The world needs more fearless girls

In 2016,  I became a mom and while I was pregnant, the weight of the responsibility came to bear. I was struck by all the fears and anxiety around raising another human being and raising it to be one that would be happy, stable, respected and respectful. But then I had a girl.

I have been working in advertising for almost 12 years and while the typical portrayal of women in media has often irked me, once I became responsible for the future of a girl in this world this feeling of discomfit became glaringly inescapable. What did the future look like for my little girl? Was she destined to be objectified, belittled and boxed? Would her world be limited to the flawless home executive, the ditsy blonde with a great rack, the bossy insufferable ballbuster, the airbrushed bikini model staring temptingly into the camera or the apologetic and flustered personal assistant to Mr CEO?

It seems I am not the only one feeling the need to shed light on these gender stereotypes and expand the world of a girl as shown by media. This is a social and cultural shift gaining momentum around the world. Madonna Badger, Chief Creative Officer of Badger & Winters advertising agency in New York City took up the torch for all women and their objectification within advertising. She challenged the norms of how women are portrayed in advertising and the old ad adage of “sex sells”, turning this glib assertion on its head by ultimately questioning “sex sells”, but to who? Definitely not to women, who are roughly 50% of the world’s population, a group that in most countries have incredible buying power and influence. Badger asserts that this shift is not only the right thing but also the smart thing to do.

If it takes more fearlessly hysterical females to ensure a shift in stereotypes, then let’s all become a little more hysterical and a whole lot more fearless.

A particularly noteworthy example that magnifies the deep need for new and different representations of women is the statue of the Fearless Girl that was raised on Wall Street defiantly staring down Masculine Corporate America symbolised by the Wall Street Bull in NYC earlier this year (by an advertising agency). This little statue has not only become a huge part of America’s social-cultural landscape but she has shaped it. And her reach is not limited to the borders of the US, her impact is felt much further afield. I might even go so far to equate her to that of the modern-day Statue of Liberty. A shining beacon of hope for all women and their future in the world.

Unfortunately, not everyone thinks this way. There are still those who see this topic of conversation as just another example of the attention seeking that’s “typical” of hysterical females. But this short-sightedness will cost these denialists dearly as they fail to remain relevant in a changing world and they fail to future-proof their businesses.

So, if it takes more fearlessly hysterical females to ensure a shift in stereotypes, then let’s all become a little more hysterical and a whole lot more fearless. As part of an industry that is a powerful social influencer, my silence and inaction are not only wrong but foolish. But as a mother of a daughter my silence and inaction are not only foolish but unforgivable.

I fully intended to raise a fearless girl.

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