When I was 14, I remember being at the El Toro Air Show with my Dad. He had a love of all things military, especially the aircraft. We went every year, mostly as a family, but this particular year, it was just me and my buddy… my Dad. We toured all the booths, ooh’d and aah’d over the SR71, the Tomcats, the F-18s, the good ol’ Warthog and all the rest. By each plane, there stood, proudly, members of the military to interact and chat with visitors about all the cool toys. I so clearly remember looking for the female fighter pilots; I wanted to ask them how I could become one! But I looked in vain. There were lots of friendly pilots… all guys. Pretty cute too, but no women. Finally, I found 2 gals by the T-38 Trainer so I ran up and eagerly started asking my questions. They listened, smiled and nicely said, there are no female fighter pilots. WHAT, I said? Why ever not? My Dad says women can do anything they want… so what is happening here? After a long discussion, they explained that the training was too vigorous for women’s physiology, but each year more tried. Hmmmm, I thought. I was going to be the first. Well, life got in the way of that early dream, but I remember learning from it and vowing to not be beaten by the old adage that boys were better at anything that I wanted to excel in. Remember, even then, there were female fighter pilots in the Isreali Army, and by the mid 80s, there were American females fighter pilots too.
So what brought this blog about, today of all days? Well, an amazing ad campaign from the feminine products company, Always, challenging the statement, “You [throw, run, hit…] like a girl.” It shows that little girls under the age of 10 just don’t understand that this statement is derogatory; interestingly enough, the acknowledgment of it being an insult dawns in the teen years when girls are most vulnerable to fitting in and being self-conscious. It’s only when girls hit puberty that the statement becomes a derision, an insult, something not good. Watch the commercial, it’s really fascinating. In fact, spend a sec and google “Throw Like a Girl” and you get an amazing array of videos all geared to ending that myth, and showcasing women doing a variety of things beyond well.
Watching the Always video ad campaign took me back to that day at the Air Show, when the popular consensus was that only boys could do certain things. Well, I just can’t believe that this adage is still around… not anymore! I know some girls that can out-throw, out-hit and out-run most people, guys included. What makes this more topical is that one of the ladies that inspired the movie, “A League of Their Own,” Sophie Kurys, recently passed away at 87, and she was best known for playing second base and stealing 201 bases in 1946, a record that modern-day pro ball players cannot duplicate! So I guess being accused of throwing like Sophie would indeed be a compliment!
Racine Belles super star. Stole 201 bases in 1946!
What I really hope is happening, is that we as a culture stop deriding anyone for being less than perfect. Guys, girls, men, women, young and old. All races, all persuasions, all walks of life. Can’t we celebrate someone being awesome at that one moment, and not judge every step they take as sub-perfect? I know that women are amazing at owning and running businesses, and are great at all levels of life; but then so are the guys. And you know what, it’s not ALL women or ALL men… it’s those “certain” people that try and then try a little harder. I was lucky enough to be raised by two very intelligent parents who told us there was a ceiling and discrimination, but to face it head-on and overcome it. Work longer, harder, be better at your job and life so that it does not affect you… my Mom was a stellar example of this, being one of the first Vice Presidents of computer programming in the 70s, and my Dad was no slouch in the department, as he had more capable and amazing women in upper management than most other large companies. So when I stumbled upon discrimination, rarely I might add, it always shocked me and it always made me try harder. I am so proud of those women who never saw or bowed down to limits or ceilings of any fabric. And now, I hope that being told that I do anything like a girl is a compliment.
I applaud an advertiser that creates a campaign that strives to move mountains. Taking valuable ad space to promote, educate and teach instead of just raw selling. It comes on the heels of the Dove Campaign, celebrating women of all shapes and sizes, and other campaigns that celebrate diversity, differences and not just the middle of the road normal. I hope this campaign takes off and a swelling of understanding results from it. I hope that Always, always continues this and other messaging that helps girls and women learn and grow.
As for what I do better than a boy… well, I think I’m pretty good at a lot of things, while acknowledging that a few boys can out-do me in a few areas, but hey, who wants to sit around fishing all day anyway? And I’m proud to say I am surrounded by women, here at work and in my life, that have many things they could list too. Here’s to all the women in the world who are out there doing their best, no matter who the competition is. Hey, batter, batter, batter – SWING!