Peterborough Women Star Tara Mae Kirk Speaks Out on Online Abuse and Sexist Comments
Peterborough Women striker Tara Mae Kirk has publicly addressed the overwhelming and often inappropriate attention she receives on social media, shedding light on the darker side of being a female footballer in the digital age. The 22-year-old forward, who joined Posh from Leicester City in 2022, found herself thrust into an unexpected spotlight during the 2023 season when the club shared her goalscoring successes on social media platforms.
Viral Attention and Unwanted Comments
Kirk and her teammate Keir Perkins saw their goalscoring graphics inundated with messages from so-called fans, many of which crossed the line into inappropriate territory. The situation became so severe that Peterborough Women were forced to delete some posts to protect player welfare. Reflecting on the experience two years later, Kirk revealed that she realized she was being specifically targeted, with supporters at times "being sexist and sexualising" her.
"I never imagined the reactions that I've got from scoring goals," Kirk told talkSPORT's The Kick Back, adding that she "absolutely" felt the attention had "crossed the line." "That's my position. That's what you're meant to do. There's always so much, I guess, spotlight on strikers."
The Reality of Going Viral
The striker described how she went viral in 2023 after Peterborough Women shared her goalscoring graphic, receiving approximately five million views per week for five to six consecutive weeks. Initially, Kirk struggled to comprehend the sudden attention.
"I didn't, in the moment, understand the hype or whatever. As it went on, I thought it was all just kind of a fluke, or have they got the right person? Like, what's all these comments about?" she explained. "I understood quickly that it was positive, but also crossing the line of borderline being sexist and sexualizing me. So, yeah, it's kind of balancing the good with the bad. That's what I've had to learn."
A Wider Problem in Women's Football
Kirk is not alone in facing such treatment. Online trolls frequently focus on female players' appearances rather than their athletic abilities. Last summer, pundits and former footballers rallied around 16-year-old Kilmarnock signing Skye Stout after users mocked her teenage acne, highlighting the pervasive nature of this issue.
The Peterborough star emphasized that being a woman in football has forced her to develop a "thicker skin." "I think I have thick skin, but I've had to get even thicker skin being online," said Kirk, who also works as a content creator and presenter for various media channels. "It's my own choice that I've wanted to grow my brand and my platforms. But that comes with a thick skin and just having to bat it off."
Balancing Career and Personal Brand
Kirk stressed that she had "fallen into" presenting alongside her playing career and is keen to balance time on the pitch with growing the women's game through media work. She has made 89 appearances for Peterborough since joining, netting 52 goals and earning three Player of the Match awards.
"I never planned to go viral, or I never planned to have a following," she added. "I love posting pictures and getting dressed up and playing football, but I never thought that it was going to break out the way it did. I could either run with it or completely ignore it. And I think run with it because of the opportunities and then the money side of it."
Kirk concluded by affirming her commitment to embracing opportunities that come her way, provided they align with her reputation and values. Her experience underscores the ongoing challenges female athletes face in navigating social media while pursuing their careers in professional sports.
