In the age of Kendall and Kylie, these types of fashion darlings seem to be the "go-to" girls casted as the faces of major brands. Stunning girls? Of course. But they seem to be the obvious choices. Most recently sportswear brands seem to be gravitating toward the hype of these models. Sure their influences are enormous and the companies may think that they will branch out to new customers by reaching their millions of followers. However, at what cost? To lose the true purpose of your brand which is to sell athletic clothing? If you haven't heard of this here is a running list of some of the "non-athletes" who have been chosen to represent athletic brands:
Gigi Hadid for Reebok
Kylie Jenner for Puma
Bella Hadid for Nike
Karlie Kloss for Nike and Adidas
Kendall Jenner for Adidas
With these announcements, to say that many people are disappointed in the model choices is an understatement. In the online publication Racked, Ellie Krupnick wrote, "Want to Sell Me Sportswear? Show Me an Athlete". And this was only one of many articles criticizing these brands. In her article she referenced Olympic gold medalist Meryl Davis who spoke out on this issue through twitter. In her tweet she said, "I'll take the one promoted by the athlete please," with a picture collage of Bella Hadid in Nike, Kylie Jenner in Puma, and gymnast Aly Raisman in Reebok.
But if these girls are simply modeling these clothes then why should it matter? Non-athletes can wear sportswear too. But in that statement, the brand loses its primary purpose: to support athletic activity.
As an athlete, I see the emotion that goes into a sport. In any sport, there is so much heart put into it on top of hours and hours of training that it seems obvious that people wouldn't support a brand ambassador who has never experienced the same sacrifices as an actual athlete. This isn't to say that these girls don't workout. They probably have spent their fair share of time in the gym. But the difference is that supermodels train to look their best while athletes train for performance. They workout for thin waists and perky butts and wear sportswear as an "athleisure" fashion statement. Athletes train to become the best athlete they can be and they need suitable performance clothing.
I'm not saying that sportswear brands should strictly use professional athletes given that most of their customers aren't professionals. Karlie Kloss is a model who has most recently posted about beginning her marathon training and I think that she is a suitable choice to represent Nike. It is refreshing to see Karlie's journey through her newfound love of running and I think that it is relatable to normal girls who are interested in fitness. In addition, DJ and fitness blogger Hannah Bronfman is a global Adidas ambassador and as a non-professional athlete I love that she was chosen to represent the brand. She is constantly posting updates of her training that it is inspiring to see her passion for fitness.
These types of girls are athletes.
The models? They should stick to fashion. And while I admire their athliesure styling and sculpted abs, they have no place to be in campaigns of sportswear brands.
Want to sell me sportswear? Show me a girl who knows what it means to be an athlete.
And someone please correct Kylie's running form.