In a new Nike commercial aired during the 91st Academy Awards, outdated gender roles and the status quo are challenged, telling young girls and women to ‘dream crazier’.
The 90-second spot features female athletes who broke barriers and blazed a trail for future generations, including Matilda’s superstar Sam Kerr, WNBA player Lisa Leslie, Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim, American football running back Sam Gordon, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon and the U.S. National Women’s Team.
Serena Williams also makes an appearance, but her presence is felt throughout, as she was selected as the narrator of the ad.
The powerful message calls out preconceptions of female athletes, with words such as: “If we show emotion, we’re called dramatic.
“If we want to play against men, we’re nuts”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whpJ19RJ4JY
The response from the online community has been overwhelmingly positive, with one commenter saying: “Who ever (sic) writes these ads, needs recognition.
“All of these strong women and girls need specific recognition.
“I can’t even find the video of the marathon woman.
“They need recognition for being “crazy” and going after what they want! All of these women and girls deserve to be recognized by Nike!
“I’m glad they are”.
Still, some will take their shots when possible, as another insisted on jumping on the recent Zion Williamson fiasco, commenting in bold, italicised text: “Help, my Nike Shoes fell apart”.
