Super Bowl: #LikeAGirl
Super Bowl: #LikeAGirl
Each year, the Super Bowl rolls around and people get hyped. They’re all cheering for their team, preparing snacks for the evenings, and getting ready for a night full of fun.
Between the plays, the Super Bowl commercials air, featuring funny puns and using methods to get you intrigued by their product(s). In 2015, viewers found themselves thinking about the real reason that the commercials were playing instead of simply just being amused.
There were a couple commercials that really hit home, but honestly, there was one that truly resonated with me.
Always, the feminine product company, featured their #LikeAGirl campaign. The advertisement started out asking teens “What does it mean to run like a girl?” These girls proceeded to run by flailing their legs and arms and running their fingers through their hair. They continued to ask questions such as “What does it mean to fight like a girl?” and “What does it mean to throw like a girl?” All the children acted out these by acting frail and whimsy.
The part that I enjoyed most was when they asked a young boy, “Did you think you insulted your sister?” after he completed these actions. He started by saying no, but then realized that in actuality, he did. By grouping all young girls into a stereotype, the young boy realized that he therefore included the girls that were closest to him.
The commercial continues by showcasing young girls doing the same actions that the teenagers had done. Instead of acting weak and uninterested, these girls were completely energetic. They believed that running like a girl meant sprinting as fast as you can; throwing like a girl meant putting forth as much effort as possible; and fighting embodied the strength a boxer or a karateka.
Following this, the quote “A girl’s confidence plummets during puberty, but it doesn’t have to” drew me all in. You always see young girls running around in the dirt, but once they reach around age 13, they start to focus on more “girly” things. In no way does this mean that these “girly” things are bad, but they do, in fact, tend to destroy a girl’s confidence.
The company then ended this advertisement with “Let’s rewrite the rules,” ...and I can’t agree more with this statement! Let’s rewrite the stereotypes that girls can’t be strong and athletic. Let’s rewrite the misconception that girls can’t play like boys. Let’s rewrite the rule that a girl’s confidence disappears as she grows up.
Alexis is currently a freshman at Pace University - Pleasantville, and majoring in Communications with a minor in Public Relations and Marketing. She has a multitude of different cultures in her: German, Belgian, French, Norwegian, Greek, and English, and she appreciates each and every part of it. Besides embracing her culture, Alexis enjoys being involved on her college campus in a variety of organizations. Her main passion lies in women empowerment and she hopes to leave a mark on the world one day.