What does it mean to do something ‘like a girl’? Long-believed perceptions of throwing, running and fighting ‘like a girl,’ were challenged in Always’ “Rewrite the Rules” campaign commercial, during the Super Bowl. For too many girls, being ‘like a girl’ indicates doing them in a weak physical manner. With belief in this concept, a stereotype threat (Steele, 1997; Steele & Aronson, 1995) can put girls at a risk for following the stereotyped expectations of their group, rather than working to their full potential.
Building a positive image of oneself is important, but it takes time and practice (Mountain State Centers for Independent Learning, n.d.). Messages that are heard toward groups that a person identifies themselves to be a part of, can influence behavior and success. Essentially, when someone believes that they or someone else will fail or succeed, it can influence failure or success (Schneider, 2012).
Can the principles of ‘Rewriting the Rules’ transcend into other cultural stereotypes? By rewriting the scripts, so that groups of people are given successful messages, perhaps more successful outcomes can result. With this in mind, educators, along with positive advertising campaigns, such as ‘Rewriting the Rules’ can impact positive societal change.
In essence, positive and encouraging messages about ourselves and about others can be significant factors in overcoming negative stereotypes. Self-esteem isn’t self-absorption; it’s self-respect (Mountain State Centers for Independent Learning, n.d.). If we believe that we are capable, we can become more capable. If we believe that we will fail, we possibly will.
Quotes to Ponder:
References
Mountain State Centers for Independent Learning. (n.d.). Improving your Self Image. Retrieved from Positive Self Image and Self Esteem: www. mtstcil.org/skills/image-3.html
Schneider, F. W. (2012). Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. In F. W. Schneider, Applied Social Psychology Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems Second Edition (pp. 3-16). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Tags: like a girl, Rewrite the Rules, self fulfilling prophecy, stereotype threat
I remember this commercial during the Super Bowl. I thought it was amazing then and think it’s even more amazing now that I got the opportunity to see the long version. I think the little girl in the rainbow straps is awesome and love the expression of the woman when she is asked if she would like to try giving an example of running “like a girl” again. It made me wonder what I would have done if I was asked to run “like a girl” before seeing this.
If it was asked by someone I know or even a random person on the street, I think I would have asked what they meant by “like a girl”. I would have been quick to defend girlhood and I would have shared that I was the fastest runner in my entire school, boys included, in 7th grade. Yes, I probably would have gone there. However, in the setting of an audition for a commercial I was hoping to get, I probably would have given the same stereotyped example as the actors did. Then, I too would have been surprised to discover that although I would not hesitate to defend the strength of myself as a woman or my daughters as girls, I still allowed myself to accept the stereotype enough to contribute to its persistence. I would have been like the boy who tried to explain that he was not putting down his sister, just other…girls? Truly, a very affective campaign, and a much needed one at that.
Now, what I would like to see is another campaign that gets people to think about the stereotype of boys. You know, the attitude that “boys will be boys” when they behave in ways that otherwise would be considered unacceptable. There are so many efforts, as there should be, to empower girls and to teach them how to deal with the behaviors of boys. But what about the efforts to teach boys how to behave towards girls so that the girls don’t have to always be proving or defending themselves? I think that, just like the “like a girl” stereotype contributes to the stereotype threat phenomena for girls, the “boys will be boys” attitude contributes to the stereotype threat for boys. For example, I had the vice principle of a middle school use this phrase in response to hearing that adolescent boys were seen masturbating in the classroom! Of course, he insisted that the boys were most likely “pretending”, as if that was any better or more acceptable. This is why I was excited to see the Always “Rewrite the Rules” campaign commercial during the Super Bowl for millions of people to view. If it is able to make people aware of their contribution to the negative stereotypes of girls, then it is sure to spark interest and awareness about the many other stereotypes we unknowingly help sustain.
Advertising is a window into our values. Sometimes we like what we see, sometimes we don’t. Proctor & Gamble aired their “Like a Girl” campaign during Super Bowl this year. I saw the commercial and did not even realize it was for a feminine care product as I was swept away at the message. The girl empowering missive reverberated loud and clear, but this was no hit or miss by P&G as they used focus groups to determine that a girl’s self-esteem plummets when she reaches puberty. I could have told you that without focus groups but in an advertising meeting it is always good to have the numbers backed up. The ad campaign focused on the problem of how we gender stereotype girls into the role of the subordinate, the ones that cannot perform as well as boys. This is meant to be an empowering message, but the fact that it had to be aired at all confirms we have a long way to go toward gender equality. P&G hired a woman director to make this message resonate in a corporate world still dominated by men. They were also smart enough to realize there is a disconnect between advertising for women written by men (Like A Girl, 2015).
Stereotype threat manifests itself as apprehension a member of a group feels because if they perform poorly, they fear it will reflect badly upon their group. Sometimes girls are afraid to attempt activities, that according to gender stereotypes, boys do better. This performance apprehension then translates into a poor performance because they are more nervous than they should be (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013). These ads seek to destroy the hurtful, confidence crusher girls so often experience. Also, to remind girls, and woman, we need to make the effort, it is worth it.
Resources:
Aronson, E., Wilson, T., & Akert, R. (2013). Social psychology (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Like A Girl: Boost your self-confidence! #LikeAGirl | Always. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2015, from http://www.always.com/en-us/likeagirl.aspx