The cover of Sports reIllustrated, starring wrestler Honor Dayagaö’ Smoke
The cover of Sports reIllustrated, starring wrestler Honor Dayagaö’ Smoke
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“They have reached 114 million girls in 153 countries to try to get them to have more self-confidence, to believe in their bodies,” King says. “Girls are socialized not to trust our bodies, which is ridiculous, and boys are taught to be brave all time, which is not fair to them either. Now their goal is to get to 250 million young people by 2030. That's amazing.”
To help young female athletes feel more confident while playing sports, Dove has culled the Dove Body Confident Collective, an all-star squad of influential female voices. In addition to King, the partners include New York Liberty Guard Sabrina Elaine Ionescu; tennis champion, entrepreneur and philanthropist Venus Williams; field hockey athlete and coach Kylie Kelce; Olympic long jump gold medalist Tara Davis-Woodhall; Founder of the Women’s National Football Conference Odessa Jenkins and American tennis star Emma Navarro.
“We're all in sports together,” King says. “It's just amazing the relationships you make through sports and the strength that it gives you to figure out who you are in life. So, if we can give these girls in that 11 to 17 age range self-confidence in their bodies, that is huge. I've been in sports my whole life. I know what it's done for me, that it just makes such a difference in life. Relationships are everything, and it creates friendships to be in sports, and it also builds bridges, just like art and music.”
An image from Sports reIllustrated of 12-year-old Paralympic athlete Noelani Spicer
©Taylor Ballantyne ©Ballantyne Films INC
Leading up to the Super Bowl, Dove and the Dove Body Confident Collective are hosting a series of events in New Orleans to raise awareness of the pressure young girls feel about body image and sports. King, along with young female athletes, will interview bold-faced names in sports about this challenge, on February 7.
Additionally, Dove is teaming up with Sports Illustrated to launch the very first ‘Sports reIllustrated’ issue, which shares the inspiring stories of 10 female athletes who are breaking body confidence barriers and pushing boundaries in sports. Honor Dayagaö’ Smoke, a 10-year-old wrestler from the Tonawanda Reservation, is on the cover to spread her message of inclusivity and representation. The launch of the issue, which will be available to subscribers, will be celebrated with a pep rally hosted by Dove in New Orleans on February 6 ahead of the big game, attended by members of the Dove Body Confident Collective, including King.
“Dove is trying to help make this world a better place by getting these girls to believe in themselves, no matter what happens in their life, that they'll have the self-confidence that's so important to each and every human being,” King says. “It's really important that every child, every person, has a chance to believe in themselves. They have a chance to follow their dreams. For girls, if they're in sports, they tend to become leaders, and they're able to follow their dreams. This goes much deeper and broader than just being in sports.” Report this page