Monday Morning Motivation – Labels against women

Still from Pantene labels against women advert. The woman is labelled 'pushy' whereas the made is labelled 'persuasive'.

Continuing with my feminist inspiration on a Monday morning, I thought I’d share this Filipino commercial (Labels against women) for Pantene shampoo. It shows some of the dichotomies that women face. We’re encouraged to be more ‘masculine’ to succeed in a man’s world but then are berated for that behaviour.

Common labels that we hear

A man who states his opinions firmly and strongly is labelled a ‘boss’ whereas a woman is simply ‘bossy’. Here are some more examples of this paradigm:

  • Persuasive -> pushy
  • Dedicated -> selfish
  • Neat -> vain
  • Smooth -> show-off

Children hear these messages from a very early age.

The key message

Whatever your feelings on this duality, the key message is applicable to everyone:

Don’t let labels hold you back.

Be strong and shine.

Still from Pantene labels against women advert showing a man and a woman by some mirrors. The word 'neat' is displayed by the man, whereas the word 'vain' is displayed by the woman.

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