Hands down. Why? Because it degrades the whole effort to encourage and affirm girls. Profiling an all-girl team (seriously, ten-year-old girls) against a full-fledged male lineup with 10 times their body weight, they were allowed to pathetically move the ball forward because the other team refused to play. Is that what we want? “Inspiring girls to be strong, smart, and bold” by promising that others will tilt the field and defy reality? It’s like playing checkers with grandpa, who won’t jump your vulnerable pieces on principle.
This is beyond pandering, it’s a rousing insult to every authentic gift these girls have, and sets them up for perpetually impossible expectations. Their website promises that “When girls unite, anything is possible,” but there is no indication of working with men, no understanding that complementarity is fruitful by nature, and no acknowledgement that men’s and women’s bodies might impact their choices. None of the mentors or alumnae showcased are mothers, and the resources are stripped of any moral content or traditional wisdom. The goal?
• Confront notions of female fragility. Challenge views in the media and elsewhere of assertive
women as “unfeminine” or destructive.
• Celebrate the accomplishments of women who are competent in nontraditional areas. Through
books, videos, the Internet and real life meetings introduce girls to a wide range of successful
women.
• Ensure that child-rearing classes and materials promote an approach to raising children that is not
limited by gender stereotypes.
• Ask a girl if she wants a truck or a doll, a jewelry box or a chemistry set, a flute or a bass drum, a
new dress or some new software.
The first two points are hilarious, given the ad. Moreover, they claim to empower the whole girl, but seem to have a profound aversion to marriage and motherhood. Making healthy choices means wider access to contraception rather than learning chastity, and babies are asserted to be counterproductive to happiness and success. Stunningly, pursuing education is still assumed to be more arduous for girls, despite the fact that females outnumber males in colleges across the board. Not stunningly, SEICUS ranks prominently as a resource, so we know that collaboration with abortion providers and the rainbow coalition is lurking behind the [nearly-transparent] curtain.
I’m no lover of stereotypes, but the gift of femininity isn’t to be found on the gridiron, or in a sexuality that eschews child-bearing or collaboration with men. Sadly, promoted against the backdrop of a boring, uneven game, this 18-second ad still managed to be more nonsensical than anything else seen last night.
(BTW, this is an old chart, so assume disparity has grown since.)
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