Super Bowl Wrap Up: “Like A Girl” is the Best Moment

The Super Bowl is one of those traditions that I don’t fully comprehend but take part in anyway. I am not particularly fond of football, but the commercials are always entertaining and the half-time show is always either the “blown away” or the “that was painful” kind of fun to watch.

So this year I picked up the hot wings and spinach dip, opened a beer, and sat down to watch the game. Or, rather, live tweet the commercials and play Trivia Crack the rest of the time.

I cried during the Budweiser commercial, predictably, and laughed when Liam Neeson appeared in a Clash of Clans ad (#SconeForLiam), then nearly cheered when I saw a commercial I recognized from a little feminine hygiene company called Always.

Ad spots during the Super Bowl are the most expensive of the year due to the record-setting viewership numbers, and in the last few years many companies that can afford such commercials have used their air time to address big issues–whether meaning to or not.

Who can forget the 2014 Coca-Cola commercial that caused such controversy, simply because “America the Beautiful” was sung in several different languages? It brought attention to the ignorance of some United States citizens who said things like “Speak American” when the United States doesn’t even have an official language.

The commercial has now been viewed more than 12 million times and became an advertisement for freedom.

Hopefully, the Always commercial will do the same for gender equality.

I first saw the commercial after it aired in June 2014, featuring men and women and a young boy demonstrating what it is to fight or run “like a girl.” Without even thinking about it, they demonstrate the actions weakly. The show that “like a girl” or “girly” becomes synonymous with “less” and “weak.”

Then, young girls–age ten and below–demonstrate what it means to them to run and fight like a girl, and the result is inspiring. Watch the full length video below for yourself.

As the video shares, during and after puberty, girls become discouraged and are demeaned because of their gender. It does not have to be that way. Society has turned “like a girl” into a joke and an insult. Society has the power to change that.

In the short time since the commercial aired during the game, #LikeAGirl has begun trending on Twitter, where thousands of men and women have joined forces against those who would make fun of being female.

My vote is still #LikeAGirl for best #SuperBowlAds – what is everyone else thinking?

— Angie Ahrens (@angieahrens) February 2, 2015

Boys might make fun of that #LikeAGirl commercial, but it’s 100% true & I’m so glad that was finally publicized — Sydney Carpenter (@Sydney_Grace57) February 2, 2015

in the future, i hope that people don’t need commercials to remind us of the injustice prevalent in society #LikeAGirl

— danielle (@DanieFreezee) February 2, 2015

You go girls. And boys.

And to those people making fun of #LikeAGirl, or somehow turning it into a Meninist (a.k.a. why is that even a thing?) argument–that commercial showed up during a four-hour broadcast dedicated to being male. You can’t let girls have one minute?

In conclusion, Katy Perry riding in on a mechanical tiger then flying out on a shooting star was pretty awesome too, but the Always commercial gets my vote for best Super Bowl moment.

Morgan McMurray

Morgan McMurray is an editor and gender equality blogger based in Seattle, Washington. A 2013 graduate of Iowa State University, she has a Bachelor of Arts in English, Journalism, and International Studies. She spends her free time writing, reading, teaching dance classes, and binge-watching Netflix. Contact Morgan at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.