Superbowl Advert 2015: This Video Will Change The Way You Think About Acting 'Like A Girl'

These Kids Prove There's Nothing Sissy About Throwing 'Like A Girl'

If someone told you to run 'like a girl' most would flap their arms about like a deranged chicken or whine and flick their hair. But, thanks to an empowering campaign from Always, that might all be about to change.

Their advert, which was first aired in July 2014 and broadcast to an audience of millions during the Super Bowl on Sunday, aims to challenge the existing negative connotations attached to doing something 'like a girl'.

The brand aim to redefine the phrase to mean something strong and triumphant in order to empower young women.

"We’re kicking off an epic battle to make sure that girls everywhere keep their confidence throughout puberty and beyond, and making a start by showing them that doing it #LikeAGirl is an awesome thing," the brand say on their website.

In the video, adults are asked to run 'like a girl' and throw 'like a girl'. The results are embarrassing - according to the mixed group of men and women, girls are never co-ordinated or particularly accomplished.

In contrast, when the children in the video are asked to demonstrate the same activities 'like a girl', there's no sense of mocking - they run as fast as they can, throw with determination and show that actually, being a girl is something to be pretty proud of.

According to Always, our idea of doing something 'like a girl' changes considerably as we get older. This is because the phrase is used as in an insult to imply that women are inferior to men.

"Using #LikeAGirl as an insult is a hard knock against any adolescent girl. And since the rest of puberty’s really no picnic either, it’s easy to see what a huge impact it can have on a girl’s self-confidence," say Always.

But both of these campaigns have received mixed reviews, with some labelling them as patronising or merely clever marketing strategies.

Writing about the Pantene campaign for The Telegraph, Dr Brooke Magnanti asks: "Since when did a shampoo company get to tell girls how to behave?"

Also writing for The Telegraph, Karen Robertson points out that Dove's real beauty campaign has a central flaw: "I would much prefer women to get better at backing themselves for their achievements and capabilities – rather than honing their skills at praising their own and their mates’ ‘beauty spots’. Come on Dove – it’s time to update your marketing patter."

Here at HuffPost UK Lifestyle, we're all for anything that tackles sexism and aims to promote gender equality. Yes the Always advert may look a little staged, but if makes one person re-think using 'like a girl' as an insult, then we approve.

Close