The advert ‘This Girl Can’ is an extremely effective one. It
begins with a mid shot of a woman in a swimming costume, who is slightly
overweight. For starters this goes against the ideologies of women being skinny
and slim and creates a sense that it is ok for that lady to look how she does,
which we all know is true. She is walking away from the camera and the camera
is following her, which draws and intrigues you in. A fast pace, upbeat song
then comes on which is pretty much the same the whole way through the advert, i
think this shows that a woman’s drive never stops and she works at her best
ability the whole time, which is represented by the continuous music.
Perceptively this could also represent all the bad press and negative thoughts
the media and people around us have on women, whereby the constant beat in the
song represents the constant negativity thrown at women each day.
The words ‘Sweating like a pig’ come up on the screen, which
I think is a term associated with men and the fact that it isn’t shows that
women can sweat just as much as a man and it is ok for that to happen. The idea
of the male stereotype being strong and fearless is replicated through the
women in this advert whereby they are presented in a tough and fierce way and
they are seen to participate in lots of sports in the advert which women aren’t
usually seen to do. Another piece of text comes up later on in the advert which
says ‘Deal with it’. This is an imperative which enables the audience to feel
like it is directed at them and they are the ones that it is targeted at. As an
audience this then allows you to reflect and realise just how strong and independent
women can be.
There is a pause in the music, and the diegetic sound of
heavy breathing appears, this makes the audience think that the players are
going to give up, but then a long shot of a woman diving into the pool starts
the music back up and the women continuing playing the sport. I believe this
represents that just because the women stopped to take a breather, it doesn’t
mean their determination and drive has died down, and the restart of the music
represents that. Visually, the colours are bright, which also draws in the
audience because it is pleasing to watch. The colours connote the happiness and
power these women feel, which stereotypically they are not seen to have. A man
is seen to be the sporty and tough one, which is why i believe this advert is
so significant because it challenges the stereotype of a weak, pathetic woman
into women being a figure of independence and liberty.
