Too often, advertisers and marketers alike continue to use the notion that “sex sells” and place women in stereotypical roles throughout advertisements. Being a marketer and having a passion for advertising, I often find myself in a tricky situation between knowing what would be ethically and morally correct and what can potentially make more money for a brand. However, Leo Burnett, one of the top advertising firms in the world and a member of the Publicis Groupe, has been able to redefine the nature of what it means to do something “like a girl” and still have the brand, Always, earn a huge return. The agency has truly started a movement to focus on what it means to be a woman and the endless possibilities that come with being a woman.

The Like A Girl campaign first started in June 2014 as an online video about the negative perceptions and connotations of what it means to do something like a girl. The feminine products brand, Always, commissioned Leo Burnett and famous female documentary filmmaker Lauren Greenfield to create an ad that would start a movement to champion girls’ confidence and empowerment instead of being put down by society based on the sole factor of gender. Research commissioned by Always found that only 19% of women have positive associations with the expression “like a girl,” so they set out to change those perceptions and help empower women everywhere to feel confident in themselves.

After puberty, many girls start to internalize the negative connotations of what it means to do something like a girl. Young, pre-pubescent girls, however, portray “like a girl” as strong, encouraging, and confident. Leo Burnett sought out to encourage women to continue being confident after puberty and know that they are capable of doing anything throughout life. In February 2015, the Like A Girl video aired in a Super Bowl spot. Since the spot, the campaign has won multiple awards such as the Grand Clio award, Cannes Grand Prix, Black Pencil and White Pencil at D&AD, 11 Webby awards, and a 2015 Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial.

The campaign means much more than a few awards or earning a brand new customers. The ad was meant to start a movement and that’s exactly what it has done. It’s time to start changing these negative connotations of what it means to do something like a girl to mean strong, empowering, and confident. Women are more than just their body parts. Women aren’t objects that can be used to increase revenue streams. By encouraging women to realize that they are powerful, they are strong, they are the leaders in business and communities everywhere, we’re teaching them that there are no limits to what they’re capable of. It’s important that girls everywhere going through puberty know that they never lose their strength. Before watching the film, only 19% of women 16-24 had positive associations towards the phrase “like a girl.” However, after watching the film 76% said that they no longer viewed the phrase as negative and 2 out of 3 men said they would stop using the phrase as an insult.

I’m proud that Leo Burnett and Always chose to redefine a phrase that is inherently sexist but has unfortunately became a normal thing to say in conversation. By changing sexist language we can start to break the barriers between genders even more. Just because something is everyday language or conversation doesn’t mean that it’s not insulting or derogatory towards others. It’s great that this campaign has gained so much support from around the world and hopes to continue to encourage women to know their power.

In their continuation of the campaign, Leo Burnett and Always have taken a jab at emojis and how they continue to portray women in stereotypical roles. Female emojis are very limited to a neutral girl, bride, princess, dancing twins, and information desk workers. Being that young girls send over a billion emojis everyday, Leo Burnett and Always strove to enhance the emoji variety pass the stereotypical characters contained. Three out of four girls said that they wanted to see female emojis portrayed more progressively and professionally, including sports and professions. Leo Burnett and Always continue to encourage impressionable young girls to keep being strong and never lose their confidence. There should be no point in time where women lose confidence in themselves because of our sociolinguistics.

via adweek.com

This is a great step in the right direction for advertising and society as a whole. It’s important that we break the gender barriers and encourage all genders to continue being strong and confident. Doing something like a girl is a compliment, not an insult.