Invicta Vlogs
Ellie Brown – Deputy Head Girl
Only 38% of girls take part in the recommended amount of daily physical activity, compared to 63% of boys. 3 out of 4 girls want to take part in more sport, but are put off for fear of what other people may think. It is not seen as cool to be committed to sport, but why?
I believe that the media promotes the wrong type of role models. The Australia Diamonds, the Australian netball team, pride themselves on being role models. Female sports stars in the UK just do not get the same recognition and it puzzles me as to why this is the case. The list of the most Inspirational Women of 2016 included only 1 athlete; surely there are more? Why is it not the media promoting them and their belief that sport is a good thing?
Many girls are put off by the harsh reality of exercise. Going to the gym is about so much more than wearing matching outfits and drinking protein shakes; it is about sweat, aching muscles and days of saying ‘I am never doing that again!’
A lot of girls are unaware of the benefits of sport due to the lack of exposure to female sports matches and events. Men’s football is available on the TV, online, in the news and on the radio but most female specific sport that I want to watch is only available if I pay or on obscure sports channels.
I also think looking muscular scares a lot of girls. Serena Williams, one of the most successful female athletes, was criticised for being ‘too muscular’ and having a ‘masculine figure’. People do not understand that muscles are nothing to be afraid of; they show that you are healthy and strong and that you have worked hard.
People also overlook sport as a method of losing or maintaining weight. At our age, it is so easy to look straight to fad diets, detoxes and special pills, but doing only 40 minutes of cardio can burn up to 600 calories and in most cases that is almost a whole meal!
Doing exercise also releases essential hormones, for example endorphins; which make you feel exhilarated and happy; helps relieves stress and blocks any feelings of pain. Dopamine; a pleasure chemical which makes you feel good about the exercise you have just done and serotonin; the chemical responsible for happiness, restful sleep and a healthy appetite.
People that have never enjoyed or experienced sport will never know the joy and happiness taking part in sport can create. For me, the feeling after playing a game of netball is something I think everyone should experience; the most overwhelming feeling of triumph and accomplishment.
We can all name at least one well known, inspirational male athlete; Cristian Ronaldo, David Beckham, Andy Murray, Usain Bolt. They all have a huge following and young boys aspire to be like them. They are in the news - they advertise products and they use their influence wisely.
Only after a successful sporting event, such as the 2012 Olympics, there was a lot of sponsorship for female athletes. But as time’s gone on, and those athletes have retired or withdrawn from the public eye, that sponsorship has dropped off and has not been replaced by upcoming female role models.
The England Netball team won Commonwealth Gold this year, yet they do not enjoy the same exposure on the TV or on social media the way we see England’s male athletes.
How are girls to know what sport can do for their wellbeing if it is not advertised and promoted properly? Where are the female role models providing inspiration to the young girls of tomorrow?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2o72-7bwSI
