Find Your Greatness

                  The company Nike is a company that wants its buyers to “Just Do It”. Their very popular slogan conveys a motivational emotion in which they hope that whatever athletic event an individual wants to do that they should do it regardless of their situation. Nike strives to motivate people into running faster and harder. They sell athletic clothing, shoes, and accessories in order to equip their customers with the right kind of gear in order to perform better. It is one of the most successful athletic clothing brands in the world. Most, if not every, citizen of the Unite States knows who Nike is based on their slogan and their signature checkmark.

                  In 2012, Nike released a commercial showing a overweight and young man running on a rural dirt road. His name is Nathan and he is 12 years old. The narrator, who is Tom Hardy, is speaking and he is telling the viewer that greatness comes from within. Greatness can be achieved by anyone. even Nathan. He is from a small town in Ohio where not many people are considered “great” or even considered to be able to achieve “greatness”. Yet Nike wants its viewers to know this fact. The company wants to change the way that their customers and viewers think of themselves and the way they think about other people. Anyone, like Nathan, can become a marathon runner or a baseball player. No matter where you come from or who you are, you can achieve greatness.

                  When I first watched this video it made me cry. The reason why it made me cry is because of the young man in the video who is actually making an effort into becoming a healthier individual. Even though he is obese, life in a small town, with probably no support from anyone, Nathan is making a difference in his own life. Most adolescents like Nathan, who live and come from a small town, live a life of obesity. They don’t get educated on the effects the food, which they’re eating, has on them; which is why Nathan is in the situation that he is in. It made me feel emotional because Nathan is running on a lonely looking road by himself, which is why I believe that he doesn’t have support from anyone. It made me feel going for a run because if Nathan can get up in the morning and motivate himself enough to change his lifestyle, than I can too.

#LikeAGirl

Always is a brand that sells tampon, pads, liners, and other feminine products meant for a woman’s menstrual cycle. They have many commercials to sell their products including commercials that empower and inspire women. They show women playing sports, going on dates, and just living their lives as normal as possible. The company attempts to shatter stereotypes that are associated with women who are on their menstrual cycle. Instead of showing a women who is constantly laying in bed because she is on her period, Always shows women who can do anything at anytime regardless what time of the month it is. Their most recent commercial which was broadcasted during the SuperBowl asks girls and young adult women what its like to be a girl. Many of the young adult women are asked to run like a girl. They responded by running while flailing their hands and making comments about how their hair will get ruined. When the girls were asked to run like a girl they ran like any human being would run. They put all of their power into the run instead of portaying a stereotype that has been created for girls.

                    The brand, Always, strives to shatter the image that society holds for women. Society sees women as futile, weak, and emotional human beings and compared to men, we are seen as the weaker species of homo sapiens. Our anatomy makes us “weaker” solely because we have less testosterone and the anatomy between a man and a woman is different. Of course, men and women aren’t equal one has qualities that the other doesn’t have yet why does society put woman down for being who they are? Men have always been revered for their masculinity as is they are able to withstand anything the world throws at them. Women are seen as needing a man to provide for them and to protect them. All of these statements add to the social stigma that concerns women and young girls like the ones displayed in this commercial. Always strives to end the negative connotation that the phrase “like a girl” has.

                    Because this commercial was aired during the SuperBowl its intended audience was the entire country. They want men, women, and children to change the way they look and think about girls and what its like to be a girl. The perspective that men and women have on women needs to change. Women need to be seen as equal to men even if our anatomies don’t exactly match up. In order for the ad to carry on after its short stint, Always displayed a “tag” on their commercial. Whenever someone posts something with the “tag” #LikeAGirl on social media outlets like Twitter and Instagram, Always wants people to be aware that acting #LikeAGirl means a lot more than painting your nails and brushing your hair. Using that tag will remind people that girls are not frail beings but something more than the sterotypes that portray them.