words: Lily Day
When I sat at my desk at work today, I watched a trailer for Surf Girls: Kaikaina, a new Togethxr mini-series created in collaboration with the Gnar Gnar Honeys. Kaikaina, which translates to little sister, follows a young group of fearless female surfers from Hawai’i who are looking to demolish any stereotypes that women can’t surf as well as men. Fueled by the sacred culture of their ancestors who surfed before them, these five young women are inspired to surf like hell—not because it’s their sport—but because it’s their identity. It’s who they are. And with big dreams, it doesn’t seem like they are going to slow down for anyone.
While the Gnar Gnar Honey’s is a production platform showcasing women behind the lens that I have been familiar with for a little while now, I was pleasantly surprised to discover Togethxr. Togethxr is a new media platform founded by professional athletes Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Sue Bird, and Simone Manuel. By highlighting a community of diverse game-changing young women, Togethxr aims to shatter any narrow depictions of women in the media. It seems that this unapologetic platform rooted in rich storytelling and youth culture is just what the doctor ordered. And we could all benefit from a few doses.
Needless to say—I’ve never been more stoked to be a young, female surfer in my life.
It’s truly remarkable how much strength it gives you to have a group of badass women around you—and this mini-series is just further proof of that resounding truth. When I first started surfing as a teenager, I was almost discouraged by the lineup filled with men and boys who charged nearly every wave with a seemingly relentless tenacity. But then in college when I joined the surf team and found my own tightly knit group of girls who surfed, we were quickly as inseparable on land as we were in the water, a similar bond I observed between the girls in Kaikaina. Between the five of us, we became a collective, unconditionally bonded from one shared love—surfing. And a couple of more men in the water than us wasn’t going to change that, it wasn’t going to deter us from a space that we knew we belonged in. That strong group of women beside me in my youth taught me the true meaning of womanhood, that it’s all rooted in sisterhood. So today here I am, one small part of a truly inspiring global collective, women who surf. And to not only be witnessing a tidal wave of change in the sport, but also get to write about it too, that’s the greatest gift of all. Let’s just say, the lineup is making room for fearless young women, because their drive is changing the way people perceive women’s surfing.
Click to watch Episode 1 of Surf Girls: Kaikaina below.
Lastly I guess all I can really think to say is, well, watch out boys.
