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NEWS
This Girl Can campaign celebrated for featuring 'real' female fitness stories
POSTED 15 Jan 2020 . BY Tom Walker
The film has been designed to show the 'raw, unfiltered reality of women exercising in whatever way that works for them' Credit: Sport England

We've designed the new adverts to show things we're still not seeing
– Lisa O'Keefe
The latest edition of the highly-successful This Girl Can Campaign has been celebrated for its "taboo-busting" and "brave" take on what female fitness really looks like.

The new body-positive advert is seen as a perfect antidote to what has been described as "unrealistic and negative images of women" often used in fitness-related online content and media marketing campaigns.

According to Sport England, the film has been designed to show the raw, unfiltered reality of women exercising in whatever way that works for them.

The advert has been created on the back of research by Sport England, which revealed that 63 per cent of women who see slim, toned bodies on social media sites say this has a negative impact on them.

The research also highlighted the possible negative role played by so-called influencers.

Less than a fifth (18 per cent) of women who follow fitness influencers find their highly-polished and curated personalities relatable, while nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of women are actually negatively affected by influencer content – as it often makes them feel bad about themselves.

Sport England has now called for influencers, media and brands to feature more realistic and diverse imagery of women to promote sport and physical activity.

Lisa O’Keefe, Sport England director of insight, said she hopes the advert will convince women they don’t need to be in shape or super confident in their bodies to take part.

“This Girl Can is about helping women feel confident, so they can overcome the fears about being judged that our research showed was stopping many from getting active,” O'Keefe said.

“Since we launched five years ago, we're seeing more relatable images in advertising and social media, but there's a long way to go until women's lives are being shown in a realistic way.

“We've designed the new adverts to show things we're still not seeing - women using exercise to manage period symptoms or juggling motherhood - all while celebrating women of all shapes, sizes, abilities and backgrounds.”

The This Girl Can campaign was developed by Sport England to promote sport among women and is now in its fifth year. The first television advert was aired on 12 January 2015.

It was created to tackle the significant gender gap found in sports and exercise, to build women’s confidence around being active and help them meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance. The campaign was based on the insight that 75% of women say they want to do more sporting activities or exercise, but one of the unifying barriers found to be holding them back is a fear of judgement.

Since its launch, the campaign has been credited with inspiring more than 3.5 million women to get more physically active.

The new campaign advert in full:


RELATED STORIES
  New This Girl Can campaign focuses on women and cycling


Sport England and British Cycling are partnering on a new "This Girl Can" campaign designed to highlight British Cycling's recreational, women-only bike riding programme, which offers hundreds of free bike rides across the UK. Using a series of targeted social media films and image adverts, the six-week campaign will mirror previous bold and eye-catching This Girl Can campaigns, showing how women, regardless of age, background, fitness or experience, can take up cycling and overcome those barriers in a judgement-free environment.
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News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
NEWS
This Girl Can campaign celebrated for featuring 'real' female fitness stories
POSTED 15 Jan 2020 . BY Tom Walker
The film has been designed to show the 'raw, unfiltered reality of women exercising in whatever way that works for them' Credit: Sport England
We've designed the new adverts to show things we're still not seeing
– Lisa O'Keefe
The latest edition of the highly-successful This Girl Can Campaign has been celebrated for its "taboo-busting" and "brave" take on what female fitness really looks like.

The new body-positive advert is seen as a perfect antidote to what has been described as "unrealistic and negative images of women" often used in fitness-related online content and media marketing campaigns.

According to Sport England, the film has been designed to show the raw, unfiltered reality of women exercising in whatever way that works for them.

The advert has been created on the back of research by Sport England, which revealed that 63 per cent of women who see slim, toned bodies on social media sites say this has a negative impact on them.

The research also highlighted the possible negative role played by so-called influencers.

Less than a fifth (18 per cent) of women who follow fitness influencers find their highly-polished and curated personalities relatable, while nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of women are actually negatively affected by influencer content – as it often makes them feel bad about themselves.

Sport England has now called for influencers, media and brands to feature more realistic and diverse imagery of women to promote sport and physical activity.

Lisa O’Keefe, Sport England director of insight, said she hopes the advert will convince women they don’t need to be in shape or super confident in their bodies to take part.

“This Girl Can is about helping women feel confident, so they can overcome the fears about being judged that our research showed was stopping many from getting active,” O'Keefe said.

“Since we launched five years ago, we're seeing more relatable images in advertising and social media, but there's a long way to go until women's lives are being shown in a realistic way.

“We've designed the new adverts to show things we're still not seeing - women using exercise to manage period symptoms or juggling motherhood - all while celebrating women of all shapes, sizes, abilities and backgrounds.”

The This Girl Can campaign was developed by Sport England to promote sport among women and is now in its fifth year. The first television advert was aired on 12 January 2015.

It was created to tackle the significant gender gap found in sports and exercise, to build women’s confidence around being active and help them meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance. The campaign was based on the insight that 75% of women say they want to do more sporting activities or exercise, but one of the unifying barriers found to be holding them back is a fear of judgement.

Since its launch, the campaign has been credited with inspiring more than 3.5 million women to get more physically active.

The new campaign advert in full:


RELATED STORIES
New This Girl Can campaign focuses on women and cycling


Sport England and British Cycling are partnering on a new "This Girl Can" campaign designed to highlight British Cycling's recreational, women-only bike riding programme, which offers hundreds of free bike rides across the UK. Using a series of targeted social media films and image adverts, the six-week campaign will mirror previous bold and eye-catching This Girl Can campaigns, showing how women, regardless of age, background, fitness or experience, can take up cycling and overcome those barriers in a judgement-free environment.
MORE NEWS
One in three spa practitioners have considered leaving the industry due to concerns about their own wellbeing
A new survey of UK and international spa practitioners shows that stress, burnout and wellbeing concerns have caused one in three respondents to consider leaving the industry.
UK updates physical activity guidelines with focus on daily movement
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Sauna advocate Becky Pelkonen drafts global public sauna-bathing charter
Becky Pelkonen, the sauna advocate and researcher, has unveiled the draft of a global public sauna-bathing charter.
Marriott International partners with Fitwel for wellness solutions across its residential portfolio
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Zerobody Cryo: Starpool's contrast therapy solution
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]

MSpa Oslo series: a timeless bestseller
The MSpa Oslo series is a perennial bestseller in global markets. With innovative engineering and premium performance, this completely portable spa line-up is expertly designed to meet the needs of customers worldwide. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
COMPANY PROFILES
Swissline by Dermalab

Inspired by the science of cellular rejuvenation and driven by the desire to optimise skin health an [more...]
+ More profiles  
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+ More catalogues  

DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

23-26 Aug 2026

Elevate Spa Riviera Maya Edition

The Riviera Maya Edition Kanai, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
10-12 Sep 2026

ASEAN Patio Pool Spa Expo 2026

MITEC Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, Malaysia
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

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