Society places so many unfair burdens on women, it’s crazy. For instance, if women behave aggressively in the workplace to get things done as men do, they are deemed “too emotional,” and well, you know the other word they use. Today, women must still juggle several roles at home and work, all while looking their best at all times. And to say that women must always be on stage to perform is not an exaggeration. For instance, if a woman decides to go into work one day without makeup, suddenly that can start rumors that she’s tired or that the quality of her work is somehow “slipping.” Whereas a man forgets his tie or doesn’t shave for a week, hardly anyone notices.
In a recent video ad campaign called “This Girl Can,” funded by the National Lottery in the United Kingdom, women are encouraged to get more active. While telling women to get more exercise may not seem like an “empowering” message, the way they do it breaks lots of boundaries. For one, they do not body shame women who are not slim athletes or supermodels. Instead, they put women with curves front and center, celebrating women of all body images. The ad also shows women hard at work, not just looking pretty for the cameras while doing a few sit-ups. The women in this commercial are sweating and digging in just as hard as men.
On their website, you can find more inspiring images of women exercising and showing off the beauty of their strength. Hopefully, we can see more ad campaigns like this in the U.S as millions of women and young girls are still being told that the only “acceptable” body types are ones that don’t anything like theirs.
Source: YouTube
You can see the full video of the “This Girl Can” ad down below.