“This is what I call a perfect ad for sports clothing.”: #Nikehateswomen trends as old photo of Chloe Kelly resurfaces amidst Dylan Mulvaney scandal

Nike has been facing tremendous backlash after controversial influencer Dylan Mulvaney shared a series of photos from a paid partnership with the brand.

The internet was furious when Dylan, a transgender content creator, shared images of herself in a pair of leggings and a sports bra on her Instagram account, tagging Nike Women, and providing links for the product pages.

Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies has called for a boycott of the sportswear brand due to its paid partnership with Dylan. Many questioned the brand for partnering with the influencer, claiming Dylan has nothing to do with any sport.

Twitter user @SineadPaghan shared an image of English footballer Chloe Kelly spinning her jersey in the air and revealing her Nike sports bra after scoring the winning goal for England in the UEFA Euro 2022 final.

The user described it as the perfect ad for sports clothing and claimed that sportswear, worn by an actual athlete during a real-time sporting event, is something that should be the best kind of ad.

The majority seemed to have an issue with the influencer being a transwoman. Netizens said that the brand should have paid someone who is a biological woman to promote its sportswear.

A few others accused the brand of exploiting the LGBTQIA+ community. The influencer also received criticism for accepting the sponsorship deal.

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Netizens say Nike should have paid footballer Chloe Kelly for a partnership

As photos of English athlete Chloe Kelly in Nike's sportswear surfaced on Twitter, people started opining that Kelly, a real sportswoman, should have been made to promote the brand, instead of Dylan Mulvaney, who has no real connection with sports.

The hashtag #NikeHatesWomen and #BoycottNike started trending universally on Twitter after the internet was angered by the brand's decision to choose Dylan Mulvaney to promote its sports bra.

Some also pointed out that Chloe Kelly looks fit and healthy while Dylan Mulvaney looks ill, which they claimed is not a good ad for sportswear.

Sharron Davies spoke on the Dan Wootton Tonight Show and expressed her frustration over Dylan Mulvaney’s paid partnership with the sports brand. She said:

“It's so frustrating. We take two steps forward with World Athletics and Swim England protecting women's sport and then Nike does this.”

Davies called the ad a parody of women. She said that in the past, the phrase “run like a girl” was always seen as an insult, while Dylan behaved in a very unathletic and unsporty way in her TikTok video where she was promoting the brand.

Davies added:

"And it's so frustrating when only 1% of the USA sponsorship dollar goes to females in sports. That Nike would do this feels like a kick in the teeth.”

Dylan Mulvaney and the Bud Light controversy

Dylan Mulvaney, a biological male who identifies as a woman and uses she/they pronouns, is yet to have gender reassignment surgery. She is currently using gender-affirming hormone therapy to help her transition.

The 26-year-old influencer gained recognition while documenting her transition journey on TikTok and Instagram. She also recently celebrated her 365 days of being a girl and received a heartfelt congratulatory letter from Vice President Kamala Harris.

However, the internet has not been quite happy with the influencer's recent partnership deals. Prior to her deal with the popular sports brand, netizens were outraged by her partnership with Budweiser's sub-brand Bud Light.

Many claimed that the alcohol brewer was forgetting its major customer base and started calling for boycotting the brand as well. Country singer Travis Tritt also mocked the influencer and her deal with Bud Light.

However, a lot of trans activists and LGBTQIA+ allies defended the influencer and stood up against the trans criticism both Dylan and Bud Light were facing.