In Uzbekistan, attitudes toward girls in sports are gradually changing, but many stereotypes still remain. More and more girls want to be active, try different sports, and make exercise part of their lives, yet they often hear that certain sports simply “don’t suit” them. Kotex decided to support girls and make sport feel more accessible, natural, and open to them — without stereotypes or limitations.
Problem
In Uzbekistan, there is still a stereotype that sport is not for girls. The phrase “yarashmaydi” — “it doesn’t suit you” — often sounds less like a direct ban and more like familiar advice from family and those around them. Because of this, many girls never even take their first step into sport. Today, only 4.5% of women in the country exercise regularly. For Kotex it was important to help change this mindset and show: “Sport qiz bolaga yarashadi” — sport suits girls.
Solution
We decided not to stop at just one film, but to create a campaign that would help girls take their first step into sport. The face of the campaign was Diyora Keldiyorova, Uzbekistan’s first female Olympic judo champion. Together with her we launched the “Sport qiz bolaga yarashadi” manifesto, free home workouts in the Kotex Telegram bot, and offline training sessions across the regions. This turned the campaign idea into real opportunities for girls to start doing sport.
