#LikeAGirl Should Not Be An Insult

A rhetorical analysis of a video campaign: Always #LikeAGirl

When did throwing like a girl become an insult? (1:04). This is a question asked by the
video campaign, Always #LikeAGirl, which was published by Always, a feminine care brand.
Throughout history, one social issue that has remained prevalent, no matter the time or place, is the
discrimination of women. However, in our modern society, the opposition against women
discrimination has become a new advocacy. Thus, branded female empowerment campaigns, such as
Always #LikeAGirl, is nothing new. As a branded campaign, there is a call to advocate against the
social issue, and to advertise the company. To do this, Always presents a candid and emotional
visual that pulls at ones heart and leaves the audience with both more awareness and a moral.
Context is one of the main aspects that can explain the rhetorical situation and lead to a texts
call to write. In todays society, the phrase like a girl is usually associated to weakness. Growing
up, the phrase comes with a negative connotation, thus girls are taught that acting like a girl, is not
a good thing. As this gets wired into their brain, it creates a big gap in the confidence of girls,
especially at a young age. This ongoing issue in society is the exigency that caused Always to
broadcast this video. It is also important to notice the background context of the company. Always is
a Tampax brand and feminine care group owned by Proctor and Gamble, a multinational corporation
and American Fortune 500 company. Thus, their call to write for this video may contrast with that of
their usual video advertisements, which may only advertise their products. This creates a different
perspective to the company, as their purpose and target audience may be altered to an extent to fit
the rhetorical situation.
The genre that Always uses to broadcast their video is a video advertisement campaign
posted on Youtube.com. By posting on a popular and well-known source, which is known for
publishing potential viral videos, Always establishes exposure to the video. There are advantages to
using a visual video advertisement as opposed to the latter, such as print advertisements. For
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example, online videos are viewed by a greater public audience, which is easier than consumers who
have to buy newspapers or magazines to view it. Video advertisements also allow engagement in
sight and sound while displaying motion. With the use of visual aids, video adverts can broadcast
their message and make a lasting and quick impact.
By looking at the context of the advertisement and the company, we are also able to
decipher the targeted audience. As a company that provides products for women, it is not surprising
that it also chose a campaign that resonates with women. The title of the advertisement, #LikeAGirl,
and continuous use of the word girl in the video immediately ties it to a female audience whose
fear is being associated with weakness. As their context shows, they are promoting female
empowerment, and to do this, they want to target young girls to boost their confidence and start this
process from an early age. However, because the company is a corporation that sells feminine
products, they might also be targeting young females as a marketing strategy. On some level, they
are targeting younger girls who may have not experienced the menstrual process yet, and
establishing that familiarity so they will acknowledge which brand to trust when the time comes.
Moreover, the video is popular universally, as it even appeals to an international audience. It relates
back to the context of the social issue, in which women suffrage was common in multiple countries,
and thus, the phrase represents a weight carried on girls shoulders throughout the world. This exact
phrase may not be said in those countries, but a version of it, or the meaning of it is still present. This
makes the advertisement more relatable, and thus appealing to consumers. However, although the ad
is targeted towards females, it may be bordered towards the younger females since the girls in the
video seem to cut off at a certain age below 18. The older girls are featured to show a contrast in
their confidence of being a girl at an older age, and to advice the young girls (1:27). Although
adolescent females may be their main target, as an advertisement that advocates a social issue and
tries to spread public awareness, its secondary target would be the general public, which isnt as
restrictive. It allows the male audience to see how this single phrase could make a long-lasting effect

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on girls confidence and place in society, thus make it easier to decrease the negative connotation in
like a girl. The males in the ad are primarily featured to show common cross-gender perspectives
on girls. This secondary audience would also include older women who could also help boost the
confidence of younger girls by teaching them this message.
Another aspect that can be derived from the context is the purpose of text. The first purpose
that comes to mind after viewing the video and connecting it to the title is to advocate confidence in
girls, and showing how doing something like a girl should have positive connotation. Always
wants to change that (1:04), which is what the company declares when showing the effects the
phrase has through the featured individuals derogatory actions of running, fighting, and throwing
like a girl (0:15-0:37). They also directly state they want to rewrite the rules (3:05) and make
like a girl mean amazing things (2:52). As the context of being a feminine care product, they are
targeting confidence during the time of puberty in girls. On the surface, this may be true, as they
represent powerful girls and young women in the advert, but given that it is also campaign owned by
a multinational corporation that commercializes products, it might be a subtle way to make more
profit. Puberty is a harsh time for girls, and Always aims to provide security and education for girls.
They want to enable girls to share and engage in information and advice with each other, and also
provided expert advice on topical self-care issues. This is shown in the videos caption where they
linked the campaigns main website. They are essentially playing an active role in this usergenerated content. This big sister approach makes it a subtle way to market positivity to the brand,
and raise the brands equity. They are deviating from common advertisements that focus on directly
advertising the feminine products. Instead, they tell females to embrace being like a girl and the
process of puberty, and this subtly advertises the companys product. The product will subsequently
become more appealing to these girls, as it is from a recognizable and familiar company that they
trust, thus creating a high level of trust.
To fit the text type, target the audience, and achieve a specific purpose, the text structures the

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video a strategic way. From the beginning and throughout some parts of the video, the audience
immediately sees the behind-the-scenes set of the video being shot. The structure of the video is
essentially a question-and-answer format between the director and the featured girls, who
represent the audience as well.

This creates a candid setting that makes the audience feel the realness of the featured individuals
in the advert and of their answers. The personal response from the featured individuals also relates to
experience, and thus builds trust and understanding. There are parts where the names and ages of the
individuals are said, but whether real or not, it continues to the connection between the audience and
the girls. Because the answers of the girls appear to be unscripted and natural, it has a very inviting
and conversational tone. There is also an aspect that shows the big sister approach through the
words of the older girls when the director asks them to give advice to the younger adolescents. This
is because the author is trying to connect with a younger audience, and thus, they are avoiding a
direct professional structure, and instead include people they can relate to or look up to. This
approach builds the ethos, in which the audience is convinced of the characters and their and the
videos credibility. By showing this first perspective view of these young adolescents, it also creates
high levels of pathos. The audience connects to how they feel about the phrase like a girl, in which
they see the negative connation tied to it. The audience learns to sympathize the issue placed on
girls. This is especially more effective when its featured on very young girls, as it can cause a longlasting impact on them.

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Furthermore, the advertisement uses a form of juxtaposition in its approach. The video
initially features older females and males who also act out the insult that it carries, such as running
while touch their hair (0:19), or weakly throwing a ball (0:35). Then, to gradually promote positivity
into the phrase, they contrast the first set of featured individuals with younger girls who shed the
stereotypical phrase in a different light. When asked to be like a girl, they act like themselves and
run normally, as opposed to the older girls and males who ran weakly and unnaturally when asked
the same thing. One girl even stated that to run like a girl means to to run as fast as you can,
(0:58) while other young girls stated that they didnt know if it was a bad or good thing. (1:15)
This juxtaposition amplifies the message that young girls are not born biased, but are taught. Thus,
the contrast indicates that teaching younger girls the right motto, they will gain positivity confidence
from an early age.
Aside from the scene setups of the ad, the text also utilizes other visual approaches and
stylistic features, such as color, lighting, audio, and use of texts. They include text by showing
frames where its just a phrase or a question for the audience to read. Although missing numerical
statistics, they state assumptions and facts, such as A girls confidence plummets during puberty
(1:27). Although the questions, such as When did doing something like a girl become an insult?
(1:04) seems to be for the young individuals in the video, it is also a way of questioning the
audience and making the audience more interactive in the process, rather than reading just a telling
phrase.

By stating, Rewrite the rules at the end, they are not only stating that as one of their goals, but also

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a goal for the audience. The logo color of the brand is a blue-based. Instead of usual settings that
have a white background, it subliminally created familiarity to the brand by incorporating various
shades of blue and white into the video.

This may be because the purpose of the company is to subconsciously connect the positivity created
by this video to their products without visually showing any of their products. Throughout the first
part of the video, there is no background music. However, as the video ad tries to emphasize their
stated intentions to rewrite the rules and ends the clip with the girls redoing their like a girl
action, it inserts a soft instrumental background. As a result, it also boosts the effect of pathos, and
creates a defining moment that connects back to the message being conveyed.
Lastly, to further endorse who is responsible for the video, they end by showing their
companys brand logo Always, but attaches it to their motto to rewrite the rules, so it brings
familiarity to the brand, but also connects back to the videos message.

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One unique aspect of being a video on the Internet is the ability to provide direct and accessible links
that audiences can click to share the video or take part in the action, which are options provided by
this ad as shown by the image above. Another way this video does it is adapting popular sharing
trends of the time, such as hash-tags, a very common and popular way to spread information, and
trend a topic. Thus, by making the title #LikeAGirl, the audience instantly knows how to further
advocate the video and its message onto other social medias.
Overall, the video is both influential and effective in conveying its message and persuading
its audience to achieve both the surface, and underlying purpose. Due to its genre and intent
audience, it uses rhetorical appeals and stylistic devices to strategically deliver a brand image,
informational content, emotional content, and action content. With more than 59 millions YouTube
views and counting, Always #LikeAGirl remains relevant due to the morals it teaches society. It has
become an anthem for female empowerment that leaves the audience with either a boost in
confidence, or a feeling of understanding for women.

Word Count: 2100

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Bibliography
Always. "Always #LikeAGirl." YouTube. N.p., 26 June 2014. Web. 17
Sept. 2015.
"Get Information on Women's Life Stages at Always.com." Period Tips & Advice.
Web. 19 Sept. 2015.
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