Menssäkrad is sponsor of new football jersey highlighting inequalities in the sport.
We are happy to announce that Menssäkrad is one of the sponsors of Petra Penlau’s project at Konstfack, where she highlights sports inequalities with a football jersey designed by herself. We asked Petra to introduce herself and her project, read her introduction below.
I am Petra Penlau (she/her), currently studying a master in Visual Communication at Konstfack. In my design practice, I aim to create designs that are not just visually impactful but also communicate a clear, meaningful message. I am dedicated to crafting designs that are well-researched, conceptually driven and have a reason to be in the world. This aligns perfectly with my passion for learning and engaging with issues of gender inequality – and as you might know, once you start being aware of the issues, it becomes impossible to ignore them. Gender inequality exists in all industries – and as a former football player, I naturally looked into this industry. An area hard to miss given its constant presence in the media.
I had of course already noticed the obvious: the news mainly focuses on men’s football. When the national team is mentioned, it is by default the men’s team, while the women’s team is specifically labeled as such. In 2022, the Danish women’s national team played their first game in Parken, Copenhagen’s largest stadium, where the men had already played at least 100 times. I began to delve deeper into gender inequalities in the world of football, and here are three highlights from my research:
82% of female football players experience foot pain because football boots are designed for men.
Male football players earn approximately 174 times more than female players.
In FIFA’s video game database, out of 17,000 players, only 368 are women.
Sadly, this is just a glimpse of the inequality in football.
As mentioned, graphic design makes the most sense to me, when I am able to incorporate important matters into my work. This is why I decided to design a jersey that combines classic football aesthetics with a clear message about the gender inequality in the industry – hoping people would wear it and inspire others to demand change.
The designs on the shirt are all created by me, inspired by classic football jersey graphics, recreating standard logos and coat of arms into activist symbols. Moreover, I wanted to challenge the typical sponsors on football jerseys, which often come from male-dominated sectors like gambling, breweries, car brands, airlines, cryptocurrency, and hardware stores. So I asked myself what logos I had never seen on a football jersey, and what kind of sponsor that would truly resonate with me as a woman. So, now I ask you: have you ever seen a logo for a menstrual product on a football jersey?
It is time promote relevant, important and female-oriented companies – and that is why I reached out to Menssäkrad asking them to become a sponsor of the project. To my luck, they said yes right away. So here we are, with a feminist football jersey featuring a menstrual product logo as the main sponsor. Let this become the new normal, please!
If you are interested in getting your own Sports Justice jersey and join the movement, send a message to @petrapenlaudesign on Instagram or email me at petrapenlau@icloud.com
