This girl can

I must admit I've not actually seen the advert, I know when it first aired there was a little furore about it but without having seen it I can't really comment.

However, as someone who lives in a gym kit I think anything that empowers or encourages anyone to any form of exercise can only be a good thing.

I'll go and YouTube the ad.....

I love the ad and particularly that it includes women of different ages and sizes as well as a disabled girl. It is a bit vague, but I still think it's encouraging and motivating women into sport/exercise, so I don't mind that. I love the ads with Harvey the dog and they are literally adverts for advertising.

I like it.

When I (bother to) go to the gym I sweat like a pig and go all red faced. I get self conscious seeing some of the girls who go there with a full face of makeup and pretty much just pose on the machines so it's good to see an advert showing what 'real' girls look like when they work out or do some form of exercise.

Sounds like its going down really well, glad its something positive that's doing the job ☺

I don't really like the "I jiggle therefore I am" stuff (I know it's meant to be lighthearted but do we STILL have to imply that a woman is defined by her body?) Overall I think it's a great campaign. I was never into sport when I was younger but I love exercise now - when I've done a really good workout I feel like superwoman!

The idea of the campaign is good, get more women exercising and making it a part of their lives - but the advert annoys me. I thought I read somewhere that it was a twitter campaign? #thisgirlcan?

I have seen the advert quite a few times and had no idea what it was for. I don't enjoy exercise so seeing other women enjoying it is not going to encourage me. Maybe if they made it more about health I'd feel guilted into doing more. If that's the point? I'm still not sure what the point is?

I really like the advert and the ideas behind it. Certainly when I started jogging one of the things I was worried about was the way I would appear to other people (overweight, red and sweating). Living in a village where everyone knows everyone else I was quite intimidated to go out and exercise in front of all my neighbors. However, I have had nothing but positive reactions and I think if this advert encourages other women to stop worrying about what other people think and get out there and do something for themselves and their health that's fantastic.

Was having this conversation last night with one of my friends! The one that annoyed me recently, in my regular spin class on a Tuesday night, a group of girls turned up, face full of make-up (more than I even wear on a night out!) and gabbing the whole way through the class, texting and on their phones, and they were looking at me like I had a problem because I broke a sweat. It does make you self conscious, when you get looked at funny for doing what you are meant to do in a class or the gym, its so frustrating and disheartening at times, but I try not to let it put me off too much and I keep going back.

I think the point is that exercise doesn't have to be about staying healthy. It's supposed to show that women can enjoy sport. Like football, netball, swimming etc.

That's how I see the ad anyway.

I read that they did a survey to see why so few women exercise compared to men and an overwhelming percentage said they would like to exercise more, but they feel too self conscious/like they might be judged. So the add and the campaign are supposed to encourage women to get out there and enjoy sport/physical activity and ot worry what people are thinking about them.

I love the advert, whatever it means, it shows real women working hard

I go to the gym at work and took another person with me as they'd not been before and gym bunnies can be intimidating. This person didn't break a sweat, didn't shower and sprayed her clothes with a bodyspray before returning to the office, her only comment 'you do go for it, don't you?' I was very red and sweating....

It makes sense now but It seems to be a strange thing to do an advert about. Aren't there more pressing issues they could focus on?

I actually think it is quite a pressing issue, for Sports England who made the video anyway. Apparently they discovered that 2 million less women than men exercise regularly in the UK. I guess their whole remit as an organisation is probably to get as many people as possible participating in sport so this is a really obvious discrepancy to target.

Their target audience for the campaign is women between 14-40 and three quarters of women in the age group when asked said they would like to exercise more but the main reason they didn't was because of fear of judgement. So I think for Sports England, its quite a clever way to target a huge portion of the population and hopefully give them some confidence and motivation to participate in sport.

I gotta say it irritated me when I first saw it, I felt it was patronising that encouraging women to exercise had to say things like "don't worry if you suck, you can still try!" and "don't worry about sweating and looking bad", it felt a little bit like they were handling quivering children with oven gloves. I feel motivated by things that encourage me to fight through and push myself to excel and achieve etc.

But then I realised those ads aren't aimed at me because I do a lot of gym and sports and don't care a toss what I look like and I understand that sweating is good, all that seems normal to me. Then I felt sad that the reality is that there must be a huge, maybe majority portion of women who don't exercise because they feel self-conscious and feel like they're not capable. I think back to my school days at how many girls hated P.E. and realise this is for them. It does make me feel incredibly sad that any woman (or man) should feel insecure to the point that they can't engage in healthy exercise.

aly I think there's a anti-try hard culture, thinking about it now when a group of my friends and I aimed to do some running, I got tons of comments that felt a little bit like digs about being competitive and that I try too hard. To me it made perfect sense that I would do my best and get a time I was proud of, I was competing with my own expectations not anyone else, thinking back I think people say those things because they feel afraid to try that hard themselves in case they draw attention to themselves and fail. Whereas really to have done your best is the greatest anti-fail, it's the only way to gain anything. This applies not only to sport but things like academic or work achievements. Think about how many people you knew who used to say "oh I haven't studied at all, honestly I've done no work" and come out with an A, it's setting a lower bar out of fear.

Yep. When I used to run, it was a big mental hurdle for me to go out without makeup and my hair scraped back. I got over it, but it was a thing.

When I was a kid at school, I wasn't very good at sport. I wanted to be, but just wasn't - not my area of expertise!!! However, all our PE lessons were very competitive and often based on co-ordination, of which I had little.

My PE teacher only bothered with the girls who were good at sport so she pretty much ignored me and my unco-ordinated body and I was able to muck about and generally do nothing much. When I reached sixth form, I found badminton and discovered my sport - she immediately wanted to be my best friend. I pretty much resented that and so stopped trying to be good, mucked about as usual and forced her attention elsewhere.

Had she given more of a rat's arse about general fitness and encouraging a love of sport, I might have done better and been more inclined to exercise now.

As it stands, I now do some yoga in my own home every morning and I don't give a monkey's if the neighbours are looking in and laughing, and I go for an hour's walk every Thursday. It may not be much, but it's a start and it's about all I can manage with my arthritic old joints!! I do wish I'd had that encouragement to keep trying even if I wasn't very good when I was a kid at school though - maybe I wouldn't be trying to lose 6.5 stone now if I had!!!

So for me, this advert says something great and if it encourages just a few self-conscious women to get up and do something, then it's worth it.

At school it was awful. I loved sport and played Netball, Hockey, Football and Rounders regularly as well as doing lots of PE and after school clubs. I didnt wear much make up as I had PE every day and got my hair cut short because it was just easier to dry shampoo it (not nice showers at my school, nor time between lessons). Apparently this made me a lesbian and I was horrifically bullied for it.

Nowadays, I don't care what I look like. I am exercising and keeping my body and mind healthy. I go to play netball of an evening and there's girls i've marked with a full face of make up on who wont get sweaty, just in case their make up runs. It makes me want to play harder and MAKE her run after me. There are others who will refuse to wear under-armour even in minus 5 degrees because they need to show their legs off.

I run on my own because of this. Saturday morning I stumble out of bed into my running gear and I'm off. Hair all over the place, glasses on, mascara panda eyes.

It shouldn't be like that. Vanity shouldn't be part of sport/exercise. I love coming home a sweaty mess because I've pushed myself and worked hard.

This was totally me at school bekkijane even down to the badminton bit, which I discovered in my last year at school! I really wish PE had focused more on general fitness and that they had yoga and aerobics type options instead of just football, rugby, volleyball, basketball and the other competitive team sport options I was offered. If they had I might have not spent the first 30 years of my life thinking sport just wasn't for me.

Yeah, I was never remotely encouraged at school either. After my third hip surgery when I was 14 I managed to convince a consultant to permanently write me out of PE. I dunno how I did it, but I was overjoyed at the time cos I hated it so much. Looking back it was a mistake, but I had already grown to loathe all forms of exercise so much that it seemed like the only option.

I have always suffered a bit with social anxiety and PE at school was one of the worst things I have ever had to do in terms of this. To be forced to join a team in which you know you are going to let everyone down because you just aren't good enough to compete properly can't be good for the self esteem.

My story of PE from school is very similar, but from a different angle. My sport was swimming. I loved it, I swam for Worthing and later Brighton swimming clubs, and I trained most days. Despite the fact that I was actually one of the best girls the school had for sport, the teachers were still only interested in the group of 'popular girls' who wanted to play netball and do dance. I actually took PE for GCSE and this still happened! I struggled and wasn't given the options of the sports I wanted (you had to do 4 I think) because the other girls didn't want to do it, it was a real slog.

I saw a report on the news a while back that there are loads of young girls who won't take part in sport now because they want their make up to stay perfect etc, isn't it awful that girls feel so under pressure to look a certain way that they won't even break a sweat? I never wear make up day to day and couldn't care less, but it's such a huge thing for some people.

I like it. And whatever its motives, if it encourages women of any age to take part in sport or exercise etc, I think its great!

I've actually booked into a spin class this week and its called "this girl can - spinning" so it'll be interesting to see how it might differ from other spin classes. I suspect it'll just be a women only class lol

Ps, my nethers are going to hurt like hell aren't they!?

Well, yes (sorry) I spin twice a week and have done for over a year now and I love it ?, but when I first started I got a pair of padded bike shorts from sports direct and they really helped until I got used to it, they didnt cost much, looked awful, but done the job. I wore them under my other gym trousers. Have you tried spinning before?

Yeah, once about 7 months ago and I hated it but I'm forcing myself to give it another go as I know its good for getting fitter! I remember at the time wishing I'd worn a giant maxi pad for extra protection!

Honestly - my reaction to 'This girl can' and that girl spinning on the bike is "Well this girl can't". Spinning is not something I ever want to be able to do. Nuh uh.

Also - from a slightly different point of view - women who are all sweaty and red and wobbling and gasping for breath, even with a little bit of panda-eye, are HOT. I'm sure if you asked any heterosexual man he'd agree. I think this need for aesthetic perfection is inflicted upon women, by women.

I think spinning is one of those you either love or you hate, and as with a lot of classes some instructors are better than others. I'm in the love camp, (even though 20 mins into the class I hate it and wonder why I even turned up! ha, but I don't give up and try my best). I started going to spin as I wasnt a fan of running, I am really self conscious when I run, but, this year I am trying to overcome things and I have been trying to do the couch to 5k app and so far so good, i've set myself a little goal to try and do the 5k run or dye this summer.

I absolutely agree SW! On both counts ?

I honestly cannot see the point of going to an exercise class in full make-up - isn't the whole point to get hot and sweaty?? I'm sure I'm not that attractive as I stalk the streets of Medway in my walking boots, hair scraped up in a pony tail with my earphones in and my wobbly bits wobbling for all their worth, but who cares? I certainly don't!

This! 1000 times this!

Totally agree that blokes find hot sweaty women attractive, it's basically imitating what you look like after (during) a good sex session, course that's attractive!

I like the advert, ha the bright colours and music gets my attention, and I like the doesnt matter what shape/sizer/fitness level you are, just give it a go message...I heard it got a load of flack but I cant really see why...

I go to the gym usually just a couple times a week now, Im trying to pluck up the courage to go to one of the classes, but im a bit anxious in social situations like that and just havent got round to it, plus the fact im slightly gawky and uncoordinated, can just see everyone moving in perfect unison and me stood at the back tripping over my own feet, am definitely gonna though, theres a few classes I fancy...

I am a sweaty bright red mess at the gym, that doesnt bother me particularly...tho i dislike it im having a really spotty week cus no make up then is not a good look for me, and I wont use the running machines cus years ago someone once made a comment about how i run like Phoebe from friends which made me feel really self concious...but generally I dont care...it is a shame girls/women (and plenty of men im sure) dont feel like they can really let go and go for it cus of how they look though...