10.25.23
Girls who participate in physical activity—and stay with it through adolescence—are more likely to have higher body confidence and experience benefits throughout their lives. But new research from Dove and Nike reveals that 45% of teenage girls globally drop out of sports—at twice the rate of boys—with low body confidence as the biggest driver.
The two powerhouse brands are taking action to change course.
Dove and Nike have rolled out Body Confident Sport, an online coaching program with a "scientifically-proven" set of coaching tools to build body confidence in 11–17-year-old girls.
In the US, 83% of girls say their coach was the reason they felt more confident and 61% of girls would be interested in hearing from coaches about body confidence education.
Co-developed by the two brands over the course of two years, in partnership with world-renowned experts, including the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Body Confident Sport addresses new findings on how the sports environment impacts girls’ body confidence and self-esteem.
“In sports, girls often face a tremendous amount of pressure – not just around performance and abilities, but also because of unrealistic expectations around their appearances. I am excited to be working with Dove on this initiative to help nurture girls’ self-belief and confidence, foster a positive environment, and shift the conversation from appearance to capability. Our shared goal is to make sports a more inclusive, welcoming space for girls everywhere,” said Williams.
“We know that sports offer girls enormous benefits,” added Laurie Hernandez, the Gold Medal Olympic gymnast. “Coaches and athletes alike have a collective responsibility to create inclusive spaces and positive experiences that give all girls an opportunity to discover the power of sports. Sports fuels confidence, which in turn enables girls to enjoy a lifetime of moving and playing the sports they love. This is why I’m so proud to team up with Nike to support Body Confident Sport.”
According to the new findings from Dove, owned by Unilever, and Nike, the sports environment impacts girls’ body confidence and self-esteem:
• In the US, 48% of girls dropping out were told they don’t have the right body for sports and 56% were objectified or judged on their physical appearance.[1]
• 51% of girls dropping out were told that they are not good enough.
• Yet girls understand the benefits of sport, with 69% saying they would be more body confident if they had stayed in sport for longer.
The Body Confident Sport online coaching tool is proven to reduce self-objectification and increase body-esteem and will be delivered through a global network of organizations in schools and sports clubs, according to Dove. The program builds on Nike’s and Dove’s longstanding commitments to support girls and aims to reach more than one million young people around the world.
The two powerhouse brands are taking action to change course.
Dove and Nike have rolled out Body Confident Sport, an online coaching program with a "scientifically-proven" set of coaching tools to build body confidence in 11–17-year-old girls.
In the US, 83% of girls say their coach was the reason they felt more confident and 61% of girls would be interested in hearing from coaches about body confidence education.
Co-developed by the two brands over the course of two years, in partnership with world-renowned experts, including the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, Body Confident Sport addresses new findings on how the sports environment impacts girls’ body confidence and self-esteem.
Venus Williams & Laurie Hernandez
The brands are tapping their famous athletes for the program—Venus Williams for Dove and Laurie Hernandez for Nike.“In sports, girls often face a tremendous amount of pressure – not just around performance and abilities, but also because of unrealistic expectations around their appearances. I am excited to be working with Dove on this initiative to help nurture girls’ self-belief and confidence, foster a positive environment, and shift the conversation from appearance to capability. Our shared goal is to make sports a more inclusive, welcoming space for girls everywhere,” said Williams.
“We know that sports offer girls enormous benefits,” added Laurie Hernandez, the Gold Medal Olympic gymnast. “Coaches and athletes alike have a collective responsibility to create inclusive spaces and positive experiences that give all girls an opportunity to discover the power of sports. Sports fuels confidence, which in turn enables girls to enjoy a lifetime of moving and playing the sports they love. This is why I’m so proud to team up with Nike to support Body Confident Sport.”
According to the new findings from Dove, owned by Unilever, and Nike, the sports environment impacts girls’ body confidence and self-esteem:
• In the US, 48% of girls dropping out were told they don’t have the right body for sports and 56% were objectified or judged on their physical appearance.[1]
• 51% of girls dropping out were told that they are not good enough.
• Yet girls understand the benefits of sport, with 69% saying they would be more body confident if they had stayed in sport for longer.
The Body Confident Sport online coaching tool is proven to reduce self-objectification and increase body-esteem and will be delivered through a global network of organizations in schools and sports clubs, according to Dove. The program builds on Nike’s and Dove’s longstanding commitments to support girls and aims to reach more than one million young people around the world.