Mia vs Michael - Finally! Women Empowerment Ad
In 1999, Element 79 Partners of Chicago were hired by The Gatorade Company to produce a commercial in which both male and female athletes are portrayed as 'equal'. “Michael vs. Mia� was the name of the commercial in which Mia Hamm, considered to be one of the greatest white female athletes of today, and Michael Jordan, a phenomenal, black basketball player, go through a round of different sports and battle one another. While the commercial rolls, the song “Anything You Can Do- I Can Do Better� by Irving Berlin is playing in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liKnJ-ejztw&mode=related&search=
The concept of gender plays a major part in this commercial. It is approximately thirty seconds long, but within that short amount of time, Jordan and Hamm participate in 5 different sports; basketball, soccer, fencing, track, and wrestling. None of the events show a winner until the last event in which Hamm flips Jordan over her shoulders in a wrestling match, bringing him down to the floor, proving to all that women are just as strong as men.
As a leading female role model for young girls, Mia has had an enormous impact on woman’s sports and the game of soccer throughout her legendary career. She has inspired millions of athletes, shaped the minds of many young girls, and has taught the world that sports have no gender. Mia provides encouragement and empowerment to not only female athletes but to the general female population. She has been put in the same categories with some of the greatest male athletes such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, and hall-of-fame Babe Ruth. Through her many victories, good deeds, and inspiring attitude, she has proved to the world that women and men are created equal and that women can do anything just as well as men.
Many young people can relate to this commercial because often there is tension between men and women in the field of sports. Some women feel inferior to men's physical abilities and their masculine imagery and therefore undeniably feel they have to be tough in order to defend their status. Because of the stereotype that women are suppose to be an attractive housewife, marry and have kids, women feel such pressure to do all of that and still prove to men that they are aggressive go-getters.
I would argue that these ideals should not have to be so extreme. Why does a woman have to choose between a homemaking lifestyle, an athletic lifestyle or have both in order to balance sports, marriage, babies, and a career? Perhaps this hearkens to today's society in which labels dictate everything!
Although this commercial is supposed to be geared toward the product Gatorade I read deeper into the intentions of the producers. The aim of the content is to prove to their audience that with their product, women can do anything men can do, if not better. I think sports help expand the role of women in society. The whole design of this commercial has positively shaped many people's opinions on what capabilities women have in comparison to men, has motivated women to try hard to achieve their personal best, and has made people feel that it is okay for a woman to have different characteristics that define her.