I am here to say that women are worth more than the breasts, butts and long legs that Super Bowl commercials traditionally show. Yes, we are beautiful. All of us. But we are also intelligent, powerful and have influential voices that should not be discounted.
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t As a single mom to three daughters, I am all about supporting femvertising and the messages that promote what I am, and want to be, teaching my young girls. They can achieve anything they want. Though the Super Bowl hasn’t traditionally aired femvertisements as part of its highly-watched commercial set, I am hopeful that will soon change. As we all wait to see what happens this Sunday evening, I thought it would be great to reflect on some Super Bowl ads that totally nailed it.
1. Bing TV Spot “Heroic Women” with Sara Barielles
t Featuring heroic women in 2013, this commercial shows women of all ages, colors and races making an impact on the world. Women like Malala Yousafzai and Gabrielle Giffords speak words of wisdom and courage as Sara Barielles’ beautiful song “Brave” inspires us all. The message to all women is that no matter the circumstance, our strength and bravery can carry us through anything. Even dancing before cancer surgery like Deb Cohan.
2. Dove “True Colors”
t This 2006 commercial still stands out in my mind as one of the best for encouraging little girls to love themselves as they are. As I raise three little ladies who are bound to have self-image issues that may be enhanced by peer opinion, I turn to commercials like this to show them that we all are beautiful and should feel empowered. No matter what anyone else says.
3) Covergirl Can “Women Empowerment”
t Ellen DeGeneres teams up with Queen Latifah, P!nk, Katy Perry and other women who have blazed their path through the world of “can’t” and turned it into “can.” I love the message, the successful women featured and the attitude that encourages all women to find their own path to “can” and follow it!
4) GoDaddy “Puppet Master”
t I love this commercial from 2014, which shows a woman quitting her job in order to become a puppet master. The hitch? She quits on live TV during the Super Bowl! It is one of the only GoDaddy commercials that I could find that didn’t showcase women as sex objects. I love the message behind it. No woman should be afraid to hold the string to her own life, so to speak.
5. Goldieblox “Girls Build Like Boys”
t This $4 million dollar commercial by Goldieblox took the Super Bowl by storm as little girls everywhere ditched the beauty pageant crown and chose to build, create and explore the world of STEM. I show this commercial to my girls and they grab their toys and create in a whole different way!
t In researching for this piece, I was disheartened by the number of Super Bowl commercials that objectify women instead of empowering them. I am eager to see if Super Bowl XLIX holds more promise. Will advertisements finally depict women as the powerful, confident decision makers we are, instead of half clad with wind blowing through our hair and a greasy cheeseburger in hand? What do you think? Tell me in the comments!
t Image: GoldieBlox/YouTube.com
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