The Drum: Ro’s Mistake Was Framing Serena’s Motherhood as a Barrier to be Scaled
Everyone’s been discussing Serena Williams’ new ad for Ro, an American weight loss drug.
While many see her speaking out as a breakthrough in normalising the use of such aids, others worry that if an elite athlete is not able to lose weight through diet and exercise, what hope is there for the rest of us?
These are not my concerns about the ad.
But first.
Yes, for many, weight loss drugs can be life-changing, even life-saving.
I also believe that what you choose to do to your body is your choice.
Despite the world’s fascination with them, this applies just as much to our greatest sportsmen and women as to anyone else.
What saddens me about the messaging in this campaign is that Serena makes a real point of the fact that her issues stem from having children.
She said, “After kids, this is the medicine my body needed.”
While she may not be deliberately targeting mothers, her implication that once she became a mother, there was no other way out is the message that many women will take away.
As a regular marathoner and mum of two, I know motherhood brings all sorts of challenges for athletes, and we shouldn’t shy away from talking about these.
However, it’s also important that brands and the media stop portraying having children as a negative turning point for women. For years, mothers in the sports industry were pushed to the sidelines after having babies. It was assumed that, whether professional or amateur, the combination of additional care requirements and physical challenges of pregnancy and birth meant that once you had a child, your best athletic days were behind you. This message was constantly enhanced by a lack of proper representation in advertising and the media.
However, Serena Williams, arguably the greatest female athlete in history, has helped change this perception. Since having her first daughter, she returned to professional tennis, managed to win the ASB Classic and reached the US Open and Wimbledon finals. In parallel, we saw her main sponsor, Nike, produce ads like ‘The Toughest Athletes’ – a film that celebrated pregnant athletes and mothers.
The impact of brands and the media championing women like her is immeasurable. It feels like this exposure has meant that we’re finally at a point where the terms athlete and mother are no longer mutually exclusive, and we’ve now seen this filter through to other areas of both professional and amateur sport; Adidas has produced maternity collections, sportswomen are getting proper maternity leave and welcomed back afterwards, and races are allowing pregnancy deferrals.
My fear from the Ro ad is that Serena’s influential voice, which in the last few years has had such a brilliant impact on how mothers are perceived and perceive themselves, will now work in the opposite way.
Honesty is important, but brands and the media have a responsibility to consider the wider impact of everything they say.
Catrin Kite is the Head of New Business at Dark Horses.