Radhika Apte and Soha Ali Khan give a new meaning to 'Like a Girl'
Whisper India has kickstarted a movement to give the phrase a positive connotation
Could Indian girls reclaim the phrase ‘Like A Girl’?
Yes! Say Soha Ali Khan, VJ Bani and Radhika Apte. Six in every 10 girls in India become less involved in sports activities on reaching puberty, one in two girls in India agree that the phrase #LikeAGirl is still used as an insult.
In the wake of India’s success at the 2016 Olympics, the phrase ‘Like A Girl’ is going through a positive transition and has ensued heartening conversations such as - “They fought #LikeAGirl” or “They played #LikeAGirl”, but we still seem to have a long way to go before each and every girl can do things “Like A Girl” and be proud of it. A survey, conducted recently by Nielsen in association with the country’s leading feminine care brand — Whisper, revealed that 1 in 2 girls in India agree that the phrase ‘Like A Girl’ is still used as an insult. “You run like a girl”, “you throw like a girl”, “you fight like a girl”, “you play like a girl” are common insults heard or said that can have a significant effect on girls’ self-confidence, especially during puberty.
According to the survey, girls in India were found to be facing a considerable drop in self confidence, especially after having reached puberty, due to the various societal norms and restrictions that they are expected to conform to. At such a stage, phrases such as ‘Like A Girl’ being used in a mean and hurtful manner add to the feeling of being pressurized.
The survey has also revealed the following shocking findings: As Indian girls challenge this perception of the phrase ‘Like A Girl’ everyday, by excelling and rewriting the rules in sports, business, arts and so many other fields, Whisper India released a moving video to empower girls to reclaim the phrase, and proudly continue doing things ‘Like A Girl’. Whisper believes that ‘Like a Girl’ should represent the strength, talent, character and downright amazing-ness of every girl. With the #LikeAGirl video, Whisper hopes to bring India’s attention to the impact such phrases can have on a girl’s confidence.
Video Link: https://youtu.be/tIMOPLQbg94