(New York Post) Adidas this week launched its “Pride 2023” swimwear collection, advertising bathing suits on its web site under the “women’s” section with the help of a model that appeared to be male.
One of the bathing suits — a colorful one-piece called the “Pride Swimsuit” that was being advertised for $70 — was being shown off by an apparently male model who also was also displaying a noticeable bulge in the crotch area.
An accompanying video on Adidas’ site shows the model sashaying in the one-piece, with the camera at one point zooming to reveal a patch of chest hair rising above the neckline.
It was unclear if the model identifies as a male or is transgender.
Adidas and Mnisi didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
The new line by South African designer Rich Mnisi, dubbed “Let Love Be Your Legacy” and released ahead of Pride Month in June, is “a celebration of self-expression, imagination and the unwavering belief that love unites,” according to Adidas’ site.
Adidas on Tuesday dropped its Pride 2023 collection, and social media users are outraged that the clothing’s gender labels don’t align with the model’s appearance.OliLondonTV/Twitter
In a press release on Monday, Adidas said the line “is inspired by a love letter Mnisi wrote to his younger self,” serving as “a rallying cry for active allyship to empower and champion the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Internet personality Oli London tweeted the screenshots from Adidas’ site on Wednesday morning with the caption: “The new Adidas Women’s Swimwear Range modeled by…men.”
By the afternoon, more than 1.1 million Twitter users saw the tweet — many of which were quick to slam the brand for going “woke.”
Among the replies was one former NCAA swim star and women’s rights activist Riley Gaines. “Women’s swimsuits aren’t accessorized with a bulge,” she tweeted.
Former NCAA swim star and women’s rights activist Riley Gaines weighed in on the controversial images.Riley Gaines/Twitter
Gaines continued: “I don’t understand why companies are voluntarily doing this to themselves. They could have at least said the suit is ‘unisex,’ but they didn’t because it’s about erasing women. Ever wondered why we hardly see this go the other way?”
In another reply, a user tweeted: “I have breasts, hips and no need for an extra pouch of fabric around my labia. I guess that means this bathing suit isn’t for me.. or most women. In which other instance do companies advertise to a demographic of ~1%? Women make up ~50% and we’re struggling lol! Make it make sense.”
The same user, who goes by June on the site, later responded that she “can accept” Adidas not wanting “real women as a customer,” but instead urged the brand to “sell it in an LGBT category” rather than marketing it as a women’s bathing suit.
