As the Women’s World Cup rapidly approaches, the excitement around women's sports is growing. To capitalise on this cultural moment and encourage women and girls to get involved, Venus’ #MoveYourSkin campaign is returning for its second year. The campaign encourages women and girls to get active and to promote participation, Venus is addressing the issue of skin-consciousness as a potential barrier that might prevent people from playing sport. The brand is using the Women’s World Cup as a springboard to launch the campaign.

The campaign is headed by Lotte Wubben-Moy, international women’s team and Arsenal WFC star. The nationwide media campaign addresses skin-consciousness for women and girls as Wubben-Moy helps Venus to show what real skin looks like in sport. According to research commissioned by Venus, over one-third of women aged 18-45 in the UK say they avoid participating in sports because of their skin’s appearance. So, the campaign has set out to take down this barrier, by showing that skin variety and imperfections are perfectly normal.

Wubben-Moy spoke on the importance of the campaign, saying: “Football should be open to everyone but we all know it’s not, so when we have an opportunity to break down a barrier, we have to take it. That’s why I’m proud to be part of Venus’s #MoveYourSkin campaign for a second year. As a player in the public eye, I sometimes experience insecurities about how I look, but being part of a team boosts your confidence and empowers you to celebrate differences and being unique. That’s something that all girls deserve to find”.

Working towards inclusion, Venus has also partnered with Football Beyond Borders - a youth education charity. Together, they have been trying to teach self-awareness to over 200 young people in the UK, through their module ‘Validate It!’. The efforts go hand-in-hand with the #MoveYourSkin campaign and the aim to overcome potential barriers.

For the campaign, Venus created a new TV advert, out-of-home content, and digital media. The ad features Lotte Wubben-Moy speaking about being proud of her skin. She says all women deserve to be comfortable in their skin, and it shouldn’t get in the way of being active. The TV ad will premier in a break during one of the first Women’s World Cup 2023 fixtures. Kicking off on the 20th of July is Australia vs. Republic of Ireland. As well as this initial showing, it will feature in ad breaks across the tournament, reaching a plethora of women and girls interested in sports. Alongside the 30” TV advert, the campaign is also sponsoring Twitch’s TableTalk series.

Olivia Hughes, Senior Communications Manager for Venus, spoke about the intentions behind bringing back the campaign for a second year. She said, “With another big summer of sports for the women’s game, this is truly about continuing what we started last year when we launched the Venus #MoveYourSkin campaign. We’re so proud to be working with Lotte again to front this campaign and help redefine what real skin in sport looks like”.

“Nothing should hold women and girls back from playing sports and moving their bodies,” says Hughes. The #MoveYourSkin campaign from Venus’ shows how helping to normalise real skin can work to break down real-world barriers such as uptake in sports. Capitalising on the cultural moment of the Women’s World Cup the brand is able to amplify the message of skin acceptance and work to encourage women and girls everywhere to engage in sport.