Team GB rugby players swap kit for lingerie in new #StrongIsBeautiful campaign
If you ask us, nothing is more stunning than strong women sitting in their beauty and embracing it.
So, when Bluebella enlisted the expert help of Team GB Olympic rugby stars Ellie Boatman, Celia Quansah, and Jasmine Joyce for the latest version of their #StrongIsBeautiful campaign, it was a match made in lingerie heaven.
The label started the campaign over eight years ago to help improve teenage girls' confidence when it comes to participating in sports and loving their bodies.
According to Women in Sports' 2022 study, 61% of teenage girls feel judged while participating in sports, with other key barriers including low body image and fear of failure.
'The idea that strength and femininity do not go together is a really damaging perception for keeping women in sport but also more broadly,' said the brand's CEO and Founder, Emily Bendell.
Having previously worked with athletes like Lioness star Fara Williams MBE and Chelsea FC's Reanna Blades, synchronised swimmers Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe, and para-athlete Stef Reid (to name a few), the London-based brand turned to upcoming Olympians Ellie Boatman, Celia Quansah, and Jasmine Joyce as true embodiments of the campaign's message.
The campaign's messaging was a topic close to the player's hearts. Ellie Boatman faced a lack of support as a young player, and during university struggled with disordered eating and poor body image that changed the way she thought about exercise.
'It's something I had to battle through and now training to be strong and fit and healthy is a massive priority to me,' she reflected. 'Fitness should be something you do to look after yourself and to enjoy, not some kind of punishment.
'This Bluebella campaign is about showing girls that sport and fitness can help them feel really empowered, and how they can look muscular and strong, as well as feeling feminine.'
So as the girls shed their kit, the campaign allowed them to reflect on its impact, even on themselves.
'I haven't always felt comfortable in lingerie but after doing this shoot it's definitely made me feel more comfortable in being able to embrace my body and feel empowered,' said Jasmine.
'I think it is really empowering when I wear feminine clothes, like this lingerie shoot,' added Celia. 'That way I can prove that you can be feminine and play rugby. Breaking down that stereotype is so important.'
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