In the commercial ad shown during the 2015 super bowl representing the feminine product “Always”, the phrase “like a girl” was being acted out by young children and teens to show the significance of what it meant or what it means to be or act “like a girl”. In the video there is a group of young children and a group of older kids, which would be the teenagers. The producers ask the older group to show them what it looks like to hit, run, and throw like a girl.
Being told to do so, the teenagers show them their interpretation of the phrase and when they acted it out, it was seen as weak and girly; the teenagers seemed to be more judgmental of the phrase. The producers then ask the younger kids the same question, and unlike the teenagers, their interpretation of the phrase was done with much more attitude, passion, and strength. As seen through the actions in the commercial what can be inferred is that younger females are empowered and as they age through puberty society makes them feel weak and self conscience about themselves.
The product “Always”, is trying to make a difference in changing the way women are viewed in today’s society. “Like a girl” has become a popular phrase which many people use intentionally and unintentionally. Whether said in either or both ways, it is aimed to make females seem like a fragile symbol in society. In the video “Like a Girl” it provokes a question that is “are women being undermined by bias, prejudice and stereotypes? ” Throughout previous centuries women have been given only the remnants of what males receive especially in terms of realism and credibility.
It’s stated that to reference to an action with the statement “like a girl” gives the impression that the action is less than that of a male. It gives the message that women are being undermined with the bias that girls, or females in general are not as capable as males. This has been proven as a fact over the course of history because of males’ natural domineering trait and competitiveness. In the video, the producers told the younger people from the cast to ‘run like a girl’ they had less understanding of the preceding degradation of the reference.
Basically there is a clear understanding or wisdom amongst the older individuals from the cast that there is weakness insinuated in the description of doing something like a girl. It is important in this realization as an individual and human being to embrace the feminine qualities in order to battle, as some would reference it the “battle of the sexes”. To fight the injustice of insecurity in growing young females is important because there is so much opportunity or potential in young females that are suppressed with the idea that females are not capable of male attributes.
The movement for women to become equal to men is something that has been prolonged by the antagonizing effects of suppression of freedom and the lasting impressions of history. The acting of the people running, “like a girl”, was an image of people weakly flailing their arms and futilely kicking their legs to their sides while vocally sounding “girly” laughs. They all tended to have smiles while mimicking the form of running as if girls are more prone to being content and or happy with their lifestyles, while the young children would just act as if they were plainly running or even act as if they are intensely running.
It seems that kids are less formed by societal expectations and subconscious actions. This brings intake and thought to the idea that youth are so formable with so much influence from things such as the media, stimulants and our environment. In Always’ commercial ad, they use strong emotional appeals, which consider this commercial partially as pathos. Pathos uses emotional appeals to persuade the audience through a shared emotion; hence, the emotional appeals used in this commercial ad are to empower young females transitioning from childhood to adulthood; puberty.
In the video, there is a part where a question pops up saying, “when does like a girl become an insult? ” This was directed for viewers to realize that referring to a female, as a synonym for weak can be hurtful. When girls see this commercial ad they think back the times when someone told them this. When parents see this ad, they think of their daughters and how they do not want them to feel as though they are inferior to males. When everyone else sees this commercial, they realize that something’s they might have said to a female might have negatively impacted the way they viewed themselves.
The video, “Like a Girl” also uses credibility, which would fall into the category of ethos. Ethos uses people whom we trust to make us believe that what they are saying is true. Ethos is shown in the ad by demonstrating the knowledge they have for females. For instance, when they ask both the young and the old groups of kids to act out the actions given, the audience sees the knowledge that they have for females. Towards the end of the video, they go on by showing how women are strong and that “like a girl” is nothing but a phrase that tries to define who females are but does not come across because “like a girl” does not define anyone.
The commercial ad not only uses pathos and ethos, it also uses logos in the sense that it logically persuades by reasoning with the audience. An example of how logos is seen in the video is just a thought of how young girls have a mentality that is, being a female is something to be proud of, but later realizes that it is something to be ashamed of due to how society makes women feel, especially when using the phrase “like a girl. ” The focus on what the commercial is trying to do is to reverse what “like a girl” truly means, and demonstrate how beautiful it is to be a girl.
An example of this is when the producers asked the younger group of kids what they thought doing things like a girl meant. Their responses were simple, they were all being themselves, and when asked to the older group of kids, their responses were inferring that the phrase was an insult to females. They then were given another chance and were able to reenact the actions the producers instructed them to do; however this time they did it with strength and passion. The emotion that was being brought up by the actions shown was targeted to those who have gone through or will soon go through puberty.
It also catches the attention of parents that are buying these products for their daughters. The actions represented in the commercial ad, produced by the feminine product Always clearly state that the way females are being seen in todays society are vulnerable and weak; however it is time to change the way women are perceived. Like a girl should no longer be a phrase that is used to refer to an action that is seen as fragile. Instead it should be used to define a strong and powerful woman who has conquered.
Young females should not have to be ashamed in going through puberty, because everyone is going to hit that stage. Transitioning from a young female to a woman should not be a barrier for those who want to accomplish great things, and no one should feel self conscience about themselves or think of themselves as less than. “Like a girl” is just another stereotype against women that makes them feeling weak but will not succeed because woman empowerment is rising and it is time to change the rules that society has marked for women.
