If You Are a Girl, Do It “like a Girl”

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Women and the gender roles are being portrayed and being described to the audience. Women, who think they are not good or strong as man because of the gender norms constructed by society are being told in the video especially in the first part. Women who are really strong and can understand the phrase “like a girl” as a good thing is also showed in the ending of the video with a particular strong woman. At first the view point of the commercial is from the male gaze, because the gender norms are constructed by patriarchy which is related to male authority. Then, it changes to female gaze and challenging the idea of the male gaze by challenging the gender norms. Shared rhetorical vision is the understanding the phrase as an insult in the first part to the people who try to act like a girl in a mocking way, which shamefully backs up the stereotypes. Another shared rhetorical vision is realizing how innocence and honest the little girls by feeling sad and emotional. Especially when the little girl answers of the director’s question of what “like a girl” means to her, she says “Run fast as you can”. This particular moment and the female gaze create an emotional reaction which can be shared as sadness or do even one’s eyes fill with tears with the camera moves and the words appears on the screen. These rhetorical shared reactions are created in the video to get attention and make the argument strong.

In conclusion, the commercial made a new social media movement for especially young girls to make them proud of who they really are. It also wants them to know what they are capable of and asking them to participate the event in the brand’s website to show their power. The director made also few side commercials like this one by showing girls and getting attention from more girls. The video is so powerful with comparing the reactions before and after the author explains it to the narrators. The video shared on every social media and had a huge effect to especially young girls. In the website of the brand, girls who are studying, running, dancing and playing sports are encouraging their peers with showing to do it like a girl. It can be better and stronger, if the young boys are participated more to the video. It should consider the young boys and also grownups, because they are also affecting the personality of the girls during their puberty with the gender norms. If changing the meaning of “like a girl” in the society is reachable, it should reach its aim with the supported male population. Men should also realize the bad consequences and they should start questioning the phrase like all women do after they saw the commercial. I think the video is pretty strong and valuable but can be improved with including more men as narrator and audience as well.

Works Cited

Hesford, W.S., Brueggeman, B.J, (2006) Rhetorical Visions. Pearson/Prentice Hall

Greenfield, Lauren. "Filmography by Lauren Greenfield." Lauren Greenfield Photography. 2014. Retrieved from

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"Always #LikeAGirl - Unstoppable." YouTube. Always, 7 July 2015.Web. 13 Oct. 2015. .

"Procter & Gamble." New Social Experiment by Always® Reveals Harmful Impact Commonly Used Phrase Has on Girls. 26 June 2014. Retrieved from .

Lichter-Mark, Rose. "Money Changes Everything: An Interview With Lauren Greenfield - Rookie." Rookie. 23 May 2013. Retrieved from .