Female Empowerment: "Like a Girl" Commercial by Always®
Directed by Lauren Greenfield, the stereotype-crushing "Like a Girl" commercial is part of the larger #LikeAGirl confidence-boosting campaign by Always, the feminine hygiene brand owned by Procter & Gamble.
Society tends to spread subtle messages that can limit girls to stereotypes. By using strong emotional appeals (pathos), this commercial calls for a redefinition of "like a girl", a phrase embedded and entrenched in our culture and often used in derogatory ways intentionally or accidentally, and demonstrates how amazing it is to be a girl. It spreads the ideologies of female empowerment.
The filming style of the commercial is interesting as it resembles a behind-the-scenes (BTS) video, making it feel raw and authentic. When asked to show what it looks like to run, fight or throw like a girl, adults and a kid brother make feeble and stereotyped efforts, flailing their arms, making pathetic noises, and touching their hair. It demonstrates that the expression “like a girl” is often perceived as an insult to tease someone who is fragile, dependent, over-emotional, less advanced or useless. |
| To change the audience’s perception of the phrase “like a girl” from a negative connotation to a positive one, this ad plays heavily on pathos. By asking “When did doing something ‘like a girl’ become an insult?”, the ad pulls on pathos and makes the audience realise the negative impact that associating “girl” with “weakness” can have. It tells the audience to stop using the phrase in a pejorative sense and stop perpetuating stereotypes. The commercial influences and educates not only young girls facing puberty but also generations of women and men who have used or heard the phrase before. By highlighting an issue that matters to most women, the ad strikes a chord and goes viral, enhancing brand awareness. Always has successfully created a lasting emotional impact with its audience. |
Females are assumed to be inferior to males in a number of aspects such as athletic abilities. Always challenges the common perception that “boys are more capable than girls” by redefining the term "like a girl" to more accurately describe female capabilities and associating it with the meaning of confidence and strength. Through realistic portrayals of girls, who are just as capable, confident and strong as their male counterparts, this commercial challenges the socially constructed weakness that girls supposedly have. No girl should feel she cannot do something well because of her gender.