A Middlesbrough personal trainer was offered £4,000 by brand Sweaty Betty over a disputed slogan if she agreed not to further challenge the firm's use of it. Georgina Cox says the women's active wear brand has used the 'wear the damn shorts' slogan, which went viral from Georgia's own Instagram post in 2020, without credit in its most recent campaign.
Georgina says she first used the slogan, and others like it, during lockdown to encourage women to wear what they wanted. The 34-year-old, who was been a personal trainer for seven years, says she was contacted by the activewear firm three years later as they were planning a campaign with similar messaging.
Now Georgina is calling for the company to apologise and claims the way she has been treated has been "really disappointing".
Sweaty Betty said the company "respectfully disagreed" with her claims and says, while no one has exclusive legal rights to this phrase, the firm has "always aimed to respect Ms Cox's association with it". They say the team "remain committed to resolving this matter constructively and reaching a fair and amicable resolution".
Five years ago, having been speaking with her younger sister, Georgina said she came up with the slogan and shared it online. She told Teesside Live: "She was struggling with her body, talking about struggling dressing for summer. My legs have been one of my biggest insecurities throughout my whole life. I just really wanted to create a powerful message to not only help her but help any woman who has seen it. Those words mean so much to me as well. They come from a really emotional place."
In 2023, she was contacted by a Sweaty Betty marketing executive, who told her the company was looking to plan a campaign with "similar messaging as your wear the damn shorts post a few years ago" and asked if she would be "happy for us to do so?"
Georgina was involved in the campaign in both 2023 and 2024 but claims this year she has been "omitted completely". She told Teesside Live: "This year they cut me out completely, I found out from an Instagram post saying 'coming tomorrow'. It was at that point I issued the cease and desist to them."
She said the campaign went ahead and says in legal responses she has been described as "bitter". She also says the firm has threatened to take legal action against her.
Georgina - who previously worked in a lab at Wilton, near Redcar, before taking up fitness as a career - added: "It's been really scary. They're such a big brand, they've got so much money and they know I'm just one person. They knew I couldn't afford to keep fighting this.
"It's one woman against a big brand - that's meant to care about women and support them. To be treated this way it's just really disappointing. Right now, I'm still waiting for them to apologise and do the right thing. I've had so many women commenting on their social media sharing their support for me. They offered me £4,000 so they could keep using the slogan, so I wouldn't challenge the slogan and I wouldn't talk about this. It just felt very disrespectful and insulting."
Georgina, who lives in Yarm, has grown her social media following to 218,000 Instagram followers and says she's been met with a wave of support since speaking out about the dispute.
She said: "I've always struggled with my body. I'd always struggled with exercise as well. When I joined the gym and discovered weights it changed everything for me. Now I see my body as a tool rather than an ornament and I wanted to help others feel that way."
She added: "I think it's so important for [Sweaty Betty] to own up to what they have done and do the right thing because they position themselves as a brand that empowers women. True empowerment is to recognise what you have done and do the right thing."
A Sweaty Betty spokesperson said: "We take Ms Cox's views seriously, however, respectfully disagree with her claims. We have great respect for the community Ms Cox has built around body confidence and empowerment, and were surprised and saddened to find ourselves in this situation.
"Wear the Damn Shorts" has been part of our campaign for three years, and we chose it because it perfectly captures what Sweaty Betty stands for.
"While none of us has exclusive legal rights to this phrase, we have always aimed to respect Ms Cox's association with it. Since she first raised her concerns earlier this year, we've been in regular contact.
"We have offered and continue to offer to meet with Ms Cox as we remain committed to resolving this matter constructively and reaching a fair and amicable resolution. Sweaty Betty has long been built on collaboration with trailblazing women, on integrity, and on uplifting women through wellness and body positivity."