supporting athletes, the better—but the best way to do this is to put ego aside and be willing to listen and to learn. Yes, we see Nike saying it believes athlete moms are the toughest athletes; what would mean more is sitting down and having a conversation, not only with the athlete moms they have now but also with the women who have been there in the past.
I hope the changes Nike said they’d make to their contracts extend to all their athletes across the board. They said they’ve expanded their policy on athlete pregnancy to 18 months, but they need to operate in such a way that is fair for a woman to truly take care of herself. Even having the nine months of pregnancy and nine months postpartum to come back and compete at her very best is not ideal. I believe women should be able to take the first full year after having their child without penalty.
In the meantime, Nike’s new ad is just another in a series of feel-good messages and hollow promises. In order to make the biggest leaps and positive changes, Nike needs to acknowledge the past and apologize for all the pain they’ve caused. Only then will I believe their intentions are sincere.
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The Link LonkMarch 20, 2021 at 01:11AM
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Alysia Montaño Explains What Nike Got Wrong With Its New Maternity Ad - runnersworld.com
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