A Performative and Feminist Criticism of the Always #LikeAGirl Ad Campaign: Addressing Gender Stereotypes in Sports
Faculty Sponsor(s)
Brenda DeVore Marshall
Location
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
Subject Area
Communication Arts/Rhetoric
Description
The purpose of this study was to examine rhetorical strategies used in two videos from Proctor and Gamble’s Always #LikeAGirl advertising campaign created in part to encourage the target audience (young women) to increase their confidence in their athletic abilities. The analysis focused on the ads “Always #LikeAGirl” and “Quarterback Karlie Harman's Story” in its examination of individual female self-identity as it is formed through repeated actions and the influence of societal expectations. Using the framework of performativity and feminist criticism, the investigation explored the following questions: What rhetorical strategies are employed in the #LikeAGirl ads? Does Always implement methods that improve women’s self-esteem? How might #LikeAGirl help break gender stereotypes in sports? The study concluded that it is crucial that companies with expansive resources and influence commit to changing the hegemonic ideologies about gender by bringing awareness to gender inequality. Media producers are in the prime position to begin the enactment of social change through the messages they portray. With the capacity to communicate to large audiences, these creators have the opportunity to contribute to a paradigm shift in social views and expectations of gender norms.
The paper upon which this poster was based was written for the Senior Seminar course in Communication Arts. The paper was competitively selected for and subsequently presented at the Northwest Communication Association Conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in April 2019. At the conference, this paper was recognized as the Top Undergraduate Paper in the Rhetorical Theory and Criticism Division, and it also received the overall conference Top Undergraduate Paper Award.
Recommended Citation
McNutt-Kaestner, Heather, "A Performative and Feminist Criticism of the Always #LikeAGirl Ad Campaign: Addressing Gender Stereotypes in Sports" (2019). Linfield University Student Symposium: A Celebration of Scholarship and Creative Achievement. Event. Submission 72.
https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/symposium/2019/all/72
A Performative and Feminist Criticism of the Always #LikeAGirl Ad Campaign: Addressing Gender Stereotypes in Sports
Jereld R. Nicholson Library: Grand Avenue
The purpose of this study was to examine rhetorical strategies used in two videos from Proctor and Gamble’s Always #LikeAGirl advertising campaign created in part to encourage the target audience (young women) to increase their confidence in their athletic abilities. The analysis focused on the ads “Always #LikeAGirl” and “Quarterback Karlie Harman's Story” in its examination of individual female self-identity as it is formed through repeated actions and the influence of societal expectations. Using the framework of performativity and feminist criticism, the investigation explored the following questions: What rhetorical strategies are employed in the #LikeAGirl ads? Does Always implement methods that improve women’s self-esteem? How might #LikeAGirl help break gender stereotypes in sports? The study concluded that it is crucial that companies with expansive resources and influence commit to changing the hegemonic ideologies about gender by bringing awareness to gender inequality. Media producers are in the prime position to begin the enactment of social change through the messages they portray. With the capacity to communicate to large audiences, these creators have the opportunity to contribute to a paradigm shift in social views and expectations of gender norms.
The paper upon which this poster was based was written for the Senior Seminar course in Communication Arts. The paper was competitively selected for and subsequently presented at the Northwest Communication Association Conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in April 2019. At the conference, this paper was recognized as the Top Undergraduate Paper in the Rhetorical Theory and Criticism Division, and it also received the overall conference Top Undergraduate Paper Award.
