Girls in undersized bikinis. Girls lying on a beach playing footsies. A girl displaying a covetable thigh gap. 

Attention grabbing in the short-term. But where are the billboards showing the pro-girls doing their stuff on decent waves? Do people even realise the women in those images are professional athletes? It‘s time for Australia’s surf mecca to show its kids that sexy is not the only thing for girls to aspire to.

Torquay’s surf industry is letting local children down through gender stereotyping within a sport for which their hometown is renowned and by brands they look up to and respect.

Surf City Plaza’s billboards are part of Torquay’s landscape, spreading their outdated, sexist messages to local children on a daily basis. They are a public broadcast medium. There is no option to avoid them or switch them off.

When our kids look up at these billboards the message is clear: the guys surf and the girls look good.  Despite showing professional female surfers, the billboards fail to illustrate the girls’ ability and achievement. Instead they’re put up as mere eye-candy.

This type of imagery is detrimental to young girls’ sense of identity and, by extension, the way young boys perceive and relate to them. It creates a culture that tells girls “this is all you are”. It perpetuates the message that girls are only worthwhile if they are attracting sexual attention. It trains, socialises and conditions our kids – girls and boys - from the earliest ages.

We ask surfing’s decision makers; how ridiculous would it be to depict Kelly Slater or Mick Fanning in such a way? Or perhaps you’d prefer to imagine your daughter, sister or wife represented as simply the sum of their parts.

This is Australia’s surfing capital! We want our girls to be inspired to get out there. We want our boys to expect and welcome girls in the line-up.  Torquay should be leading the world in its portrayal of female surfers. By perpetuating this sexist imagery, the surf industry is letting down the very kids who will be taking it into the future.

Research shows that sexualisation of athletes damages perceptions of their talent and ability. It doesn’t boost competition crowds. It doesn’t increase sponsorship or prize-money. It does mean they have to fall back on alternative avenues to fund their professional career.

Our surf industry is a foundation of our town and we acknowledge its support of local comps and kids programs. But we are deeply concerned by the type of images persistently chosen to portray women in its advertising.

Torquay is acknowledged as Australia’s surfing capital and its Surf City Plaza is a drawcard for locals and tourists alike. Unfortunately, the plaza’s highway-facing billboards present an extremely unbalanced picture of our town’s surfing culture.

Pay attention to the lines of dissent rolling to shore. Wipe out the sexist surf billboards.