Nike praised for ad featuring model Annahstasia Enuke with underarm hair
Sportswear brand Nike has earned praise for its decision to depict Nigerian-American model Annahstasia Enuke wearing a Nike sports bra with visible underarm hair on its Instagram account.
The photo, captioned ‘Big mood’, has been liked over 180,000 times, earning praise from many for proudly displaying a natural body, albeit while weathering some flak from those less receptive to armpit hair.
One user wrote ‘Nike thank you for doing this, #Bodyhairpositivity is something that needs to be normalised.”
Others were less complimentary, however, with some branding the image as ‘disgusting’, a response which drew a further wave of support in favour of the model.
Nike has made a habit of courting controversy by pushing the boundaries of what mainstream audiences find acceptable, recruiting anti-racism campaigner Colin Kaepernick to narrate and star in its ‘Dream Crazy’ film.
The brand similarly divided opinion with its sports hijab to coincide with last year’s International Women’s Day.
The latest marketing news and insights straight to your inbox.
Get the best of The Drum by choosing from a series of great email briefings, whether that’s daily news, weekly recaps or deep dives into media or creativity.
Sign upContent created with:

Nike, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services.
Find out more