"Pretty"

Watching "Codes of Gender" in class really got me thinking about how advertising seems to amplify gender norms: men are strong while women are weak, men stand straight and tall while women are canted and off-balance, etc. I was especially surprised by the appearance of female athletes. These women are strong and masters of their sports, but in photo shoots they're barely clothed and still use those awkward, submissive positions in order to appear "normal" in society. It's almost like they're saying, "I may be a strong, powerful woman, but I am still a woman. See, look, I have boobs! No threat here."

For example, we have race car driver Danica Patrick and "Biggest Loser" trainer Jillian Michaels, women who are no doubt strong and tough and would probably snap any man in half, but they were also the "spokeswomen" for GoDaddy.com, a web hosting service so unordinary that the only way they can get attention is through scantily-clad women and NSFW ads that you can "only see online because they're too hot for TV!" 

Seriously, what does this have to do with web hosting?

Or you have Anna Kournikova, one of the best tennis players in the world, reduced to a simple love interest in an Enrique Iglesias video. 

It's kind of scary to think that the only way these strong women can appear "normal" in society is by emulating the traditional stereotypes we see in advertising: sexual, weak, submissive, childlike, off-balance, lost in their own world. It was discouraging, to say the least. 

So I decided to try and find any advertising that subverts this idea. And I think I've found one. 

"Pretty", a Nike ad released in 2006, follows Maria Sharapova as she prepares for, and ultimately competes in, a match. Everyone she passes sings part of "I Feel Pretty", from the musical West Side Story. She ignores them all as she leaves her hotel and makes her way to the stadium. As the match begins the entire crowd is singing, but Maria returns a serve with a powerful yell, and the singing is silenced. 

I freaking love this commercial. Nike effectively shows that Maria should not be judged by her appearances; all that matters is her performance on the court. She may be beautiful, but she's an athlete first and foremost and is meant to be respected and appreciated not for her body, but for her athleticism. 

This is not a Nike commercial that is meant to sell a product. (Yes, she is wearing Nike clothes, but you can barely tell unless you're actively looking for the "swoosh" logo.) It is meant to sell the idea of athleticism and "girl power" (Hmm, selling an idea… sound familiar?) It also apparently got a lot of awards, and it's not hard to see why.

In a world where women in advertising are anything but powerful, it's nice to see a subversion every once in a while.