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Let's talk about “Wives And Girlfriends of Sports” or in other words, WAGS.
Doing a little research…the term started to be used most in the United Kingdom and was primarily used for the partners of major soccer players. Nowadays, the term is used for other sports like football and basketball, even F1 etc.
As I said, the term was more used in the UK and with the first major example being "Victoria Beckham". While she had her own singing career, she also gained attention around the time of the 2006 World Cup, as her alongside partner was at the time and still is, soccer player, David Beckham.
They met when they were both famous in their own respective ways around 1997 and have been married for about 26 years. With many years of marriage, four kids came to be: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper.
via: @People.com - @HELLO!Magazine - @PageSix
During their time together and one of the reasons for the word WAGS to come into the U.S, is because of rumored scandal. There was much talk on a photograph from a WAGS public girls' trip that came out the day before the English quarter final game. With these two things in mind, those same girls were actually blamed for the loss against Portugal, but why? Supposedly because of their fun in Baden-Baden, Germany. They were seen doing too much of everything such as shopping, drinking, and spending money. Being in fancy hotels, spas, and other fun trips. After this scandal, even if the wives like Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole took the blame just for the media, from the actual team and other representatives, it was announced that they had nothing to do with the loss. They were invited for a reason and supported their partners. In the end, the 2006 World Cup Champions was Italy.
via: @Vogue @DailyMail @UsWeekly
Now as your reading, you might be wondering questions like:
Should I even be caring about WAGS?
What do WAGS even do on a daily basis?
What are the backlashes of being a WAG?
I started to have those very same thoughts and questions.
The backlashes...
A lot of what we see online, we notice that being a WAG is just a girlfriend or wife going to their significant other’s game and dressing up for it. And with that, it seems as if they don’t have any worries or duties like their boyfriend or husband does which is, to play and try to win.
With the question being asked, What's with the glamorization of WAGS? on Reddit, comments found like the ones below are what most think when it comes to the negatives of being a WAG:
“Making your entire brand revolve around the man that you’re dating is insane”
“It’s the lifestyle/not having to ever work, they don’t care about the cheating”
“That girl threw her entire career away for..”
“I think it’s related to male gaze stuff and internalized patriarchy…”
Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/NYCinfluencersnark/comments/1dzk6ao/whats_with_the_glamorization_of_wags/
These types of comments made me wonder if this could all be true or could it almost be true but just depending on the couple? A lot of the relationships seen as WAG status have been more than just "male gaze, cheating, and not caring to work". I say this because, there are actually WAGS that made a name for themselves before they were in a relationship or even during it, such as being an artist or athlete of their own. Others, that while they are dating "this mega athlete", they have still managed to make a name of their own. A few of these WAGS that I could put on the spotlight and give a description for actually "being more well known than their partner" are:
Taylor Swift - "American singer-songwriter and cultural icon"
In a relationship with Travis Kelce.
Shakira - "Colombian singer-songwriter and dancer"
Formally married to Gerad Pique.
Hailee Steinfeld - "American actress and singer"
Engaged to Josh Allen.
Simone Biles - "American gymnast"
Married to Jonathan Owens.
Olivia Culpo - "American model and actress"
Married to Christian McCaffrey.
Becky G - "American/Mexican singer and actress"
In a relationship with Sebastian Lletget.
"WAGS typically spend their day..."
To answer this question, one may think that all a WAG does is to get ready, have a day full of shopping and traveling and wait until the next game. However, while they are managing their personal lives, they also have other responsibilities. Key aspect: they support their partner, like attending their practices, games, traveling with them and any other events related to them or the sport. While they show their moral support, they should do the same back.
As mentioned, they have their personal lives and most of that include a family that they must have started, and being a parent in itself is a major job.
They socialize with other WAGS. By hosting and attending events and gatherings with other wives and girlfriends, they spread a lot of attention to a particular teams or sport community.
As they make those type of appearances online, they attend red carpets events, charity events/functions, and other high-profile gatherings.
To keep in mind, not all WAGS have the same lifestyle. As previously mentioned, there are some WAGS that have their own career to mainly focus on as well. Others have to balances two types of lives and that could involve prioritizing family life.
Apart from just reading on what they do and trying to keep up with them online, there are SHOWS ABOUT THEM! They might not be about the ones we typically know or see as much, but they show raw footage of what they do on a daily basis.
Here are 4 shows for example:
WAGS LA - 2015 - 3 seasons
WAGS Atlanta - 2018 - 1 season
WAGS Miami - 2016 - 2 seasons
W.A.G.S to RICHES - coming to Netflix 2025
via: @Peacock - @IMDb - @NBC - @Facebook:StrongBlackLead
A personal point that I would like to add on is how I actually have my favorite soccer WAGS...
First is Georgina Rodriguez. She's in a relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo. One of the most famous soccer players. Geo first met Cris when she was actually working as a sales assistant in a Gucci store in Madrid, Spain. They both have mentioned how it was something like "love at first sight". Before the mega fame, Georgina began her career as dance, primarily studying classical ballet from a young age.
via: Pinterest @ninantos - @FootballGirls
She started to build her career more with modeling and appearing in campaigns for luxury store brands. I actually noticed that Georgina started to be seen the most as a soccer WAG nowadays. Just as mentioned earlier, the duties that WAGS do, Geo stands out in ways where she managed to change her life for the better.
via: Instagram accounts: @cristiano @georginagio
With her success in modeling and becoming a producer in her Netflix documentary, I Am Georgina, there is much to learn about her just by watching what she does on a daily. While still going to Cris's games, practices, events, awards... she also attends and travels to her own charity funds. One of the main things she prioritizes is the family life and how she's a mother of six kids. It's seen throughout her show and on her social media profiles that she cherishes her time with them.
While traveling to the places that Ronaldo goes to play, she finds and host activities for her kids and her friends to always remember. To some she may just be known as Ronaldo's girlfriend but in other industries she's known for more too.
Another WAG that I also have seen from the soccer world is Antonela Roccuzzo. She married Lionel Messi.
Another one of the most famous soccer players. They have been seen as "high school sweethearts" because of the rolling pictures of them very, very young and being together for a long while. They have a family with 3 boys! via: @YahooNews - @TheSun
via: Pinterest @LeoMessi - @LOVEART
Just as Georgina and many other WAGS, she is also a mom and has supported her husband in many ways. Apart from showing her best support, she is also a model, businessperson, and influencer. Again, to some she may be just known as Messi's wife, but in other places and for other companies she is known for more too.
via: Pinterest @dorsa - @staricon - @IngressiveforGood
What are your takes on WAGS? Did you ever think about becoming one yourself?...maybe I have....
-- tune in for more stories from #lachurrosstories
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