Leah Williamson is the face (and body) of Calvin Klein’s latest underwear campaign, following in the footsteps of many England football legends, including David Beckham, Jude Bellingham, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. But, according to the Daily Mail, Leah’s shoot represents a “crude betrayal” of her “team-mates and fans who may be less gorgeous than [her]”. Eh?

“The beautiful game for women and girls was supposed to be an escape from all the tropes about having the perfect body,” journalist Amanda Platell writes. The implication is that Leah, with her “perfect washboard stomach” who parades “her body like a footballing Kim Kardashian”, is letting down the legions of women and girls who look up to her as a role model.

Calvin Klein / Instagram

Let’s rewind, shall we? This season, Leah Williamson has returned from a devastating ACL injury to win a historic Champions League title with her girlhood club Arsenal, as well as leading England to try and defend their European title that she helped them win back in 2022. I could list more role-model-worthy behaviour – writing a children’s book about believing in yourself, being an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, opening up about her battle with endometriosis, etc, but why should I have to?

Why are sportswomen constantly held to a higher standard of respectability than sportsmen? Why can’t we let Leah Williamson be sexy in peace?

While progress has been made, male professional footballers still earn significantly more than their female counterparts. In 2023, the Women’s Super League generated approximately 0.5% of the annual revenue of the Premier League (the top English men’s football league), according to FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. While the average salary of Premier League players is around £60,000 per week, WSL players can expect to earn £47,000 per year. While male players can retire to a life of fast cars, mansions, and Louis Vuitton, most women’s players have no such luxury.