CREATING A WAVE OF EQUALITY
WHEN surfer Lucy Small took to the podium to collect her winnings at a major long-boarding event last year, a voice inside her begged: “Don’t say anything”.
But as she was handed the microphone after being presented with a cheque for $1500 – less than half of the $4000 her male counterpart received – Small could not stay silent about how women’s surfing appeared to be valued less than men’s.
The unplanned “bittersweet” speech not only had organisers of the Curly Maljam scrambling to even up the winnings, but made Small a spokeswoman for inequality in surfing.
While the 28-year-old from Newtown has never viewed herself as an “activist”, she is acutely aware of the unique opportunity she has now been presented to make changes in a sport that has been her life since she was 14.
Small will this week become one of the few women to grace the cover of surfing bible Tracks magazine.
“I cried when I saw it,” she said. She has now broadened her efforts with her Equal Pay For Equal Play campaign, addressing the pay imbalance across all sports.
While pleased the surfing world is making amends, Small said there was still a long way to go.
While athletes such as Matildas captain Sam Kerr had no problem attracting sponsors, female surfers had to be blonde and in bikinis – something Small believes is a major driver in the high dropout rate among young girls.
“The drop-off rate is really high among teenage girls in all sports, but in particular surfing,” she said.
“In surfing, women’s bodies are on show. Part of the problem is that the big brands are so male-dominated and that sex is all that sells. For girls starting out, they soon find all their heroes look like supermodels.”
In an interview with Tracks, Small noted: “I do feel like it gives women more sponsorship or marketing value if they look a certain way. I think something that really will have huge impact is when we’re going to see photos of women surfing and they’re not going to be looking lovely.
“How are you supposed to be fit, strong, gutsy, know how to get barrelled and also have like a supermodel body? You have to be like
a freak.”