Jennifer Sey, the former gymnast and president of Levi’s who was ousted from the denim brand for her outspoken COVID denialism, has launched her own clothing brand: the world’s first line of transphobic athletic apparel.
XX-XY Athletics describes itself as “the only athletic brand that stands up for women’s sports,” which sounds … okay … until you read more about the brand’s “mission,” which begins with “We believe women deserve the opportunities that sports and single sex spaces provide.” Oh.
Sey hard-launched her new clothing brand, XX-XY, with the help of Forbes, which published a feature on the former U.S. gymnast and ex-Levi’s exec and her mission to “protect women’s sports.” Now, call me old fashioned, but I’m pretty sure the best way to support women’s sports is by watching the WNBA or sponsoring a local team, not starting a whole clothing line dedicated to upholding the marginalization of trans women and men. You won’t find that kind of critical thinking in the Forbes article, which was written by Pamela N. Danziger, a senior contributor who is, per the bio she definitely didn’t write herself, “internationally recognized for her expertise on the world’s most influential consumers: the American Affluent.” Uh-huh.
But back to Sey, who genuinely believes that women’s sports require a level of protection that can only be provided by gendered athletic apparel and overpriced cotton t-shirts described in transphobic and misogynistic ad copy. “I looked around at all the athletic brands in the marketplace and they make much ado about celebrating women, but not one has said ‘We need to protect women’s sports,’” Sey told Forbes. “Not a single brand is doing it (…) And we’re staking a claim around protecting women’s sports. We believe it will resonate with men as well who are invested in protecting their daughters.” For those men, XX-XY offers a $40 t-shirt emblazoned with “GIRL DAD” in all-caps. “You’re a good dad,” the description affirms. “You want fairness and opportunity for your daughters. Let them know.” (You could also try treating your girl-children with respect and honoring their autonomy, which is cheaper and more effective than wearing an embarrassing t-shirt that’s only slightly better-looking than the countless versions of the same Gender Parent bullshit designs that’ve been available on Etsy and RedBubble for years.)
“Brands have the opportunity to not just follow culture, but to lead it and inform it as well,” Sey explained. “And I feel almost everybody already agrees with us, but they’re afraid to say it. So if we can make it acceptable and cool to stand up and say a true thing that’s so obvious, then that’s what I want to do.” And what is this “true thing” that is “so obvious” to everyone? You’ll find the answer in plain text on the XX-XY mission page:
It is simply undeniable that sex matters, especially in sport. It is the single biggest determinant of athletic performance. Men and women are different. It’s just a fact. Men have XY chromosomes and more testosterone which makes them stronger and faster.
It is simply unfair and dangerous at times, to allow males (XY) to compete in girls and women’s (XX chromosomes) sports.
For women to be recognized as champions and simply to be afforded the chance to compete on an even playing field — and avail themselves of all of the vast educational and developmental opportunities that competing in sports provides — women’s sports need to remain female.
We’ll be here defending truth. And women and girls. Until that happens.
And here I stupidly thought that the biggest determinant of athletic performance was athleticism. Sorry, girls. It doesn’t matter how hard you train, how often you practice, or how strong you are, you’ll never be good enough to compete with the boys. Best you put on these $110 Fearless Fleece Joggers to keep your feeble girl bones from trembling and run along now. Go on, git.
To be fair (?), most of the products XX-XY Athletics currently sells are for women. It’d be a real shame if a man were to buy a $40 t-shirt with big, bold text that reads “WOMAN” accompanied by a trademark symbol. Is that too supportive? There are more t-shirts featuring other words, like “ROAR” and “BORN BRAVE” and “FREE TO THINK. FREE TO SPEAK. FREE TO MOVE.” The ad copy is a rich text, a complex narrative that weaves together themes of casual misogyny and body-shaming, breathtakingly rendered in evocative language:
The Born Brave Tee is cropped and slim-fitting for the sassy and strong. This form flattering mid-weight t-shirt can be worn casually with jeans or sweats or for a walking workout with our XX-XY Athletics high rise Legit Leggings (coming soon). Pair with a higher waisted pant or legging for coverage. Or with a mid or low rise if you’re brave enough to bear a bit of belly.
Another flagship item is the Plainspoken Tee—literally a plain cotton t-shirt with a branded tag on the hem because “You don’t need to be loud to make your point.” But you do need to spend $40 on a t-shirt in order to protect women’s sports, which are apparently under attack by trans girls and women ready to Hulk the fuck out on your precious girl-child should the opportunity arise.
Perhaps I am judging Jennifer Sey too harshly. Perhaps it’s true, what they say: we hate to see a girlboss winning. After all, according to the XX-XY Athletics about page, Sey’s goal is to “start a cultural moment of bravery,” and “become a force for truth and sanity.” Is there anything more brave and sane than a neutral fleece pullover and matching sweatpants? How can anyone be expected to speak truth to power without access to comfy athleisure basics? Just when I start questioning my own sanity, asking these questions out loud to no one in particular, the next line in the mission statement hits me like a sack of regulation soccer balls—which I assume are slightly lighter than the ones the men use:
There is so much to unpack in this line of copy, seemingly written by a copywriter who had Katie Britt’s rebuttal to The State of the Union address on in the background: “We hope to coax people out of their kitchens where they are whispering to each other: – WHAT IS GOING ON??”
It’s also worth noting that XX-XY Athletics isn’t just the first transphobic clothing brand; it’s also doing the important work of upholding unreasonable body image ideals while simultaneously claiming that women’s sports promote positive body image. The men’s t-shirts don’t include descriptions with phrases like “slim-fitting” and “form flattering.” They also go up to size XXL, in contrast to the women’s clothing, which stops at XL, or size 14-16—barely plus-size. Then again, this is athletic wear for a very specific customer, one who is also likely to believe that people in larger bodies can’t and shouldn’t play sports (they should, however, engage in physical activity—but only at home with all the blinds drawn so no one has to watch them do it).
Sey has enlisted “ambassadors” to help promote XX-XY Athletics and its mission (“protect women’s sports,” remember?), including Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan—two college swimmers who notably spoke out against competitor Lia Thomas, a trans woman who tied with Gaines during a meet. Chloe Cole, who made headlines for detransitioning at 16 and uses her platform to spread misinformation about gender-affirming care for minors, is also an XX-XY ambassador.
Another XX-XY ambassador is Adam B. Coleman, a writer who announced the brand partnership in a social media thread about his weight loss. Coleman is entitled to bodily autonomy, but it’s telling that XX-XY is promoting his story as inspirational and aspirational while simultaneously espousing “positive body image” as a benefit of women’s sports and offering limited sizing.
While athletes generally tend to have a more positive body image than non-athletes, a review of existing literature has shown that eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction are more prevalent among female athletes than male athletes, especially those who participate in sports with an emphasis on physique—swimming, running, boxing, and gymnastics.
As a former gymnast, Sey is very familiar with these struggles. She says as much on the about page for XX-XY Athletics, writing, “… the sport I loved, elite gymnastics, routinely abused girls like me—both emotionally and physically. Yet I stayed silent because that’s just what you were supposed to do.” Sey wrote the book Chalked Up, in which she called out the abusive culture of gymnastics. She also produced Athlete A, the Netflix documentary about Larry Nassar, the former sports doctor who sexually abused and assaulted countless young gymnasts.
But two things can be true at once: Jennifer Sey is a survivor who has used her platform to advocate for other victims and speak out against a culture of abuse in gymnastics that disproportionately affects young girls. Jennifer Sey is also using her platform to support the marginalization of trans people, who are more than four times likely than cisgender people to be violently assaulted. There is a common denominator here, and one that wouldn’t be hard for her to see because it is glaring, in BOLD ALL-CAPS FONT, much like the words on Sey’s t-shirts.
(featured image: Screenshot / XX-XY Athletics)
