Dear Under Armour,
Congrats! You did it again.
And that’s not a good thing.
News traveled quickly this week that your line of Under Armour Star Wars tech gear was available. I went to the site myself, hoping to find some new gear for the two Star Wars themed races I have pending on my calendar.
And then this happened.
Are you kidding me, Under Armour?
First you broke my heart with the poor options for women and girls in you Alter Ego line. A grand total of ONE Superman shirt for women and four items for girls.
Oh- and three of them were pinked up to make it more girlie.
Look, I’m not opposed to a little pink and frivolity, but would it kill you to market to women and girls without assuming they want to be frilly?
And now, this?
I was hopeful when I heard that Star Wars was featured through Under Armour. I love UA; I love Star Wars. This was going to be a beautiful moment between me, you, and my (Star Wars) Visa card.
Alas, no.
In case your marketing department is lost in the 1970s (which it appears they might be), women and moms comprise the heft of purchase power in 2015.
58% of all online purchases are made by, you guessed it, women.
As far as Under Armour and your products specifically?
I know I’ve bought my fair share. The products are quality, the women’s lines fit beautifully, and they are affordable.
However.
Let me help you out with some research. Did you know that women made up the majority of runners at the 2015 Star Wars Half Marathon and 10K events?
In case you are sitting there saying, “Annndd…?” I’ll cut to the chase.
This means we need tech gear to run in. And probably would have bought some Star Wars themed items from UA if, you know, they fit us.
Can women wear men’s lines? Sure.
Do we love looking like boxes? Nope.
We love running, working out, superheroes and science fiction and supporting our daughters in those interests as well.
My own daughter’s favorite character for the past two years is Iron Man. And her options to show her love for the big guy are very limited. Give her an Iron Man shirt to run in? I promise you she would run away from Girl Meets World and take a mile in a shirt like that. Sometimes, the clothes are the motivation when we are talking to a 10-year-old mind.
And maybe a 41-year-old mind as well.
It looks like I’m not alone in my complaints. Taking a peek at your Facebook page, there’re plenty of folks decrying your lack of gender equality when it comes to sportswear.
And it’s clearly NOT just a Star Wars or Alter Ego issue. It seems UA doesn’t offer girls lines in other styles as well.
Sigggghhhhh… why, Under Armour, whhhhyyy???
If you need a hint on how to sell to women in the geek/nerd market: here you go.
Check out Her Universe. Ashley Eckstein is one businesswoman who understands what we want, what we need, and what makes us feel special. She markets to all ages, all sizes, and you’ll be hard pressed to find pink splashed randomly in her clothing line.
Under Armour, I’d like a response. As a returning customer to your brand, I think I’m owed one.
And for goodness sake… I’d love a damn shirt that fits my boobs and waist but allows me to show my geekiness while working out.
Update: from Twitter this morning.
Looks like we are being heard, ladies! @AskTeamUA confirmed an expanded Alter Ego line as well as Star Wars line to come. No word on the timeframe, but let’s hope we can order before January! I appreciate the quick response to my concerns. That’s how you earn back some credibility, Under Armour. Thank you.
How do you feel about the issue? Do you think women have a legitimate complaint here?
Patty Holliday has been running Disney since 2011. She knows just about every tip, trick, and hack there is to cover the runDisney Magical Miles at Disney World and Disneyland. She knows every mile isn’t *always* magical- but with training, tips, and a little bit of pixie dust, they can be a lot of fun! You can also find her at noguiltlife.com and noguiltfangirl.com
Kim
Saturday 21st of November 2015
Sadly, I have little faith in UA's ability to deliver. They have been promising an expended line of Women's Alter Ego since 2014. I would love some awesome race gear, but I'm stuck trying to fit into boys shirt.
patty
Saturday 21st of November 2015
So disappointing isn't it?
Friday Favorites: Race weekend! | A Little More Each Day
Friday 6th of November 2015
[…] with only men and boys items. Cue sad trombone and lots of angry women (and men). Check out more here and here. Fingers crossed, it looks like they’re going to be addressing this oversight and […]
Amanda Doppler
Wednesday 4th of November 2015
Great summary, Patty! I'll tell you, this has so many up in arms, women and men alike! Despite multiple attempts to reach Under Armour via social media and email, there have been a flood of women and men who have made comments and expressed concerns on the Under Armour Facebook page and Twitter, myself included, to which the only response Under Armour has had is removing all of the comments, none of which were negative or distasteful in any way. (From someone who has a background in Marketing, this social media suicide tactic is distasteful and in all honesty worse than their initial mistake of making women feel excluded.) Not only are women upset about the clothing line and their questions being unanswered, but now being erased and rendered invalid and unworthy of a response or even existence on their web page.
Upon discovering what I had hoped was an error on their website immediately following the launch of the clothing line, I reached out to them, and then created the petition on Change.org to encourage communication with UA in hopes to get somewhere further than unanswered emails and deleted messages from social media.
We obviously want to know if there is a future line in the making for women and girls, and when we can expect it. The next movie in the series is to be released December 18th in theatres, so why the lack of preparation? One would think after the last Alter Ego SuperHero™ mishap with the women's line that they would have taken that critical feedback seriously. Having this clothing line in time for the movie launch would be ideal, that's for certain. Another question that I presented to the UA team is why there hasn't been a female athlete featured on their Athlete Empowerment section on Facebook in over 2 months. At this point, I really feel it's a gender biased issue, and I'm willing to discuss this with someone at their company if given the opportunity, as stated in an email I penned to a few of their marketing and communications personnel.
In your article you state the possibility of a future Imperial Gear clothing line for women. The previous collection which excluded women and girls, Under Armour® Alter Ego SuperHero™ took an extensive period of time to plan and release after the initial launch of the men's clothing line, which ended in another huge disappointment as the women's line was a small selection of items which were not appealing to women at all. My main goal is to restore balance in the galaxy again and to bring back empowerment of women.
Thank you for highlighting this story! I really enjoyed your piece!
May The Force always be with you and yours,
Amanda Doppler
Please don't forget to sign my petition!
https://www.change.org/p/under-armour-we-find-your-lack-of-women-girls-star-warstm-merch-disturbing-petition-to-add-star-warstm-alter-ego-imperial-women-s-girl-s-line?recruiter=17361035&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
Suzanne
Wednesday 4th of November 2015
I was really disappointed about no Star Wars. The alter ego as well. I'm fairly loyal to Marvel and no offense to DC but it's not what I'm looking for let alone pinked out. I have been wearing my @heruniverse Marvel and Star Wars tanks on my runs for the past year. They may not be tech material but she has the styles and options I want. I've been hoping she would branch out to include a tech line. I'm glad UA commented and are coming out with something good soon.
patty
Wednesday 4th of November 2015
I hope it's soon- I really do. But we've been waiting for Alter Ego to expand for a year now. Gah! And you know I love me some Her Universe too! If someone will make an Agents of SHIELD shirt and capris, I would JUST DIE A HAPPY NERD.
Rachel
Wednesday 4th of November 2015
Preach it, sister! I'm not a huge Star Wars fan myself, but I was mighty disappointed with all the pink superhero stuff. I hate pink!
patty
Wednesday 4th of November 2015
Amen!