Megan Thee Stallion Joins Nike's 'Play New' Campaign
Is it getting hot in here?
Nike adds potent star power to its "Play New" campaign, with Grammy winner Meghan Thee Stallion joining the global initiative that explores the transcendent appeal of sports, movement and fitness in fresh ways.
"Like I told you before, real hotties put other hotties on," Megan says to kick off a short film from director Mike Carson. "Hotties" refers to her fanbase, and here she subverts the term's sexist connotations as well, stressing personal wellness, confidence and self-love, not some unrealistic physical ideal.
"Before I became Thee Stallion, I was a young girl in Houston just trying to find her way," she explains as images from her life flash on screen. Eschewing hoops, track and volleyball—they're just not for her—Megan focuses on dance and keeping fit for live shows. Naysayers claim she's not a real athlete, but the artist begs to differ.
"People like to tell us what we can and what we can't do, but we ain't hearing that," she says. "Real hot girls know: No one can define us but us."
The proud, positive message feels true to both Nike and Megan's brands, and the pair invite viewers to "Just Do It"—i.e., focus on fitness as they see fit—in every frame.
The "Savage" rapper feels the burn with trainer Tara Nicolas in a series of Nike Training Club workouts. "I like the fact that Hotties get to see me go through my struggle," Megan says in a blog post from the sneaker and sportswear giant. "It's realistic for you to want to give up. It's realistic for you to not want to eat this today. It's just really about discipline."
"Play New" bowed in May with a film celebrating elite athletes who fail miserably at unfamiliar sports—but compete for the fun of it. A long-form documentary about an unlikely London platform diver followed, along with an "equal playing fields" pitch about girls growing up in Japan.
