The advertisement that I chose for
the assignment is a public service announcement for the Women’s Sports
Foundation. It was sponsored by Gatorade and is meant to encourage young girls
to live up to their potential instead of conforming to social norms. I feel
this ad provides a very meaningful message when it comes to female involvement
in sports, especially at a young age. It starts off with a team of young girls
– maybe 10-12 years old, enjoying a game of soccer, until the “media” interrupts
their game through the loud speakers. The media starts to dictate how these
girls should be acting, dressing, and what they should look like. One by one
the girls begin to walk off the field and follow what the media is telling them
to do.
Sadly, we live in a world that
teaches girls to judge their worth by what they look like rather than their
abilities. The ad explains that, "it's no wonder that by age 14, girls are
dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys" (Keep Her in the Game,
2012). The ad has a great message for young women, as well as for parents,
educators and society in general. When a girl quits a sport, they are walking
away from their potential.
Despite efforts from parents who
encourage their daughters to be active and play outside, somehow the media is
still able to influence young girls. At a young age, the media steps in and
enforces that, “gender is central to identity” (O’ Shaughnessy & Stadler,
2012, p. 185). They reinforce social norms such as the saying, “sugar and spice
and all things nice, that’s what little girls are made of” and, “slugs and
snails and puppy dog tails, that’s what little boys are made of” (O’Shaughnessy
& Stadler, 2012, p. 185). As girls
mature, they are constantly being targeted by the media. This often shifts
their attention away from sports and exercise, and draws them into having their
“image” be the centre of focus. We rarely see advertisements directed towards
girls playing sport, but rather the latest fashions trends and make-up
products.
When looking for ads for this post,
this one really got me thinking about how impressionable young girls are. I
have been a competitive athlete my whole life and I have been exposed to a
variety of negative media. Thankfully, I was not influenced to conform to these
types of social norms for women. I play on a baseball team and have witnessed
firsthand how girls will alter their appearance based on what the media tells
them. For example, if one of my
teammates has her boyfriend watching the game, you automatically notice a
change in her appearance and attitude. I strongly believe this is because the
media is constantly telling girls that they need to look good for their
boyfriends otherwise he will not want to be with them anymore.
Overall, this ad was successful in
representing my values and beliefs. It immediately got my attention and inspired
me to continue promoting sports to young girls.
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