Holly Worrall
The World's Strongest Man Competition
The World's Strongman Competition is an event that takes place every year, challenging contestants to lift weighted objects in a range of formations and activities. Contestants train throughout the year in order to maintain size and muscle in order to compete and avoid injury. Unlike other muscle weightlifting sports such as bodybuilding, this competition is not about physique. Instead, the focus is on dedication, mental and physical strength and skill. Although each competition is different they usually take place over a few days and include 9 different events. These events are split into type events such as classic, pressing and moving. Contestants are scored on the number of reps they can complete and time they take.
One of these competitors is Brian Shaw, a US athlete who was crowned the worlds strongest man a total of 4 times. Despite the sports small following, Shaw currently has 1.14 million follows on YouTube and 1.1 million on Instagram. His merchandise company, Shawstrength, sells a range of clothing as well as links to supplements and equipment.
The men's shirt section has 18 different designs and the kid's section has 5. However, these neutral designs are nowhere to be found in the women's clothing options which consists of a meagre 3 T-shirts.
Usually, I would not have picked up on the discrepancy, but the shirt designs were so shocking I decided to write to the company.
Unfortunately, I had no response, so decided to send another, more strongly worded email.
Although my solutions may have not been taken into account, I hope that by raising this issue, I have brought to attention the lack of inclusivity and potential room for improvement.
Since this conversation, I am glad to say that a neutral designed shirt is now offered in the women's section, and whilst I still believe a short description explaining the situation may help, this has not yet been added.
