Whether it’s commenting on her hairstyle as she does a difficult flip or suggesting that she buy a better sports bra as she sends a 123mph serve – sexism in sports has become far too common place over the past few weeks. Media commentary that belittles a female athlete’s appearance or objectifies her is becoming a serious issue not only for female athletes, but the next generation of girls.

To challenge this sexist commentary, Dove launched a new digital animated billboard in Times Square (46^th & Broadway) to empower everyone to hold the media accountable for how they report on female athletes. Too often, media commentary references a woman’s appearance in a way that diminishes her accomplishments and chips away at her confidence and holds her back. Reports indicate that 64% of female athletes featured in the media are shown in passive poses (i.e. glamour and sexualized shots) while men are portrayed in action-oriented imagery emphasizing their skill in their respective sport athletic forms.

Billboard content:

o   Features real key phrases pulled from the media regularly; each key phrase is attributed to the news channel it came from, along with when it was mentioned

o   As the comments appear, viewers will watch female athletes disappear before their eyes as the media comments obscure their bodies symbolizing how we lose sight of the whole person when we focus only on appearance

o   When the media only sees a female athletes looks, we don’t see her at all

In addition to launching in Times Square, the animated billboards are live throughout the summer in Los Angeles and Toronto.