GALLERY and VIDEO: Do it like a girl

What do we know about girl power? A study showed that 56 per cent of girls who go through puberty, never regain their confidence, well into adulthood.

The Vega School of Brand Leadership in Bordeaux hosted the first confidence summit on 7 July, a global campaign by Always. Live discussions were carried throughout the evening in eight cities across the globe including New York and Istanbul, all under the hashtag #LikeAGirl.

The message behind this campaign was loud and clear, doing anything #LikeAGirl does not make it weak or inferior. Always is on a mission to stop the drop in confidence among teenage girls all over the world by empowering them to cultivate their inner-confidence.

Singer and MC, Nandi Mngoma shared her experiences of having her self-esteem tarnished because of societal pressures to look a certain way, especially in the entertainment industry.

“When I got into this industry, I was told to have my hair a certain way and speak a certain way just like everybody else and while I faced a lot of rejection, I stepped back and stayed true to myself. I cut my hair and kept it natural and that became a trend, all I had to do was stay true to who I was.”

The #LikeAGirl campaign was started in 2014 by filmmaker Lauren Greenfield who asked teenage girls and boys to run, hit or throw #LikeAGirl. The participants were filmed giving weak efforts of the tasks asked. When the same request was given to pre-adolescent girls, the difference was remarkable. They ran, hit and threw with strength and might, raising the question, ‘When did doing something like a girl become an insult?’

SA’s Got Talent winner, Bothlale Boikanyo said the message resonated with her experience during the 2012 competition.

“I was told they didn’t really consider poetry and that I should try something else. Ultimately, I became the first poet, first child and first girl to win SA’s Got Talent.”

The overall message was clear to both men and women, rewrite the rules on doing anything like a girl.