Wonder Woman of the Week: Paige Hareb

The surfer spotlight for this week’s Wonder Woman title is an athlete caught in the middle of a trough in surfing equality. After a decade of strong, independent surfing women gaining endorsement after endorsement for being top tier athletes, the sport is down-turning into one where the most bikini photos on instragram reward the highest income. One surfer (among dozens) refuses to cater to the misogynistic sponsors though, making Paige Hareb the Wonder Woman of the Week.

Professional surfer Paige Hareb was born in Oakura, New Zealand in 1990. After her father taught her how the surf “goofy”- meaning with the right foot forward. At eighteen years old, Hareb began competing in international competitions and by 2014 had already competed in seventeen international surfing competitions. [1] Hareb made history when she became the first New Zealander to earn a shot at competing in the Women’s World Tour in 2009- an event where only eighteen women are able to compete. [2]

After competing at the elite level for four years, Hareb lost her only major sponsor- even while maintaining her elite status in the surfing world. Hareb didn’t surrender. The following year- out of her own pocket- she paid her way through competitions and achieved her highest ranking to date. [3] Hareb wasn’t the only top ranked surfer to lose sponsors in the 2010’s. The introduction of social media drastically altered the world of women’s surfing. In a sport where a bathing suit is uniform, professional surfers found a need to use sex appeal as a means of establishing a loyal fan base- and loyal fan bases lead to high-profile sponsorships. Serious surfers like Bethany Hamilton and Paige Hareb found themselves competing for money against unsuccessful surfers like Alana Blanchard (who in 2014 didn’t win a single heat in any international competitions) for surfing sponsorships. [4] In a sport where female athletes receive the most money for the most half-naked photos on instagram instead of for the most wins at competitions, it would be easy for any female surfer to turn in their boards and take up amateur modeling.

Paige Hareb was not one of those women. Continuing to surf with less famous sponsors, and staying loyal to her fans, Hareb continued to focus her efforts on conquering waves instead of social media. At 24, Hareb was ceded 15th in the world when she competed the Pantin Classic Galician Pro. With her were other female surfers more loyal to the sport than to the uniform were Laura Enever, Keely Andrew, Coco Ho, Sage Erickson, and Isabella Nichols. [5]

The world of women’s surfing is dividing into two factions where one side devotes their attention to gaining a social media following through bikini pics and the other which devotes their time to winning surfing competitions. Unfortunately all of the major sponsors in surfing cater to the former- but not all the fans do. The most loyal fans of women’s surfing continue to be mothers and daughters who see the top tier athletes for the athletes they are. So while Paige Hareb- and surfer like her- may not have the best corporate sponsors, she continues to have the greatest sponsors a female athlete could ever have- strong independent women and the young girls who aspire to become them.

Hareb, Paige. “Me.” 2016. PaigeHareb.com. Accessed 8 June 2016. http://paigehareb.com/about/

“Paige Hareb: Kiwi teen surfing the dream.” 2016. 100% Pure New Zealand. Accessed 8 June 2016. http://media.newzealand.com/en/story-ideas/paige-hareb-kiwi-teen-surfing-the-dream/

Mull, Jeff. “Paige Hareb Needs You.” 17 October 2012. Surfer Magazine. Accessed 8 June 2016. http://www.surfermag.com/features/paige-hareb-needs-you/#pl5lcy6pVL2Fc01b.97

“Sex Sells You Short – Social media and the pressure on female athletes.” 3 June 2016. Still Stoked. Accessed 8 June 2016. http://www.stillstoked.com/feature/sex-sells-you-short-social-media-pressure-female-athletes/

“World’s Top Female Surfers Take on Powerful Galician Swell.” 28 August 2014. World Surf League. Accessed 8 June 2016. http://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/65040/world-s-top-female-surfers-take-on-galician-powerful-surf