Surfwear Maker Under Fire for 'All Sex, No Surf' Ad

Petition calls it example of sexism in sport
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 13, 2013 1:30 PM CDT
Surfwear Maker Under Fire for 'All Sex, No Surf' Ad
Australia's Stephanie Gilmore competes at Barra da Tijuca beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, last year.   (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A California company that makes clothes for surfers has a new ad featuring pro surfer Stephanie Gilmore. That part's not controversial. What is rankling critics, however, is that Roxy's ad shows Gilmore in bed and in the shower, but never actually, you know, surfing. As a result, three-time world champ Cori Schumacher has collected more than 21,000 signatures on Change.org demanding that Roxy pull the "all sex, no surf" ad, reports the Los Angeles Times.

It's an example of the sexism rampant in the sport, Schumacher argues. "Surfing should be a place where women can show they're strong and powerful. Ads like Roxy's ads prove women are still navigating gender bias that reinforces harmful stereotypes." An over-reaction? Nope, writes Starre Vartan at Mother Nature Network, who happens to be a fan of Roxy swimwear. "It's a simple test, Roxy. If the same video you made of a woman, would seem really, really weird if you made it with a male surfer (just try that thought experiment)—it's probably stupid and sexist," she writes. "This one is a perfect example of that." Schumacher delivered the petition and its signatures this week, but so far no word from Roxy. (More surfers stories.)

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