EE sheds light on Female Sporting Stories that are cut short

Created by Saatchi&Saatchi, the International Women's Day campaign unveils Ellen White's memoir, highlighting the impact of online bullying on female athletes

By creative salon

08 March 2024

To mark International Women’s Day (8 March), EE has enlisted former Lioness striker Ellen White to launch UNFINISHED, a memoir with a very important difference.

The book, penned by Ellen, tells the story of her journey into the sport - but abruptly stops short after just 21 pages at the former England captain’s teenage years, the age that many girls across the UK drop out of sport. By stopping Ellen’s story in her teenage years, the autobiography imagines an alternative reality where the career of one of England’s most celebrated footballers is cut short, mimicking the impact that online abuse has on many girls around the country.

Drawing on fresh YouGov research highlighting that 121 girls aged 13-19 in the UK give up on their sporting journey every day, due in part to the impact of the online hate that 44 per cent of girls are subjected to, the campaign, created by EE’s creative partner, Saatchi & Saatchi, poignantly highlights how Ellen’s incredible career could so easily have been lost to hate.

The work is the latest phase of EE’s continued work to tackle all forms of online hate, this time looking specifically at the negative impact on girls achieving their sporting potential. The campaign aims to keep the conversation around online safety going in the wake of the passing of the Online Safety Act last year, the first step in legislating for the protection of women and girls.

The book has been designed to reflect an ordinary autobiography - printed on white pages and laid out to mirror the expected format of this style of text. As Ellen gets older however, the pages begin to darken - representing the hate teenage girls receive - before turning completely black, using physical print techniques and processes to mirror the underlying message of the campaign.

The free audiobook is available to download and listen to via EE’s LearnSmart platform and Spotify. Bespoke DOOH and social will also run on International Women’s Day as part of the campaign, alongside content on the EE LearnSmart Hub, a learning platform by Digitas UK for young people to learn skills from school and life from a network of inspiring mentors like Ellen White.

Ellen White, former England striker, said: “Online hate isn't just words on a screen: it breaks and stifles potential. Through my own story, I hope to shed light on the impact of cyberbullying and empower girls so they never stop doing what they love.”

Kelly Engstrom, Brand & Demand Generation Communications Director at EE, added: “Our recent YouGov survey exposes a harsh and worrying truth: 121 girls give up on their sporting dreams daily, thanks to the toxic environment that online hate creates. 'UNFINISHED' isn't just a book; it's a poignant metaphor to demonstrate the damaging results of social media abuse. EE stands committed to eradicating online hate in all its forms, providing tools and support with EE Learn that help create a safe space so everyone can follow their passion, in sport and beyond.”

William John, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi commented: “To highlight how online abuse pushes young girls out of the game, we made Ellen White’s autobiography disappear before people’s eyes, at the exact same moment young teenagers across the country drop out of sport. All those lost trophies, goals, tournaments and memories for a player, for fans, for a nation… gone. To highlight this black out, we used a special black-on-black printing technique to make the career highlights of one of England’s greatest ever goal scorers disappear. It’s a powerful way to demonstrate the wealth of lost young talent that are having their stories cut short because of hate.”

The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, added: “The internet should not serve as a sanctuary for anonymous abuse, and online hate directed at athletes is simply unacceptable. Harassment affects not only the person on the receiving end but can spread a culture of hate, deterring our young people from pursuing their goals.

“I commend Ellen and EE for drawing attention to this important issue. As a Government, we have said enough is enough, and once fully implemented, our landmark Online Safety Act will legally require social media companies to protect users from the scourge of online abuse.”

EE believes it is imperative for social media companies to act now to protect users on their platforms. They will maintain the conversation by calling on these companies to take increased action and help the recently passed Online Safety Act drive real change, as well as educating people on the impact of online hate and how to protect themselves online.

This latest campaign is a continuation of EE’s work to create a safer digital world for all. Previously, EE worked closely with the government ‘to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online’ and for the Online Safety Act to do more to safeguard women and girls online.

Leading the charge for change, they teamed up with Glitch – the UK charity focused on ending online abuse and championing digital citizenship – and lobbied the House of Lords to namecheck women and girls in the Online Safety Act.

For more information on how to combat online, visit eelearnsmart.co.uk.