Commercials

[Clodfobble]

I got a bit annoyed with the "Like A Girl" ad when the filmmaker started chastising the actors they'd brought in. It escalated to a nasty snarl at my screen when she gave that little condescending, "Would you like the opportunity to try again?"

Is it a problem that society views "like a girl" to be an insult? Yes. Is it interesting that young girls don't yet see it that way, giving hope that something can still be done to change society? Yes. But don't bring in these poor actors, who are just trying to make a living, trying desperately to please the director in front of them, and then act all haughty when they provide you with the most common, vernacular understanding of the phrase you used, the meaning that you obviously already knew they were going to jump to. Don't make them give a contrite speech about what they should have done, like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

I would have been fine with the ad if it just compared the adult vs. child interpretation, and maybe reaction shots of the adult actors seeing how the children didn't have the insult internalized yet. But the disdain made it less effective, for me anyway.