Don’t hate me because I’m Nike beautiful

Once upon a time in ancient Greece was an enchanted island called Lesbos, in-habited by women, and only women. There they reveled in poetry and song, while the men fought out their silly wars and went on their macho expeditions. In worship of the Greek goddess of beauty Aphrodite, and under the leadership of the legendary poetess Sappho, this rare sisterhood resulted in some of the most elegant verses in ancient literature – evidence of what was already then acknowledged as feminine empowerment.

Thousands of years later, the spirit of Lesbos lives on, albeit in a quite different form, of course, in the enchanting Philippine islands. Lesbos turned out to be a health spa in Batangas, the much-whispered about The Farm in San Benito. There, modern women poets, now called writers and editors, came together. It was a celebration organized by the athletic multinational superpower Nike, a company named after the Greek goddess of victory. There they were taught to honor the power of their femininity, through exercise, diet, massage therapy and fashionable Nike apparel, while their men fought out their battles in the hardcourt, football fields, golf courses and beer gardens. All for love of the good, the fair, the strong, and the beautiful.

The Nike beautiful.

A New Religion?

According to Nike market researchers, the gym is considered as a place of worship for many modern women in the 21st century. It’s a contemporary temple where women expend time, money and energy, all in the name of feeling good and looking good.

Anyway, where there is sweat there is the Swoosh, a symbol that has garnered its own religious cult following since its inception decades ago. Attached on the chests of high-profile latter-day saints like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Andre Agassi and Ronaldo, it has since tried to find a spot on the bosoms of women privately sweating it out in gyms and on yoga mats.

Hence, the Nike Beautiful campaign.

Part religion, part lifestyle, part vanity fair, Nike Beautiful follows the tradition of one of the most successful advertising blitzes of all time: the "Just do it!" crusade. Tailor-made for women, and only women, it is still at heart an empowerment campaign that capitalizes on a desire that has not faded in relevance since Ancient Greece, from marble nudes to Madonna muscles, the form and fantasy of feminine beauty.

Modern-Day Rituals

Through a two-day regimen of audio-visuals, work outs, meals, product sampling, and spa treatments, we were introduced to the intricate sacraments of treating one’s body as a temple of the holistic spirit.

Firstly, a nutritional regime of fasting and abstinence, as designed by the Hippocratic philosophy of proper eating embraced by The Farm. This meant, of course, no meat of any kind. Meaning, all vegetables, and not just your usual boiled cabbage or chop suey, but uncooked vegetables. Served in the form of enchiladas, croquettes, sushi rolls and what-not, it was a great mystery to all as to how all that cow chow was transfigured into our five-course meals.

Secondly, a litany of mantras meant for both over-inspiration and over-perspiration! To uphold the Nike Beautiful virtues of joy, balance, passion, confidence and power, personal mission statements were strewn all around The Farm’s pathways. Mantras like:

Because feeling good is the same thing as looking good.

Because to be truly feminine you have to be truly strong.

Because your body is an instrument and only you can play it.

Because your body is ready to come out and play.

Thirdly, a workout that covered the current exercise crazes women have been tirelessly advocating since Jane Fonda first put on those fuchsia leg warmers. Fueling the fires of our metabolism we started out with high-impact Latin dancerobics to bring out our inner J.Lo, moved on to lower impact hip hop aerobics to express our secret infatuation for P. Diddy, and ended up with a cutting-edge blend of yoga and Pilates when we could no longer move our limbs.

And, like our sugar-free, fat-free, salt-free desserts, it was topped off by an anointment of reflexology and massage treatments, as well as a baptism into The Farm’s chlorine-free infinity pools.

All this, while wearing Nike from head to foot.

Swoosh Stuff To Swoon About

When we were presented with Nike Beautiful’s fall 2003 collection, available in the Philippines starting this month, there was no doubt that we have come a long way since those fuchsia leg warmers of yesteryears. A fusion of technology, fashion, wearability, durability and, well, showing off, Nike’s shoes, apparel and other workout equipment are the stuff to keep your locker door locked up.

I was particularly impressed with a cutting edge material called Sphere used for T-shirts. A Dri-fit mesh fabric that doesn’t cling but ventilates and flexes as you move, Sphere is so lightweight and airy that it makes you feel as naked as a Greek goddess. Like the other tank tops, bras, pants and jackets, Nike apparel is deliberately designed for the unique contours of the female body, making concessions to our mammary outgrowths and sweat regions. With matching multi-pocket gym bags as well.

The new Nike Beautiful gym trainers now come in four varieties, depending on your kind of exercise – indoor or outdoor, high or low impact, run or dance, black, white, blue or gray. And since you’re not supposed to wear sneakers for yoga or Pilates, your dual surface yoga mat is the Nike product that so conveniently comes between you and the gym floor.

By the time I left The Farm lugging my new Nike stuff I was infused with mixed feelings and emotions – I felt both relaxed and exhausted, full and hungry, pampered and deprived, exhilarated by the experience and yet filled with guilt over my past indulgences. The kind of feminine complexity that Sappho wrote so well about.

But one thing was certain: I sure did feel oh-so-Nike beautiful!

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Find out more on nikebeautiful.com.