On-goes the debate over women in sport and especially women in surfing…It’s a conversation of talent and beauty vs. sponsorship.  It was athletes like Anna Kournikova who shook up sports like tennis.  Even though she wasn’t winning Grand Slams she was pulling in big sponsorship with her good looks and long blonde locks.

It seems women’s surfing over the years has suffered with lack of sponsorship, but now the story is changing and with athletes like Stephanie Gilmore leading the group, packing the beauty, brains and talent only to be chased by a large group of girls with similar qualities….things are looking up!

Recently the Women’s ASP launched a campaign 'Welcome to the Life', chronicling the 17 unique and beautiful faces that make up professional surfing’s finest.  And, now the iconic magazine Vanity Fair, known for its celeb photo-shoots and cultural topics ranging from Watergate to the Academy Awards has done a historic expose on the Women’s ASP Top 17 setting a huge spot-light on the surfer girls.

(See a video of the photo shoot and check out some images from the Vanity Fair pages or pick up a July issue, out now!)

In a recent interview with Binnsie at ASL (Australian Surfing Life) two-time ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore talks about feminism, her corporate sponsors and how she feels about women and surfing today. It’s a huge fast forward in the sport to see women holding space in surfing mags (outside of sex wax ads) and being asked important questions about the sport. One that looks to continue as the talent pool grows.

Below is an excerpt from ASL's interview with Stephanie after a free-surfing trip with a crew of boys to Lakey Peak, Indonesia: Read full interview here.

Are you a feminist? You seemed pretty up on all that stuff at the round table?
No, I don’t think I’m a feminist at all. I enjoy talking about women in sport. I know that sport has been so male dominated for so long that when you see women’s surfing getting more coverage it might come across as feminism but it’s just the facts. I’m not sure what the guys would have though the other day when I busted out that Isobel Latham was the first Aussie to ever surf, and that the first Aussie world champ was a woman and all that. Guys push the men all the time, so I’m going to do my bit back for the girls.

You said at the ASP Banquet that you were as excited to be involved in the revolution that’s taking place in women’s surfing as you are to be winning titles.
It’s true. Once you get to the highest point in a sport, you start to wonder what you can milk from a world title. It’s cool to even be able to think you can have an impact on a sport, or help to push it in a certain direction. I think there’s a lot of value in women’s surfing and hopefully the rest of the world, corporations and the like, will start to see that.

Speaking of, you’re endorsing Sanitarium these days. Do you think the general public is starting to see surfing as a sport now?
For sure. The first time I met up with the Sanitarium crew they said they’d had their eye on surfing for a while, but the bad boy image kinda freaked them out a bit. It was until recently, when they saw a few personalities in the sport who they considered good role models and athletes in general…

… you look pretty bad-ass in that ad…
… I am a bad-ass (laughs). But, they liked my appeal, and the sport is more accepted now too, as well as being a healthy lifestyle.

Do you call yourself an athlete?
Yeah, absolutely. That’s what I write on my customs cards.



ExplorerGirls.com / Courtney Crow

Images: Vanity Fair / Michael Halsband,