{"id":100555,"date":"2025-08-27T21:17:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/100555\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T21:17:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:17:14","slug":"the-ilona-maher-effect-big-name-beauty-brands-cashing-in-on-womens-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/100555\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ilona Maher effect: Big name beauty brands cashing in on women’s sport"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ilona Maher is one of the biggest stars of women’s rugby, largely thanks to her huge social media following and her messages around self-love and embracing who you are.<\/p>\n

Standing out for her muscular build and signature red lipstick, the American sends the message that there are many different ways to be a female athlete.<\/p>\n

“Strong is beautiful. Strong is powerful. Sexy is whatever you want it to be, and I hope more girls can feel how I feel,” Maher said after accepting the ESPY Award for Best Breakthrough Athlete last month.<\/p>\n

Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n

The Olympic bronze medallist has consistently pushed back against the idea that you need to fit a certain mould to be an athlete.<\/p>\n

“You don’t have to sacrifice your femininity to play any sport,” she told Allure.<\/p>\n

Her message is clear: femininity is not a contradiction of strength, but a celebration of it.<\/p>\n

And beauty brands are starting to catch on by teaming up with athletes, sports teams and global sporting organisations through multi-million-dollar sponsorship deals.<\/p>\n

Counting women in\u00a0<\/p>\n

From courtside skincare campaigns and athlete partnerships to race-day fan activations, beauty brands are now diving headfirst into the world of sports sponsorships.<\/p>\n

Historically, women’s sport has not been at the forefront of major sports sponsorship deals due to a lack of media coverage, but they are currently experiencing unprecedented growth.<\/p>\n

Maher alone has deals with Adidas, retailer TJ Maxx, L’Oreal, skincare company Paula’s Choice and deodorant brand Secret, among others.<\/p>\n

Is the marketing of women’s sport falling short?<\/a><\/p>\n

Women are claiming space in the sporting landscape, but when it comes to marketing, does their competitiveness go missing?<\/p>\n

Deloitte found global revenues in women’s elite sports are predicted to hit US$2.35 billion in 2025, up 240 per cent from $692 million in 2022.<\/p>\n

What once might have seemed like a surprising crossover is now a strategic play that many brands are cashing in on.<\/p>\n

Formula 1 is a prime example \u2014 over 40 per cent of its fans are female, with women aged 18-25 the fastest-growing viewer demographic in the sport.<\/p>\n

The introduction of the all female F1 Academy<\/a> a couple of years ago has seen beauty partnerships follow.<\/p>\n

In 2024, British beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury became an official partner of the F1 Academy, and it was more than a name-plastered-on-a-car kind of deal.<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte<\/p>\n

The signature Charlotte Tilbury lip pout is a key feature of the F1 Academy livery.\u00a0 (Getty Images; Handout for Charlotte Tilbury\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It was the company’s first global sports sponsorship and came with a branded race car, suit and helmet, as well as a make-up team in the F1 Academy Paddock Club.<\/p>\n

And make-up company MECCA has hosted fan experiences at the Australian F1 Grand Prix and the Australian Open.<\/p>\n

Cosmetic brand Glossier has been the WNBA’s “official beauty partner” since 2020, and in 2023 Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS signed a multi-year partnership deal as the “official underwear partner” of the NBA and WNBA.<\/p>\n

These deals are not just about boosting a brand’s reputation or recognition \u2014 they are also a way for big sports leagues to reach new audiences as more women get introduced to these sports through their favourite brands.<\/p>\n

Professor Norm O’Reilly is the Dean of the University of New England’s College of Business, and says brands must navigate a complex space.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS sponsors the NBA and WNBA. (Getty Images\/SKIMS)<\/p>\n

“This is a bit of a double-edged sword as the balance between objectifying women and celebrating their femininity\/beauty can be a fine line,” he said.<\/p>\n

“That said, if done right, and with smart authentic marketing and the right message \u2026 It can help break down stereotypes.”<\/p>\n

Tennis champion Coco Gauff is another athlete championing the shift, having collaborated with New Balance on tennis kits that merge fashion with performance.<\/p>\n

\"Coco<\/p>\n

Coco Gauff has been collaborating with New Balance since 2018 to create fashionable fits for game day. (Getty Images: \u00a0Robert Prange)<\/p>\n

“I feel like fashion, especially in Gen Z, is very important now,” she told The National.<\/p>\n

“I like to dress up. So I’m just trying to bring what I’m interested in and hoping other people will be interested as well.”<\/p>\n

And Olympic track star Sha’Carri Richardson has become known for her trademark nail designs and vibrant hairstyles.<\/p>\n

These athletes are proving that sport and style can work hand in hand, creating a more expansive and inclusive vision of what it means to be a modern female athlete.<\/p>\n

\"Sha'carri<\/p>\n

Sha’Carri Richardson lives by the motto “look good, feel good, do good”. (Getty images: Patrick Smith)<\/p>\n

Organisations like Formula 1 are taking the opportunity to engage both female fans and the wider networks around them, breaking down barriers between women’s interests and sport fandom.<\/p>\n

And the successful beauty brands are reframing the way they advertise their products to cater to the active lifestyles of athletes.<\/p>\n

In doing so, they are not only changing the culture around make-up or beauty in sport, but also breaking down long-standing stereotypes.<\/p>\n

And in that simple but powerful shift, a new generation is being inspired to stay connected to sport while being unapologetically themselves.<\/p>\n

Thilara De Mel is a freelance writer based in Sydney with a passion for sport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ilona Maher is one of the biggest stars of women’s rugby, largely thanks to her huge social media…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":100556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,73128,18937,53269,33584,73130,590,760,33732,73129,85,5941,9737],"class_list":["post-100555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-charlotte-tilbury","tag-coco-gauff","tag-ilona-maher","tag-kim-kardashian","tag-mecca","tag-nba","tag-rugby","tag-skims","tag-sport-sponsorship","tag-sports","tag-wnba","tag-womens-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}