'We like the way you move' says This Girl Can
A new campaign from Sport England's This Girl Can is rewriting the narrative of what getting active looks like for women who don’t feel they belong in the world of physical activity.
The new ‘We Like the Way You Move’ campaign is a powerful, vibrant celebration of every chapter of women’s lives, highlighting how they move through life, in all their strength, beauty and individuality. It honours the different ways women choose to move for themselves, through simple, everyday routines or moments of intentional movement.
Research from This Girl Can shows that despite knowing the longer-term benefits of being active, many women are less familiar with the more immediate benefits exercise can bring. Many also sadly still feel excluded by society and sometimes by our sector – with only 11% of our women feeling they completely belong in the world of exercise. And one in five have felt so unwelcome in an activity setting that they’ve never gone back to that activity.
Small changes can make a big difference. The way activities are offered to women, the language and imagery used when promoting them, and the experience women have when taking part can all affect how willing women are to engage in physical activity.
This phase of the campaign aims to motivate more women to seek out activities which truly work for them and their needs. It will also support providers to deliver welcoming and inclusive opportunities to be active, making sure no woman is left behind.
Kate Dale, This Girl Can’s Director of Marketing, said:
"A picture is worth a thousand words and our findings are clear: some women remain underrepresented in the physical activity spaces that should welcome them. And if you don’t see yourself pictured, it’s hard to believe you belong there. When women are left out, they miss out on the physical, mental and social benefits of being active, which deepens health inequalities across the country.
"The sport and physical activity sector has made some great progress on inclusion, but our research shows there is more work to do to reach all women. From offering women-only sessions to creating more low-impact classes to supporting with childcare on site, we want more physical activity providers to make real changes on the ground so that women have genuine choice in how they get moving.
"Over the last decade, This Girl Can has inspired over four million women to get active, but while inequality persists our work is not done. We’re here for the women left behind. Together we can change the picture of what women getting active looks like."
We all belong
Our strategy ‘We all belong’ connects powerfully to This Girl Can’s new campaign, exploring the important theme of belonging. It links to our vision of a future where all disabled people feel they belong in sports and activities.
Research from our most recent Annual Disability and Activity Survey shows that disabled women (37%) are less likely to feel they are given the opportunity to be as active as they want to be compared to 48% of disabled men, 62% of non-disabled women and 78% for non-disabled men.
Opportunity and representation matter, and we continue our mission as a charity to improve opportunities to be active, empowering disabled people to get involved in sports and activities in the way they choose.
