Reclaiming the phrase ‘like a girl’
The response had been equivalent to telling women they are ‘weak and not as good’.
A sanitary towel company’s viral video has triggered thousands to rethink what it is to do something ‘like a girl’.
When four women, a man and a young boy are asked to run, hit or throw ‘like girl’, they respond by flaying about helplessly.
However, when six young girls are asked to act ‘like a girl’, they fling out high karate kicks, whizz across the stage and punch the air furiously.
When asked what she thought the phrase ‘like a girl’ meant, a rather confused child in the video said: ‘I actually don’t know if it is a bad thing or a good thing.
‘It sounds like a bad thing. It sounds like you are trying to humiliate someone.’
On being confronted with their ingrained sexism, the five adults and one boy acknowledged that their response had been equivalent to telling women they are ‘weak and not as good’.
‘I think it definitely drops their self-confidence,’ one of the participants added.
Twitter users have responded to the video, which has been championed by the likes of Chelsea Clinton and Gloria Steinem, by using the hashtag #LikeAGirl to share what the phrase means to them.
What are you proud to do ‘like a girl’?
Wow, that is so interesting. I hear that phrase all the time and it really annoys me. Glad to see that it is being challenged so effectively.
Not sure you can reclaim contempt. Seeing females as sub human is not a question of the language used to describe such an attitude, its the attitude itself that is dangerous and psychopathic. Not sure most guys or women would even admit to their subconscious hatred of gendered equality.