Women’s sports activist Riley Gaines criticized Adidas for “erasing women” by using men to model a women’s swimsuit.
The former NCAA championship swimmer responded to former transgender influencer Oli London sharing screenshots of Adidas’ “Pride Swimsuit” featuring a male model wearing a $70 one-piece under the “women” section.
“Women’s swimsuits aren’t accessorized with a bulge,” Gaines, who was stripped of her NCAA award by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, tweeted.
She added, “I dont understand why companies are voluntarily doing this to themselves. They could have at least said the suit is ‘unisex’, but they didn’t because its about erasing women. Ever wondered why we hardly see this go the other way?”
The models, described as “they,” have a hairy chest, a visible bulge, and are listed as 6-foot, 2-inch hieght with a 34-inch chest and 27-inch waist.
Adidas said it chose queer designer Rich Mnisi to “honor the LGBTQIA+ community alongside our Global Purpose partner Athlete Ally.”
Part of the swimsuit is made of recycled materials and is marketed as an “exuberant print” that “brings joyful energy to your day at the beach.”
But customers disagree with Adidas. The swimsuit has had hundreds of reviews with the lowest rating possible.
One customer called it “woke trash,” adding they hope the same thing that happened to Bud Light will happen to Adidas after the Anheuser-Busch company partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvany, a biological male who pushes women’s products.
There were hundreds of calls to boycott Adidas online.
“This is much worse than the Bud Light campaign,” one user wrote, with the #BoycottAdidas.