In this commercial by Always, a pretty, blonde woman stands in front of the camera. The director, Lauren Greenfield, asks, "Show me what it looks like to 'run like a girl.'" The woman mimics running, her hands flailing. She is followed by two other women, a boy, and a man, all of whom run slowly and awkwardly. Then she asks the actors to "fight like a girl and throw like a girl," all with similar responses.
Greenfield then asks young girls what it means to run like a girl, fight like a girl, and throw like a girl. The girls run hard, throw like they mean it, and fight like they actually want to hurt someone. Greenfield asks one of the girls, who wears a pink dress and looks about six years old, "What does it mean to run like a girl?" "It means to run as fast as you can," the girl responds.
Greenfield asks one of the girls, "Is 'like a girl' a bad thing or a good thing?" She scratches her chin and says, "It sounds like a bad thing. It sounds like you're trying to humiliate someone."
The other actors are invited to redo their original attempts. This time, they run, fight, and throw —like themselves. Greenfield wrote, "When the words 'like a girl' are used to mean something bad, it is profoundly disempowering. I am excited to be a part of the movement to redefine 'like a girl' into a positive affirmation."
