In celebration of International Women’s Day in 2018, British-based telecom company Vodafone aired an advertisement in support of gender equality. This advertisement came shortly after the MeToo movement gained popularity in 2017 and there was an environment calling for everyone to support gender equality. It features young girls and boys acting in jobs that challenge gender norms. For example, young girls portrayed world leaders, doctors, engineers, and pilots, all fields historically dominated by men. The advertisement repeatedly calls on the commonplace phrase, “Girls can do anything boys can do,” as the young girls pose thoughtful questions that call out gender inequality. For instance, the opening line of the advertisement features a young girl asking, “Why have there been so many male presidents—but so few women?” Choosing children to portray the various roles effectively calls out the absurdity of gender roles in the workplace. The questions asked by the children represent a view untainted by societal standards. They are puzzled by the fact that women are severely underrepresented in technological fields and can’t understand why most fictional superheroes are men and women only play a love interest.
As women who are accustomed to these societal norms, we would rarely think to ask such questions. The children are able to ask these questions because they haven’t yet experienced the impact of gender roles on our society. Thus, the advertisement challenges us to question gender roles that we may not think twice about otherwise. It is tempting to look at such scenarios and think that’s just the way it is. But this advertisement effectively shows us that these things we consider normal are really anything but. Overall, the advertisement successfully challenges our thinking about gender roles and leaves us with this lesson: don’t be afraid to ask questions. While we’re used to hearing the saying that girls can do anything boys can do, the reality is that they don’t—not yet. Even five years after the airing of this commercial, there is still work to be done to ensure that women are given the same opportunities as men. So be bold, and question things often.
The analysis of this commercial is extensive and extremely well done. While watching the video, I also noted the choice of using children to play adult jobholders. To me, I thought it was a way to tell their audience (likely other adults who purchase Vodafone) that the younger generation is beginning to question their societal norms. Many customers may also have daughters, which further emphasizes the idea that the new generation is ready to fight for change, and the world should fight with them. I agree that the kairos for this add is perfectly explained by the popular #MeToo movement. From the perspective of an international company, jumping on a global social movement is a great way to please paying customers. They piggy-backed off of the press and media from the highly publicized protests only after a year of its global outbreak. Lastly, one thing I actually noticed when watching the video the second time, is that there are actually many commonplaces explicitly stated in the video. Several lines that a children say (ex. women are the love interest or pilots are men) I saw as commonplaces themselves. Even though they are not always true, they are widely believed ideas that people hold in their unintentional sexism. Thus, this ad’s goal is to actually disprove these commonplaces and cement a new one, that girls can do anything boys can do. Overall this artifact allows for a deep analysis into rhetoric in persuading audiences!