Always, a creator of feminine based products, teamed up with director Lauren Greenfield to create an advertisement that grabbed over 30 million views. If you haven’t seen the ad, here is a brief summary.
The ad discussed the stereotypes of acting or performing something “like a girl.” Greenfield asks a series of questions and requests members of the cast to perform certain actions. The video included a variety of girls and boys of all different ages. Some of the actions asked the team to showcase how to “run like a girl,” “throw like a girl” and “fight like a girl.” When the older aged individuals were asked to display how to run or throw like a girl, it was comical and displayed weakness. On the contrary, the younger aged girls would display their views in a more proud and confident way.
The ad shed light on differences in mindset of not only girls and boys, but also in age. From that moment in the video I realized how I had not been looking at this ad as an experiment, but rather how I agreed with the older individuals reactions and responses. Why is it considered funny or seen as weak to “act like a girl?”
This ad also drove me to ask, when did the idea of “acting like a girl” become associated with not being able to do something ‘correctly?’ How could I find a stereotype like this funny? Being a young woman, I don’t want to condone the phrase #LikeAGirl knowing that someone could use it to belittle my own daughter.
This ad forced attention onto this idea that all genders have been condoning the idea that doing something “like a girl” means to do so in a weaker, less passionate way. Always brought a general stereotype to the surface and showed thousands just how literal it is taken by our youth and why it is one of many that should end.
Being a part of a generation that has been fighting for change, I’ve realized, through this ad, how important it is for directors like Lauren Greenfield to produce projects like this. We teach our young men to be strong and it’s about time to uplift our young ladies as well.
Follow the #LikeAGirl movement by Always, and tweet your moments of pride for being a woman using the hashtag.
