Nike has come under fire for paying a transgender influencer to model one of its sports bras in a sponsored social media post.
Dylan Mulvaney, a 26-year-old Broadway actress and TikTok star, posted videos and photos to her Instagram page, tagging Nike Women and adding the hashtag "Nike partner", indicating the post had been sponsored by the sportswear brand.
It is unclear how much she was paid, but influencers are thought to earn tens of thousands of pounds per post when promoting high-profile brands.
Despite posing in a sports bra, Mulvaney has not yet had gender reassignment surgery, and is currently on hormones to help her transition into a woman.
The campaign has led to outrage on social media, with critics questioning why a biologically male model without breasts had been asked to model a sports bra.
Milli Hill, a feminist author, said she found the advert “more insulting than words can articulate”.
She wrote on Twitter: “What happened to all the stuff about realistic female bodies in women's marketing?
“How does this fit into that narrative where - it felt like - progress was being made? How should my teen daughters interpret this messaging?”
Matt Hoy, a former singer with UB40, shared one of the videos of Mulvaney on Twitter and called for people to “stand up for all women and end this degrading attack globally”.
“Respect real women. Stop mocking real women,” he added.
It is not the first time that Nike has used a trans star in their marketing. Mara Gomez, the first trans woman to play in Argentina's professional football league, starred in the brand’s “Play New” campaign in 2021.
Nike has previously come under fire for its treatment of women. Allyson Felix, the Olympic sprinter, criticised its “disrespectful and tone deaf” attitude after she was asked to do an advertising campaign about female empowerment while in the midst of negotiating maternity rights with the company.
Nike was approached by The Telegraph for comment.
