WAGs (or Wags) is an acronym used to refer to wives and girlfriends of high-profile sportsmen and women. The term may also be used in the singular form, WAG, to refer to a specific female partner or life partner who is in a relationship with an athlete. The term was first used by the British tabloid press to refer to the wives and girlfriends of high-profile footballers, originally the England national football team. The WAGs acronym came about following an increasing focus on the coverage of athletes' partners in the late-20th century, and it came into common use during the 2006 FIFA World Cup to refer to Victoria Beckham and Cheryl Cole, although the term had been used occasionally before that.
After achieving popularity, the acronym became a focus of reality television shows such as WAGs Boutique, WAG Nation, and WAGS. It has since been used by some media in other countries to describe the female partners of athletes in general. Variations have also been developed for other relations, such as husbands and boyfriends, and for other celebrities, such as the wives and girlfriends of celebrities and world leaders. The WAGs acronym is sometimes interpreted as demeaning to women, and it has been criticised by the partners of many athletes as well as by groups such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Lexicography
It is a popular belief that the first recorded use of the term WAG was in 2002: "It was never guaranteed that the wives and girlfriends (or "the Wags", as staff at the Jumeirah Beach Club call them for short) would get along. Mrs Beckham's tongue, for one thing, has previously run away with itself."Sunday Telegraph, 19 May 2002 Jennifer Bullen has also suggested that the 1991 novel Polo by Jilly Cooper was the first place where the term was published.
In 2006 it was generally printed as "WAGs", but a singular, "Wag" or "WAG", quickly came into vogue; for example: "any additional pounds she gained during Wag drinking sessions";Metro, 4 July 2006 "a property heiress, model and actress, appears a likely sports WAG".Times, 3 July 2006 Susie Dent's annual Language Report for the Oxford University Press (2006) capitalised the entire acronym as "WAG" ("wife and/or girlfriend") .Susie Dent (2006) The like, Language Report for real
"WAG"/"wag" came also to be used somewhat redundantly ("deluxe-edition Wag girlfriend"Rod Liddle, Sunday Times, 13 August 2006), although in such usage "girlfriend" (or "wife") could be interpreted as further denotative specification within the set of people fitting both the denotation and the connotation of "WAG", and increasingly in non-footballing contexts: for example, the first wife of comedian Peter Cook (1937–95) was described as a "Sixties Wag"Sunday Times News Review, 24 September 2006 and actress Jennifer Ellison, because of her former choice of clothes, "once ... the epitome of a Wag".Reference was made to Ellison's erstwhile "short skirt, high heels, long talons and hair extensions" and the tenuous fact that she had once stepped out briefly with Liverpool and England player Steven Gerrard: London Lite, 5 October 2006. Fashion writer Shane Watson coined a collective noun, "waggery".Sunday Times Style, 17 September 2006
Criticism In 2010, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) criticised the term as sexist and stated that it could be offensive, as it was often used to demean women.Copping, Jasper, (13 June 2010). "WAGs? That's sexist talk, says equality watchdog ", The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 December 2019. Other commentators have reflected this view. Felicity Morse has argued that "referring to any woman pejoratively as a 'wife or girlfriend' is not acceptable, and that the "casual repetition of this chauvinist term has normalised it".Morse, Felicity. (10 June 2014). "This World Cup, let's stop calling women WAGs ", The Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2019. Dana Johannsen described the term as "the most odious acronym in sport",Johannsen Dana. (3 February 2015). "Time to ditch the word WAG ", The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 December 2019. while Melanie Dinjaski argued that it demeans women and "implies a link between women and dogs, happily wagging their tails at their owner's (player's) side".Dinjaski, Melanie. (22 June 2011). "Memo to the media: please don't use the term WAGs ", The Roar. Retrieved 11 December 2019. In examining the use of the term WAG, Shawna Marks concluded that its use in the Australian media "highlight[s] sexist norms that persist within Australian football culture", and that this extended to other groups, such as women fans and players.Marks, Shawna. (2019) "Cinderella at the (foot)ball: wives and girlfriends in Australian rules football ", Continuum, v33. DOI: 10.1080/10304312.2019.1625868.
Some of those described by the media as WAGs have argued against the use of the term.Stewart, Matt. (10 March 2015). "Footballers' wives reject Wags term ", Stuff. Retrieved 11 December 2019. Rebekah Vardy reportedly stated that "Wag is a dated term because we're not defined by what our husbands do. We're individuals",Williams, Zoe. (27 June 2018). "Is Rebekah Vardy starting a World Cup feminist revolution – or taking us back to the 50s? ", The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2019. Others, such as Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole, have similarly rejected the eponym and to emphasise their credentials as career women in their own right.London Evening Standard, 5 July 2006
There are many celebrities who have been described as WAGs after either marrying or dating a notable athlete. Some independently famous women described in this manner include La La Anthony, Victoria Beckham, Gisele Bündchen, Cheryl Cole, Ciara, Ayesha Curry, Hilary Duff, Kendall Jenner, Khloé Kardashian, Irina Shayk, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, and Gabrielle Union.
The singer Jamelia (whose footballer boyfriend, Darren Byfield, played for Jamaica) drew a distinction between, on the one hand, those such as Victoria Beckham, who are "businesswoman", and Cole and Rooney, who "have a job" and those who, in her view, had the wrong "priorities" and simply spent their boyfriends' money.Metro, 13 July 2
Other sports
Lawn tennis During the course of the World Cup, the Times coined the term "WWAGs" ("Wimbledon Wives and Girlfriends") for the girlfriends of male participants in the All-England Lawn Tennis Championships in 2006. The most photographed partner in the British press during the tournament of 2006 was Kim Sears, the girlfriend of Scottish player Andy Murray. Sears is the daughter of Nigel Sears, former coach of the Slovak player Daniela Hantuchová.
Golf The term "wives and girlfriends" (in unabbreviated term) was commonly used during the Ryder Cup golfing competitions at The Belfry in 2002 and Oakland Hills near Detroit in 2004, the press having given these partners about as much coverage as the golfers themselves. London LiteLondon Lite, 19 September 2006 and MetroMetro, 20 September 2006 used the y patronising acronym "WABs" ("wives and birdies", the latter a pun on the term for a one under par score for a hole) with reference to the partners of the European team as they arrived in Ireland for the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club, Straffan, County Kildare.
Cricket "CWAGs" (Cricket Wives and Girlfriends) was applied to partners of the England cricket team in the series of Test matches against Australia that began in Brisbane in November 2006: for example, "Jessica the Cwag knocks Ashes Test crowd for six"London Lite, 27 November 2006 (the subject of this headline being singer Jessica Taylor, of the group Liberty X, fiancée of batsman Kevin Pietersen). "WAG" had previously been applied in the context of cricket: for example to model Minki van der Westhuizen, who had been associated with the South African captain, Graeme Smith.
England cricketer Danni Wyatt has long been nicknamed "Waggy". As she explained in 2015, "The girls say I'm a wannabe WAG because I've dated two footballers!"
Anushka Sharma, a leading Bollywood actress, is famously known as the wife of Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli. Their relationship began in 2013 during a commercial shoot, and they got married in a private ceremony in Italy in December 2017. Together, they are considered one of India’s most iconic celebrity couples. Anushka is often seen supporting Virat at matches, and their public association has made her one of the most recognized WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends) in the cricketing world. They have two children: daughter Vamika and son Akaay.
British Royal Family In July 2006 The Sun carried an article on the "RAGs" ("Royals and Girlfriends"), a term introduced for young female members of the British Royal Family, as well as Catherine Middleton, then girlfriend and now wife of Prince William, and Chelsy Davy, then girlfriend of Prince Harry.The Sun, 3 July 2006 Subsequently, under the heading "Windsor Mads outdo the Wags", Jasper Gerard reported in the Sunday Times on festivities involving "the Windsor Mads (mothers and daughters), as Fergie [Sarah, Duchess of York] and Eugenie celebrated Beatrice's forthcoming 18th birthday".Sunday Times, 16 July 2006
Motor racing Though the term has not typically been associated with motor racing, many high-profile sportsmen in motor racing have publicly enjoyed high-profile relationships with celebrities, for instance Jacques Villeneuve's relationship with Dannii Minogue, Lewis Hamilton's 8 year on-off relationship with Nicole Scherzinger and the former marriage of Dario Franchitti and Ashley Judd.
One example of a well known wife of a sportsman is Michaela Fogarty, the wife of former Superbike World Championship star Carl. At the height of her husband's fame, she has been photographed in pit and paddock areas and has also appeared in print advertisements for Ducati motorcycles, which her husband has ridden for. Despite never appearing in the spotlight, much of her popularity is within the motorcycling fraternity, as she is known for her support of her husband. The two have even appeared in a series which they embark on an adventure riding.
A famous fictional example is the character of Carley Bobby (Leslie Bibb) in the 2006 film Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. In the film, Carley is shown to be dependent on the success of her husband Ricky (Will Ferrell). After Ricky is injured in what appears to be a career-ending crash, Carley divorces him and subsequently marries Ricky's teammate Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly); Carley explains her decision by remarking, "I am a driver's wife! I don't work!"
Rugby League Many partners of Rugby league players have been associated with the WAGs term by the media. Examples include Terry Biviano, Candice Falzon and Lauryn Eagle.
Rugby Union Many partners of Rugby Union players have been associated with the WAGs term by the media.
New Zealand field hockey player Honor Dillon has been called a WAG since her marriage to out-half Dan Carter. Irish model Holly Carpenter also has the WAG title from the press due to being the girlfriend of Cian Healy.
Shinty
The traditional Scottish sport of shinty has developed the terminology "SWAGs" to refer to the wives and partners of shinty players. The terms was given further credence by an hour long documentary on BBC Alba, following various partners throughout a shinty season. Some of the "SWAGs" featured in the programme have been given further prominence in print and at shinty events.
Other acronyms Other imitative acronyms to emerge in 2006 included: