Fashion
Sports fans know that greatness is made, not just born. Seriously under-funded and under-supported, Irish sportswomen have had to be especially dedicated to their passion. But hope springs eternal
Celebrating Ireland’s top sportswomen
Today, we in LIFE, along with Kildare Village, celebrate Irish sportswomen. We salute their dedication and resilience; their battles and their triumphs. The heroes they are, and the hope they represent. We see greatness.
But even for a fashion editor of long experience, selecting the shots of our impressive sportswomen, dressed in sportswear from Kildare Village, was a challenging journey through self-doubt and questioning on the issues we, as a culture, face.
Our photographer Alex Hutchinson and stylist Courtney Smith did what they do best — beautiful shots of women, who, in this case, are women of physical excellence. They did moody shots and romantic shots. Pretty shots and powerful shots. Shots that were a celebration of the women’s physicality.
All of which could, potentially, by suspicious minds, be construed as sexualised or biased or demeaning.
But it would be dishonest to shy away from and not acknowledge these women’s physical achievement, as well as the true beauty of a physically strong body. Rugby winger Megan Williams (page 29) specifically requested the shot of her that was the most physical — because it was testimony to her hard work and resultant strength, essential in rugby.
Throughout time, humans have revered athletic physicality and appreciated it as symbolic of personal dedication and achievement. Our physicality is a temporary and precious thing. I, and many others I am sure, envy these women the pure pleasure that comes from being strong and active.
Right now, we are living in challenging times in terms of language and perception, as well as health and longevity. All of which must be addressed if we are to be a healthy nation, inside and out.
We are living through a period where attention is shifting — and some fear the changes, while others resent them, as they perceive an inappropriate battle has been brought on to the sports field.
But where better to wage the need for change? Wasn’t that what sport was for — breaking tensions down in a contained way? As well as developing physical prowess, which was to be appreciated, admired and celebrated by a collective community?
What is happening today is not about men losing power to women, or women wanting to take power from men. Let’s get away from such petty thinking.
It’s about levelling the playing field and equalising appreciation of the sexes’ different, but equally relevant, abilities. It’s time to do a course correction and find a
new way. To grow and celebrate Irish women in sport, and see them for who they are and what they bring to our sporting landscape.
And recognise and support them through the mental-health issues that can be such a tough legacy of an elite athlete’s life.
Be it truly awesome and inspiring 16-year-old Rhasidat Adeleke’s formidable athleticism that led her, at just 15 years old, to win the gold medal for Ireland at the 2018 European Athletics under-18s Championships last year; to amateur boxer Mary-Kate Slattery’s iron core that fuels her tremendous punches and emotional strength as she fought, since childhood, the dreaded disease of anorexia; to Irish rugby winger Megan Williams’s ‘let nothing hold you back’ can-do attitude; to the delicateseeming hands of captain of the Netball Ireland senior squad, Niamh Murphy, which, for over 10 years, have wielded so much skill on behalf of that sport in Ireland; to Niamh Buffini, the only female fifth-dan Master of World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Taekwondo in Ireland, who is now a coach herself and the lynchpin support to Irish Paralympians in her capacity as performance operations manager of Paralympics Ireland.
And, even more importantly, we are celebrating these women because they are, as Sarah Colgan of the 20x20 women in sport initiative — launched last year and presented by the Federation of Irish Sport (FIS) — pointed out to me, “the heroes of today, and the role models of tomorrow”.
Women’s culture is extremely short on role models outside of being maidens, mothers and crones!
“If she can’t see it, she can’t be it,” says Sarah on the absence of healthy role models for young women. “The sportswomen of today are the role models of today and tomorrow.”
We only have to look at how Katie Taylor’s global success has paved the way and inspired more women into boxing than ever before; and to Sonia O’Sullivan for inspiring women into distance running.
20x20 was devised by Sarah Colgan and Heather Thornton, co-founders of Along Came A Spider, a creative agency based in Dublin. The aim of 20x20 is to shift the balance, so that by 2020, there will be a 20pc increase in female participation in sports, 20pc increase in media coverage, and 20pc more attendance of females at sporting events.
“20x20 is about increasing the visibility of girls and women in sport. The skill, the success and the strength of our female athletes is already there. We want to make women’s sport a greater part of who we are and what we follow in Irish culture. To shift the subliminal bias around girls and boys, or men and women, when it comes to sport,” Sarah says, adding, “It’s about encouraging everyone, from TV and media, to big sporting organisations, to local clubs, and the parents of little girls, to get females out there, doing and seeing their abilities as being of value.”
The FIS contacted all the national governing bodies of sports (NGBs) and local sports bodies (LSPs), and, so far, 55 of 76 sporting bodies have signed the charter to commit to supporting this change. Which is an impressive achievement in just a few months. (I wonder what can be holding up the other 21 organisations...? Grrr!)
Kildare Village, that Mecca of quality, fashion and style, is joining forces with 20x20, along with our national sports bodies, in being committed to changing the script for young women especially, but for all women, really.
Over the course of 2019, Kildare Village will host events to promote women in sport, including a panel day, specialist talks and events. So keep an eye on kildarevillage.com for more information.
“Ireland has never had so many amazing and successful women in sport, and Kildare Village wanted to celebrate them,” says Valerie Forde of Kildare Village, herself a sporting woman and a driving force behind this campaign. “We are all about empowering women and giving them a platform. This is about being inclusive.”
Kildare Village is well known as a designer destination. But little attention is given to the fact that it has a vast array of sports speciality stores, too Asics, Clarks, Lacoste, New Balance, Nike, Puma, Musto, The North Face, Tog 24 and Under Armour.
With performance-wear, you get what you pay for. In Kildare Village, all those brands sell at an average discount price of up to 60pc, which means greater opportunity to afford quality. And many fashion brands, from DVF and The Kooples to Vans, do athleisure wear, too.
So not only do women have more choice in performance wear at Kildare Village, we also can, at last, exercise that very feminine attribute — our desire for aesthetic pleasure, as well as practicality.
If women are to value themselves for more than their looks — and men, too — we need to show them how. What it looks like to be real; to show real abilities and strengths, and take pride in their natural physicality and health; be proud, happy and strong.
As Rhasidat Adeleke said in her interview, she saw many talented girls her age drop out of sport because of a lack of timely recognition and support. Which is why she is so amazing she didn’t let lack of support stop her. And credit is due to Rhasidat’s mother, Adewumi Ademola, who has been equally committed to supporting her daughter’s ability.
These dedicated women of sport in Ireland on our pages today, whose passion and ability consumes them, deserve respect and equity. Unlike professional sportsmen, professional sportswomen never expect to make any money from it (despite sports being big business), nor fame (even though sport makes people famous and celebrities), nor even long careers (even though sport needs more coaches, managers, journalists, commentators). Why because there is ‘no future’ for women in sport.
Thus far. But not for much longer, if we all do our part.
Today, celebrate girls and women in sport. Celebrate 20x20 and the Federation of Irish Sport. And celebrate Kildare Village, which is getting behind Irish females in sport. In style.