Golley Slater Blog Post #1

In recent years there has been a change in the way that women and girls are portrayed in adverts, with many companies rejecting unachievable beauty standards, photoshop and gender stereotypes. Adverts that feed into a woman’s insecurities and focuses on stereotypes have been receiving a backlash such as Protein World’s ‘Are you beach body ready?’ with 400 complaints and an online petition of 700,000 signatures. 

We live in a world with many strong female leaders and influencers and yet women are still being told to lose weight for summer and to buy pink pens especially ‘for her’. Here at Golley Slater we were happy to see Under Armour’s latest advert focus on what women can do, what they can achieve and is aptly named ‘I will what I want’. They are pushing their advert towards the strong willed, those who do not wait for permission, advice or affirmation from others to get what they want and encouraging others to think and feel the same.

The visuals include two strong women, Misty Copeland and Gisele Bundchen.  Misty, a professional ballet dancer, is shown dancing tall and strong however a rejection letter from a ballet company to Misty is being read out as the narrative.  Gisele, a supermodel, is shown working out with a punching bag but in the background negative media and fan messages are projected on the walls around her, such as ‘Gisele’s not an athlete’.  Both visuals portray passionate women being put down and told what to do in the background, while they are showing how strong and powerful they are at the forefront, an important message to everyone. 

It is of no surprise to us that Under Armour’s campaign won a Cyber Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions. Jury President and Isobar Global CEO, Jean Lin, stated: 

“It demonstrated how a well-crafted digital experience can create uplifting impact, from the point of engagement to the point of transaction." 

Under Armour’s campaign resonated with us due to its relatability, being undermined happens every day to women, we even undermine each other. The average advert selling sports gear to women is normally a perfect model with immaculate hair and makeup posing with exercise equipment, an unrealistic and unachievable goal in regards to exercising.

This campaign however has a powerful underlying current as it shows that women are strong, independent people who do not have to confine to what is expected of them. 

What do you think of Under Armours campaign? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY0cdXr_1MA&feature=youtu.be