Top 10 Inspiring Commercial Celebrating Women

Over the years, Barbie has received well-deserved criticism for the unrealistic expectations of beauty it places on women. But recently there’s been a shift in their advertising we can all get behind. Proving that playing with Barbies can actually be positive, this commercial takes a humorous approach by showing different scenarios where little girls take on adult jobs like being a college professor, businesswoman, and football coach. The adults around them are amused but also awed at how self-confident the girls are in their capabilities of doing their jobs. By the end, we see that when a girl plays with Barbies, she’s imagining the endless possibilities of what she can become - and that’s a beautiful thing.

Starting with a young girl, we follow her as she gets older with her parents continually warning her away from being naturally curious. We never see her parents, but we do hear their voices constantly telling her that’s she’s pretty, she should be more careful, that she should leave the tools to her brother. Over time, the girl becomes less interested in science and more focused on her looks. It’s a painful reminder that even though parents want the best for their daughters, they can subliminally sabotage her from thinking that she has more to offer than her looks, a fact the advertisement backs up with statistics on women in the STEM fields. With this ad, Verizon challenges parents to “inspire her mind,” and it’s an uplifting reminder to encourage rather than discourage our daughters and all young women.

Equal pay for women should be a no-brainer at this point but unfortunately, it’s still a battle women face in most professions. This Audi ad tackles that subject as a father narrates what he’ll have to tell his daughter when he has to explain why men are still valued more than women. His words are a juxtaposition to the images of his daughter, who we see besting her competition in a downhill cart race, which gives him hope that maybe things will have changed by the time she’s an adult. It’s emotional and heartfelt especially as the duo drives off of in an Audi and the slogan “#driveprogress” appears onscreen.

The road to success is often paved with rejection - but in the end, it only makes you stronger; that’s exactly the message this Under Armour commercial gets across. In it, Misty Copeland, the first African American female to become a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, dances while a young girl reads a rejection letter Misty received when she first started dancing. The letter was brutal, telling Misty that she didn’t have the right body and she was too old to become a ballerina. Clearly, Misty didn’t listen and her determination propelled her to succeed. Her story ties perfectly with Under Armour’s mission statement, “I Will What I Want,” which is a mantra and a reminder for young women to never take no for an answer.

As a company, Dove seems dedicated to instilling confidence in women with ads like “Evolution,” which showed how unattainable society’s high standards of a woman’s beauty are. But it’s their “Real Beauty Sketches” that really show us how damaging those expectations can be when real women are asked to describe their features to a sketch artist. To prove how critical women can be of their selves, strangers are asked to describe the women featured as well, and then both drawings are put side by side. It’s an eye-opening result that encourages women to be kinder to themselves and see that they’re more beautiful than they think. With over 67 million views on YouTube, we hope it’s a message women are continuing to see and take to heart.

“I jiggle therefore I am” has to be one of the best body positivity slogans out there, and we have this advertisement to thank for it. Created by Sport England, the commercial is a pure celebration of women’s bodies in motion, showing the viewer scene after scene of women participating in sports and exercise regardless of their shape, size, or the amount of fat on their bodies. Set to the track of Missy Elliott’s, “Get Ur Freak On,” it’s an uplifting montage of women working out, and sweating like pigs but loving every moment of it. It’s a great campaign, since it doesn’t push a certain body type or weight for women and it also shows that they can be healthy and active at all sizes.

Ariel laundry detergent may be an unknown product to those of us in North America, but that didn’t stop this ad from becoming a viral hit. Made for India, the premise of the ad is an apologetic letter written by a father to his adult daughter after witnessing her do all the household chores when she comes home from a long day at the office. He doesn’t condemn her husband for being lazy, but explains how these expectations are learned from the generation before, admitting his own guilt in not helping his wife. It’s rewarding to see him make good on his promise when he does his own laundry by the end, with Ariel encouraging men to #sharetheload. It’s a call to action we hope everyone takes up.

Moms always have our backs. Starting with a baby stumbling after taking its first steps, there are continuous images of kids playing sports, falling down, and getting hurt, but their moms are always there to pick them up and encourage them to get back out there. Over time, the kids morph into adults competing at the Olympics, with mom cheering them on from the audience. What’s so memorable about this one is that the message was communicated nonverbally, yet the actions spoke volumes. It’s a silent thank you to mothers, who are the silent, and often underappreciated, cheerleaders. The P & G ad barely features their products, apart from Pampers, which makes the commercial feel less like an ad and truly like an homage to motherhood.

A lot of advertisements surrounding menstruation can be coy or clinical. But this entry doesn’t hold back and adds a comedic element to a girl’s first period. In the commercial, a young girl fakes getting her period, only to have it backfire when her mother figures out she’s lying and throws her a “first moon party” to celebrate. The party is over-the-top, ridiculous, and complete with a uterus piñata - but underneath it all, it does the important job of normalizing a girl getting her period. Instead of further punishing her daughter, the mother gives her a HelloFlo period starter kit, showing us all that it’s never too early to start the conversation about women’s health.



Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



“#GirlsCan: Women Empowerment” (2014)

CoverGirl


“Sorry Not Sorry” (2014)

Pantene




“Courage Is Already Inside” (2015)

Ram Trucks

Way more than an advertisement, the original “Like a Girl” commercial opened up a conversation about the toxicity of the common phrase “like a girl.” Participants, both male and female, were asked to act out various activities the way a girl would, and it was clear they weren’t performing to the best of their abilities. What’s genius about this commercial is that they ask girls under ten to do the same tasks, and those girls gave it their all. Directed by Lauren Greenfield, it’s a terrific reminder that the words we use do matter, and that they can tear down a person’s confidence. The advertisement doesn’t even show Always feminine hygiene products, which allows the conversation to be the focal point.