UKC

Recently i've noticed a lot of new upcoming climber seem to be getting more and more good-looking. Is this just a coincidence because they climb well or is it just the corporate machine using "sex sells" to market new products in a rapidly evolving sport? Also as climbing is becoming a more and more popular sport, will this impact the sport in any way? And if so how? Just thinking about it whilst watching climbing films on YouTube.

In reply to Jackwd:

Interesting point - not sure of any truth in this, but in the mean time I'm comparing and contrasting the visual allure of Chris Sharma and Don Whillans...

In reply to Jackwd: That's me royally screwed then - what with me being old and ugly - oh, and a shite climber

In reply to Jackwd: Adam Ondra has a hot sister. Google her.

Are you trying to decide on climbing more or getting a makeover?

In reply to Roberttaylor: And she climbs 8b+

In reply to Jackwd:

It certainly can't hurt.

Sponsoring anyone is putting your brand onto an individual. If that individual is talented, wall mannered and attractive then that's surely a great combination (although I can see why certain brands would prefer headline grabbing maniacs too!)

Mina Leslie-Wujastyk is a good example. She's very pretty, comes across well, is at the top of her game - so as a female representative for a climbing brand, that's a pretty good package!

Not suggesting that ugly people aren't as good reps for a brand, but it's certainly a bonus when you have to plaster their face across all your promotional material!

In reply to Jackwd:

Probably, there's a reasonable amount of evidence that physical attributes affect ones earnings and chances in the world of work.

If you're interested - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1468-0084.0620s1771/pdf

In reply to Jackwd: As a good-looking climber, who is also sponsored, I can support this theory. I know of a few uglier friends who have never been offered sponsorship.

In reply to Jackwd:

Almost certainly. Female tennis players are a prime example of this - the most lucrative sponsorship deals don't necessarily go to the VERY best players - they go to the ones who the most people will WATCH. In the tennis example it depends of course where you draw the line between sponsorship, endorsments and modelling. But think of, say, Kournikova.

In reply to Franco Cookson:
It doesn't work for me, despite cat like climbing skills, a great mentoring personallity and fantastically good looking I'm still waiting for sponsorship offers. I think the big companies are a bit frightened of me turning them down if I'm honest. Eric Jones once told me to grow some balls and stop acting like a child or he'd snap my arms like a kit-kat which is a sort of sponsorship I guess

In reply to Jackwd:

Yeah its why all the marketing currently is focused around good looking single Boulderers that spend all their time training and not the majority of climbers that do VS trad routes and have full time jobs.

I.e. buy our product, climb harder and pretend you are young, single, sexy, good looking and awesome.

TBH most sponsored climbers don't see this and just go herp derp money and kit so I can go do more bolder problems and win more comps.

In reply to blanchie14c: you're so lucky! I would kill to have arms broken by Eric Jones!