When the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) asked two female creatives from the New York–based ad agency SS+K for a “female empowerment” ad to accompany an autumn football spot, the women were pissed. They thought, why do we even need “female empowerment” ads? And while they could point to individual commercials as being provocative and powerful in their own right, collectively, the entire category of “female empowerment” ads seemed obsolete.
But the need for “female empowerment” is not obsolete in our society. Recently, the Olympics acted as a global stage for powerful women, only for them to be robbed of newspaper coverage and first mentions in headlines after winning. And that’s one example of many.
So SS+K proposed a new way to empower women: by doing the opposite of what was expected and questioning the need for female empowerment ads within a female empowerment ad. Because it’s time to reevaluate how we talk to women—and to those who need talking to about women’s strength. Because women, too, are done accepting the need for this category.
But the need for “female empowerment” is not obsolete in our society. Recently, the Olympics acted as a global stage for powerful women, only for them to be robbed of newspaper coverage and first mentions in headlines after winning. And that’s one example of many.
So SS+K proposed a new way to empower women: by doing the opposite of what was expected and questioning the need for female empowerment ads within a female empowerment ad. Because it’s time to reevaluate how we talk to women—and to those who need talking to about women’s strength. Because women, too, are done accepting the need for this category.
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