Under Armour’s ‘woke’ history explored amid ongoing Adidas and Nike boycott

As several sportswear brands come under fire for their ‘woke’ advertisements, many have wondered whether Under Armour should be the next to be cancelled. In light of the recent Adidas swimsuit controversy, conservative netizens have taken to the internet hoping that the former brand does not believe in liberal ideologies as well. However, their earlier antics have come to light.

Adidas recently debuted their Pride 2023 swimwear collection that featured a model that appeared to be male, in the website’s “women’s section.” He could be seen wearing one of their swimsuits.

Netizens pointed out how they noticed a patch of chest hair on the model and a noticeable bulge in the crotch area. Several other models who appeared to be male also modelled clothing items under the women’s section.

It remains unclear as to whether the models were male or transgender. As the collection drew more eyes, netizens announced that they were boycotting the brand for going “woke.”

The brand’s competitor Nike also came under fire after partnering with transgender activist and influencer Dylan Mulvaney. In the paid partnership, she showed off the brand’s leggings and sports bra. Netizens were furious and Caitlyn Jenner also criticized the collaboration.

With the two brands coming under fire for supporting the LGBTQ community, many wondered whether Under Armour has similar beliefs. They wrote online:

Under Armour’s ‘woke’ history explored

Although Under Armour had not created similar advertisements that featured members of the LGBTQ community in the past, their feminist ad campaign came under fire from conservatives. In the aforementioned ad that was released in 2022, they showed a woman running in Under Armour gear and also wrote:

Under Armour is not the only brand that received backlash for their feminist advertisement. Recently, Miller Lite came under fire for their “woke” ad that put brands on blast for objectifying women to sell products.

In 2021, an Under Armour whistleblower exposed the company for forcing Caucasian employees to watch anti-White diversity training views. It was mandatory for them to take part in the seminar that would educate them on how they might be racist or privileged.

Employees were asked to take into consideration whether they went to a predominantly White school, whether they attended funerals or weddings which consisted of only White people and more.

Several netizens were outraged and announced that they would not be buying from the brand again as the training supported critical race theory. The same prescribes the notion that all institutions are inherently racist. Former president Donald Trump criticized the same in the past by stating that it was toxic propaganda that was destroying the country.

At the moment, Adidas continues to bear the brunt for their unpopular swimsuit collection.

About the author

Karishma is a trending writer at SK POP. With a BA in Journalism, Psychology and Literature, Karishma, who has closely followed the latest internet trends from a young age, found her role at SK POP to be the perfect fit for her professional qualifications and personal interests.

She has nearly 3 years of experience in the industry and has interned with The Hindu and Deccan Herald. In her role at Sportskeeda, Karishma covers a range of topics at the pop division, but she believes her skills as a journalist are best reflected while creating impactful and research-intensive stories. For her, no other step in the writing process is as crucial as fact-checking with multiple sources and accurately conveying facts and data.

Karishma holds deep admiration for artists Luke Jerram and Yoshitomo Nara's authenticity and originality, who are her favorite icons. When not ideating her next story, Karishma can be seen deeply engrossed in a book.

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