Must Read: "How We Fought Back Against Surfing's Sexist Bullies" by 7x World Champ Layne Beachley
Layne Beachley, seven-time world surfing champion, tells of the ‘enormous sacrifices’ made by previous generations of female surfers to get recognition – and why despite great advances there is still more to do. Story originally posted by The Guardian.
‘I’m honoured to have laid the foundation for future generations and I celebrate the success women’s surfing is currently enjoying.’ Photograph: Jonny Weeks for the Guardian
Whenever I hear a man saying women are somehow less able, I am taken back to 1988, when I first started competing on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour. I had been surfing at Manly beach for 12 years, starting at four years of age, encountering years of threat, challenge and hostility by the men who graced the lineup with the steadfast belief that women didn’t have the right to be in the water, and nor did they have the power or strength to deal with the unpredictable nature of the ocean.
I felt alone, one of one, the lone female figure playing in a male-dominated environment that lacked the support, encouragement and acceptance we all need to survive and thrive. I was teased, cut off, told to get out of the water because I was a girl, advised that girls don’t surf, and to go mind the towel on the beach.
These encounters taught me to stand up and fight for what I believed in and surround myself with people who are supportive and selfless, people who today I refer to as my honesty barometers. There were days when I had the fortitude to go into battle. Other days I paddled in with tears in my eyes and my tail firmly tucked between my legs.
It was also at a time when I felt the women’s Tour suffered an identity crisis. The majority of the girls seemed desperate to earn the respect, recognition and approval of their male competitors and were convinced the best way to achieve this was to act like men, dress like men and surf like men. We had lost the benefit of gender. Knowing that desperation creates aversion, there is little doubt the choices the women made back then deferred the desired outcome, adding more weight to the sentiment that “girls can’t surf”.
This may have also had a negative impact on the earning potential of female professional surfers. In 1988 the women competed in 10 Championship Tour events around the world for a total prize purse of US$155,000. The total average prize purse per event was US$10,000 split between 16 competitors. The men’s tour enjoyed 24 events in the same calendar year, sharing in total earnings of US$1.26m amongst 32 competitors.
Former world champions such as Wendy Botha, Pauline Menczer and Pam Burridge provided me with the platform to pursue my dream of becoming the best in the world, for a pittance of what the current champions earn today. They competed for the love of it. They were the true pioneers, paving the way for future generations to follow in their footsteps while inspiring a groundswell of “frothing towhead grommets”, like me, to pick up a surfboard and one day dare to dream that I could earn an honest living doing something I absolutely love.
I won the first of my seven world titles in 1998, winning five events, earning US$75,000 in prize money and about AU$50,000 in sponsorship endorsements. I had recently resigned from my part-time employment between contests due to training demands and a hectic travel schedule. Nineteen years on tour earned me a grand total of US$550,000 in prize money.
Layne Beachley cuts a hard top turn to advance to the quarter-finals of the Roxy Pro at Haleiwa on Hawaii’s north shore in 2001. Photograph: Getty Images
It was up to my generation to challenge the status quo, often requiring us to make enormous sacrifices and endure unacceptable circumstances that no current professional surfer will ever have to experience: sleeping in board bags at contest sites because we couldn’t afford proper accommodation; selling prizes such as bikes to afford the next destination; hitch hiking on the North Shore of Hawaii to get to the next event; buying a dozen pairs of Levi 501s in America to sell in France for a spectacular profit; and of course our favourite term, coined by the boys, “the waves are shit so send the girls out”.
Today the sport of surfing has established itself as an iconic lifestyle, enviable vocation and a highly profitable profession.
At 22 years of age, with six years on the Tour and a maiden world title under her belt, reigning champion Tyler Wright has the world at her feet. The tournament prize money she earned in 2017 – US$400,500 (A$536,300) – rivalled that of her male counterparts (men’s world champion John John Florence pulled in US$406,000), and she enjoys endorsement deals from endemic and non-endemic sources. She is a remarkable athlete, tremendous role model and well respected amongst her peers. We need more women like Tyler.
My grand vision for women’s surfing was to emulate women’s tennis, to stand independently of the men, attract worldwide recognition and financial support, presenting the athletes and those who follow with the opportunity to survive and thrive in an environment free of judgment and criticism, full of possibility and acceptance.
We have come so far, yet there is always room for improvement, particularly in terms of sponsorship and endorsement deals. The days of financial equity in this respect are currently well out of reach and this will require a change of mindset within the surfing industry decision makers to achieve.
Imagine if Tyler was paid the same as John John for her endorsement deals? Why not? Back when I was sponsored this position was validated through reasoning such as “male surfers sell board shorts, female surfers don’t sell as many bikinis”. Today I question the validity and strength of this argument.
Opportunities for athletes within the industry in retirement are also extremely limited. Only one former female world champion, Lisa Andersen, comes to mind who remains aligned with her major sponsor post her successful professional competitive career. The boys are well looked after and irrespective of necessary skill sets they are often offered marketing, team manager and contest director roles, staying part of the “family” and remaining as long-term ambassadors and representatives for their sponsors.
Still, I’m honoured to have laid the foundation for future generations and I celebrate the success women’s surfing is currently enjoying.