Everyone has heard the phrase “you
run like a girl” but what exactly does this phrase mean? In an experiment held
by Lauren Greenfield, a documentarian and brand ambassador for the company Always
she explores what “like a girl” really means. She asks a group of teenage
girls, older men, and young boys to act out throwing like a girl, or running
like a girl. They make stereotypical efforts, and lack strength in these
actions. Then pre-pubescent girls are
asked to do these same actions, but their attempts are serious and confident.
The message Greenfield is trying to send is to change what “like a girl” means,
and to build loyalty to her brand.
Greenfield is a Sundance film
festival award winner, and commonly talks about issues with the new
generation. Competitor brands like Dove,
and BBDO have been trying to run confidence campaigns for years, but none have
been as effective as this one commercial. The true power behind this
advertisement lies in the juxtaposition of the responses. The older audience is
brought forward first and humiliates actions of girls, then after bringing
humility to the phrase like a girl, pre-pubescent girls are shown. Their
actions represent force and power, and capture what “like a girl” should be.
For years companies have been trying to send a
message of women empowerment, but none have come as close as Greenfields
attempt. Through her juxtaposition she spreads the message that young girls
believe in themselves, and believe that they are powerful but as they age they
lose this feeling and think of themselves as less strong as males. Of course
the purpose was to bring loyalty to the brand, but to also start a new movement
of self-confidence. After seeing this video the phrase “like a girl” isn’t
really an insult, and should be turned into a compliment.
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