Apparel giant adidas launched its “Pride 2023” swimwear collection this week, and eyebrows have risen as a model showcased in the “women’s” section appeared to be a male.
A colorful bathing suit called the “Pride Swimsuit,” which lists for $70, was displayed by what appeared to be a male model as chest hair was visible along with a bulge in the groin area.
A video displayed on adidas’ website shows the camera zooming in to show the chest hair as the model shows off the one-piece bathing suit.
It wasn’t clear how the model identified.
According to adidas, the bathing suit line that was designed by South African Rich Minisi and called “Let Love Be Your Legacy” is described as “a celebration of self-expression, imagination and the unwavering belief that love unites.”
The line was released just ahead of June, which is Pride Month.
The company announced in a news release that the line “is inspired by a love letter Mnisi wrote to his younger self” and acts as “a rallying cry for active allyship to empower and champion the LGBTQIA+ community.”
The photos of the apparent male model drew attention on social media from the likes of Oli London, an Internet personality, and former swim star Riley Gaines, who has been a proponent of limiting women’s sports to biological women.
“The new Adidas Women’s Swimwear Range modeled by…men,” London tweeted, which drew views from more than 1.1 million Twitter handles.
Many have criticized the company for being “woke.”
Gaines, meanwhile, tweeted, “Women’s swimsuits aren’t accessorized with a bulge.
“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?”
Several other items, such as T-shirts, shorts and soccer jerseys, were also apparently modeled by men despite being in the “women’s” section, according to the New York Post.
Adidas is making the splash not long after Bud Light teamed up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which has led to a steep drop in sales.
Time will tell how the public will judge adidas’ latest swimsuit line.
* Article From: Knewz
