Gender boxes are everywhere. They restrict and dictate our options. Girls & women tend to face the most boxes of all--but that’s changing.
How many times are girls discouraged from choosing a career like engineering or displaying traits like confidence? How much disparagement is disguised as advice? How often is “like a girl” wielded as an insult?
Always' #LikeAGirl campaign aims to tackle this problem for all girls. In this video, girls and young women share stories of discrimination, of being told they can’t do something because of their gender.
Society too often tells girls they are always supposed to be “happy,” “la-dee-da” and “traditional.” They’re told not to do anything “too challenging” and that they “can’t rescue anybody,” because it’s the boys who rescue girls in all the stories.
Against such a backdrop, 72 per cent of US women feel that society limits them. Oftentimes girls bend to these limitations during puberty after experiencing a childhood of restraints.
Always wants to join the fight to change that.
In the video, girls write society’s limitations on white boxes. These include perceptions that women are weak, always have to be perfect, are submissive or bossy, lack bravery, etc. The list goes on and on.
As global citizens, we have a responsibility to get rid of the boxes that cage people, that prevent them from being who they want to be.
And so it’s time to follow the lead of the girls in the video and break these boxes. Tear them up, throw them out. And let’s have fun doing it.
You can support the rights of girls and women around the world by signing the petition in TAKE ACTION NOW.
Editor’s note: If you like this video, check out our coverage of the launch of this campaign with the video: Yeah, I run #LikeAGirl