World Cup-themed baby tees and crop tops emblazoned with slogans such as 'Future WAG', 'Teach Me the Offside Rule', and 'Made It Out of the Kitchen' have ignited a fierce debate over whether they are sexist or simply a bit of fun. The shirts, sold by independent UK retailers and major high-street brands like Next, Boohoo, and SHEIN, also feature phrases like 'Trophy Wife', 'What's VAR?', 'Is It Home Yet', 'Just Here for Jude', and 'This Baddie Is Looking for a Baller'. Creator @its_tiannah questioned on Instagram: 'What is this saying about women's place in sport?'
Sexist or just silly? Experts divided
Kathryn Higgins, a researcher at Goldsmiths' School of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies, argues the shirts are 'quite obviously sexist'. She told Metro: 'There's an idea that nothing that women choose could possibly be sexist... but they're quite obviously sexist. The ones that say “future WAG” are tapping into the classic sexist tropes that women are only connected to the sport through men, and they aren't intelligent enough to understand it.' However, she stressed the critique is about the items, not the wearers: 'It's futile to try to understand the meaning of any specific person wearing this... but these t-shirts are tapping into the idea that there's men's stuff, and there's women's stuff.'
Reclaiming the narrative
Oenone Forbat, host of the Everything Is Content podcast, offers a different perspective. She told Metro: 'Tees that play into old stereotypes about women not really belonging in the sport... can absolutely be read as regressive or misogynistic. But I also think they can just be a bit funny and silly. If a woman wants to wear one, I feel like she's in on the joke.' She noted that women's participation in football is growing: according to FIFA research, the number of women and girls playing football increased by 56% from 2020 to 2024. 'Lots of my female friends are lifelong football fans... but I only got into football in my 30s, because of the Lionesses.'
Humour masking a worrying message?
Dr Stephen Whitehead, a sociologist and feminist, believes the shirts use humour to mask a worrying message. He told Metro: 'If a slogan only works when aimed at women, it's not really about football humour, it's about gender positioning.' He added: 'It's selling to a stereotype of the disinterested, unknowledgeable girlfriend.' Kathryn Higgins echoed this, noting that wearing such a shirt 'basically signals that you're out of place' in a male-dominated space. She suggested that women might fear being policed as fans: 'There's a sense that if you wear a football shirt, people will question if you're a real football fan, but they're only going to question you if you're a woman.'
Wider misogyny in women's football
The debate over slogan tees is set against a backdrop of persistent sexism in football. A 2025 report from Women In Football found that 78% of women working in the sport have experienced discrimination based on their gender, while 63.5% have been subjected to sexist banter. A further 56% said no action was taken after they reported incidents. Additionally, women's football remains underfunded: a 2026 study by Starling Bank revealed that 97% of grassroots clubs need more funds, with players spending an average of £212 per year on kit, therapy, and equipment. Three-quarters (76%) of female players said they would need to quit if funding doesn't improve within five years.
Bigger picture beyond the tee
Kathryn Higgins cautioned against focusing solely on individual choices: 'We get bogged down in evaluating the individual things that individual women do, rather than looking at the bigger picture. The two obvious ones in relation to the World Cup are the absolute imbalance in investment in women's football versus men's football, and the fact that this tournament has been marred by multiple players who have allegations of sexual assault against them.' She concluded: 'It's essential we reflect on these choices we're making, but we also have to be thinking about gender politics.' Metro has approached Next, SHEIN, and Boohoo for comment.
