FOX NEWS – “Outnumbered” co-host Kayleigh McEnany expressed concern Thursday over “the speed at which” companies are going “woke.” She reacted to a new Adidas ad that used a male model to showcase a women’s swimsuit.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY: Riley Gaines is saying you’re erasing women and that is what is happening. Women are being erased from pop culture, from society, from commercials. But what’s striking to me is the speed at which it’s happening and the rate at which it is happening. … Bud Light, Adidas, every day we’re talking about a new company. College sports, elementary school classrooms, our government. And I want to know why it’s all of a sudden happening. I’m just going to pose a question: is there some central, nonprofit somewhere that’s coordinating this? Like we saw with climate change? Washington Examiner, that explosive report of all these little organizations being funded by one big one? Because this seems coordinated. I’m sorry, I wish a reporter would do some digging on that.
Riley Gaines, a former NCAA swim star who has turned into an activist to keep women’s sports fair and equal, and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., were among those Wednesday who took issue with the model advertising a woman’s Adidas swimsuit as part of the company’s pride collection.
Adidas collaborated with South African designer Rich Mnisi to release the “Let Love Be Your Legacy” collection and campaign. The company attempts to “encourage allyship and freedom of expression without bias, in all spaces of sport and culture” with its campaign with Mnisi.
“In creating this collection, I had a strong impulse to speak to my inner-child and express to the world how LGBTQ+ allyship can create a legacy of love,” Mnisi said in an Adidas news release. “Unifying these themes together through my own visual language and Adidas’ iconic performance and lifestyle pieces is a powerful combination, making the collection a symbol for self-acceptance and LGBTQ+ advocacy. My hope is this range inspires LGBTQ+ allies to speak up more for the queer people they love and not let them fight for acceptance alone.”
One of the models who is seen on the Adidas website in the woman’s bathing suit drew the attention of social media Wednesday.
Adidas said in its news release it partnered with Athlete Ally, “which focuses on ending homophobia and transphobia in sport.”
“Together with Adidas our goal is to drive inclusivity in sport– supporting student athletes from the LGBTQI+ and their allies to push for fair access and safe participation in sport. Through our partnership, we’ve created more affirming athletic spaces to celebrate the community across sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions,” Athlete Ally founder Hudson Taylor said.
