Adidas Frees the Nipple
In a move to promote their new sports bra line, Adidas tweeted all-inclusive photos of 25 sets of breasts -- and we didn't hate it.
BeautyStyle
Just days after an unhinged pastor unironically tweeted that “there is no reason whatsoever for [women] to post pictures of yourself in low cut shirts, bikinis, bra and underwear, or anything similar—ever,” Adidas seems to have issued a formal response.
On Wednesday, the sportswear brand freed the nipple, tweeting out a poster featuring 25 unique sets of breasts to promote its new sports bra line that includes 43 styles, “so everyone can find the right fit for them.”
“We believe women’s breasts in all shapes and sizes deserve support and comfort,” the company wrote in its tweet.
The breasts and accompanying sets of nipples featured in the tweet come in all shapes, sizes, and skin tones, and while I’m not one to stan a corporation, honestly bless Adidas for this. Women’s nipples are wonderful, truly a gift to humanity, and for whatever odd, puritanical reason, we really don’t see enough of them.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the all-inclusive poster has yet to be shared on Facebook or Instagram, whose shared parent company, Meta, says it removes “images of female breasts if they include the nipple,” with the exception of “photos of women actively engaged in breastfeeding or showing breasts with post-mastectomy scarring.”
Still, Adidas’ new sports bra line has certainly caught our attention. The company’s research in conjunction with the University of Portsmouth found at least 90% of women are wearing the wrong size sports bra, and about half of women experience breast pain while exercising, as a result. Adidas says its new sports bra collection “comes in our most extensive and inclusive size range yet,” and is engineered to support all body sizes through the full range of workouts, with light, medium, and high levels of support. And it doesn’t exactly hurt that the styles and colors the brand’s new sports bras come in are pretty chic.
But Adidas’ promotion for its new collection is arguably more exciting than the collection itself. It comes as more and more users and activists are calling out social media platforms for double standards in content moderation, policing, and sexualization of women’s and men’s bodies, or bodies that are perceived as female or male, from removal of photos that feature periods and menstrual blood, to the aforementioned banning of women’s but not men’s nipples on Meta platforms.
So, thanks Adidas — looking forward to your tweet promoting your new line of jock straps!