This Girl Can: New advert shows women breastfeeding and menstruating while exercising in lockdown

Campaign celebrates how women have adapted their lives in the pandemic

A new advertisement from Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign champions the ways in which women stayed active in lockdown through various real-life stories.

The short film features women of different body types and ethnicities.

 Many of the women featured are young mothers finding ways to exercise while caring for their children.

Additionally, there are scenes depicting a woman exercising on her period while another is shown breastfeeding her baby while on a walk.

The new advertisement has been released alongside research by Sport England which found that 65 per cent of women said it was important to them to exercise regularly during lockdown.

The cast of women includes Katy, 43, who founded ‘Blaze Trails’, a community of walking parents and children during lock down. 

She is filmed walking with her baby on her back to reflect how this helped her cope with feelings of loneliness in lockdown.

Another woman featured is Aneesa, a 43-year-old mother of two from South London.

Anessa lost her job at the beginning of lockdown and started running HIIT and dance sessions over Zoom, which has allowed her to meet a community of new women.

Kate Dale, campaign lead for This Girl Can, said: “At the beginning of lockdown there was a sense there was a right way to do it. A feeling like we should all be starting new hobbies and getting very fit. 

“But the reality for a lot of women is that we have more demands on our time, and more financial and mental wellbeing challenges.”

Dale added that the campaign celebrates the fact that “there’s no right way to get active”.

“Just like there’s no right way to do lockdown. We’re celebrating all the women getting active in the ways that work for them, no matter what life throws in their way,” she continued. 

“Saying it’s okay to do it when you want, how you want. The pandemic has given many of us a renewed appreciation for the benefits of mental and physical health, and we hope the film will inspire other women to want to feel that joy of moving, whether they’re jogging with their kids, squeezing in a HIIT session in between meetings or trying to walk instead of get the bus to get their steps up.”

This Girl Can was launched by Sport England in 2015 with the aim of closing the gender gap around activity levels for men and women.