Heraean is a campaign to get young girls and women engaged with sports, focusing on removing the mental or physical barriers that prevent girls from getting onto, or staying on, the fields and courts.
Motion
Artist/Thesis Statement
When Senior Studio first started, I was considering doing a project involving skiing since it’s something I’m passionate about. While trying to think of a way to incorporate this topic into my project, I stumbled across an article about former Olympic ski racer, Lindsey Vonn. The article described how she addressed ruthless comments about her body and weight gain on social media. Vonn stated, “I always remember how my body has helped me achieve amazing things in my life and I am proud of how strong I am,” she continued. “I’m not a size zero and that’s perfectly fine with me.”
Women in sports are constantly being reduced to the way their bodies look in a way that men aren’t. The focus is more on what they’re wearing or what they look like rather than their actual achievements and contributions to athletics. This got me thinking about how many other discrepancies and inequalities there are in women’s sports. I found myself down a rabbit hole of research on this topic and was shocked at what I found. And thus, Hereaean was born.
The Heraean Games, held in the Olympic stadium in 776 BC, were instituted as the first athletic competition for women and helped undercut the gendered segregation of Greek society. Since then, there have been great strides made in women’s sports, but inequality still remains.
Sports were a really big part of my high school experience. I played volleyball and ran track all throughout high school, which taught me valuable skills such as teamwork and resilience. However, I remember feeling very discouraged when it seemed like my sport wasn’t taken seriously. My volleyball team was consistently winning matches and breaking records while the football team was barely winning any games, and yet still garnered more support and funding. This is why I created Heraean, a campaign to get young girls and women engaged with sports, focusing on removing the mental or physical barriers that prevent girls from getting onto, or staying on, the fields and courts.
Heraean exists to enable girls and women to reach their potential in sport and life. To be the ally, advocate, and catalyst for tomorrow’s leaders. Our mission is to enable all girls and women to reach their potential in sports and life. We educate. We advocate. We help communities get girls active. There’s a long way to go but we’re not going to stop until we get there. We’re building a future where every girl and woman can play, be active, and realize her full potential. We’re building a movement of movement. It’s time to transform the game so that every girl and woman can realize her power. Through social media, our website, and extensive campaigning, Heraean helps bring awareness of the barriers that women in sports face every day. But more importantly, we strive to inspire and promote young, aspiring athletes.
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