Every woman I know – and I suspect most women that I don’t – has a horror story or bad memories from doing sport as a child. Whether it was being made fun of for the way they ran/jumped/swam during school PE lessons, bullied for their body size, or – god forbid – sexualised, objectified or judged for their appearance.

For me, it was always feeling – and being – bigger and taller than everybody in my class. It was those PE lessons that made me feel like I didn’t belong: I wasn’t a sporty person, I didn’t enjoy getting changed in front of everybody and I hated being forced into doing things I wasn’t good at. I don’t ever remember being praised for doing something well or even for being willing to try. Instead, I was told to just do better, to get better, to try harder. But how would that ever happen when I was against the naturally athletic girls in my classes? 

Unlike in maths or English lessons, I don’t remember being taught during PE. I don’t remember being shown how to nurture my body, or being told that movement was good for both mental and physical health, or that my size wasn’t – and shouldn’t – ever be an issue. As a result, I grew up thinking sport and exercise just weren’t for me. I didn’t ever see people who looked like me in the fitness space, and despite believing – and being told – that I should lose weight for my ‘health’, places like the gym weren’t in the slightest bit welcoming.

Over the last few years though, something shifted in my brain. I started working with a PT, at first in private gyms so nobody would see me, and then eventually having the confidence to join my local – very public – gym, which is where I go now. Having a PT to teach me, to learn from, to show me that my body is just as capable as anyone else’s has had a transformative impact on both my life, and in how I feel. I never thought I’d be somebody who could lift heavy weights, who could complete spin classes and not hate every second, who could box and squat and do long sessions on the crosstrainer. But I can and I am that person.

Part of me wishes I’d had the confidence to start sooner. Had things been different, I might have done – and that’s why a new collaboration between Dove and Nike is so important. The two powerhouse brands have teamed up to launch Body Confident Sport, an online coaching programme that offers a scientifically proven set of coaching tools, designed to help build body confidence in girls aged 11-17.

Research carried out by Dove and Nike has shown that 57% of teenage girls drop out of sport in the UK, twice the rate of boys, and most of them cite low body confidence as the main reason, but 73% of girls say their coach was the reason they felt more confident – something I can strongly attest to.

The Body Confident Sport tool has been developed by Nike and Dove, who have worked alongside the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England, and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota to address new findings on how sports environments can affect girls’ body confidence and self-esteem.

Dove has also partnered with tennis champion Venus Williams, who has spoken openly about the criticism and questioning she’s faced about her body, and the pressure that comes with unrealistic physical expectations.

At the campaign’s launch event, held in New York City earlier this week, Williams recalled being questioned by a journalist about gaining weight. Also speaking at the event was Laurie Hernandez, an Olympic gymnast, who said she stopped training after the Rio Olympics in 2016 because of how her body was changing, but the turning point came when one of her coaches said it wasn’t about how her body looked, but what it can do. And if that’s not testament to the importance of having a coach or a PT who believes in you, I don’t know what is.

Body Confident Sport is a tool that’s much needed. It really does have the power to change how young girls feel about themselves and what they’re capable of – and in turn, that has the ability to positively impact the trajectory of their life.

We all deserve to enjoy feeling good about our bodies and what they can do. Hopefully this is just the start of empowering the next generation of women.

Visit bodyconfidentsport.com to learn more and access the Body Confident Sport programme

Main image: Getty