Video for 'Like a Girl' hashtag movement empowers girls

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SALT LAKE CITY — "You run like a girl" has become something of an insult, but a new campaign is working to make "like a girl" either an unnecessary distinction or a tool of empowerment.

The video and subsequent hashtag campaign contrasts what adults and kids think when told they do something "like a girl." Based on a recent study that revealed female confidence drops at puberty, the campaign is eye-opening.

The study, performed by Proctor and Gamble in May 2014, asked 1,300 American women from 16 to 24 about their confidence levels. Eighty- nine percent of participants said words can harm their self-confidence, and only 19 percent had a positive association with the phrase "like a girl."

Sponsored by Always, the video shows a group of adult females and several males of varying ages running "like a girl," and throwing "like a girl." They depict silly and uncoordinated people, some with tongues out and arms flailing.

When the same actions are made by young girls, they are confident and strong. One girl was asked, "What does it mean to you when I say, 'run like a girl?’ ” She replied, "It means run as fast as you can."

“In my work as a documentarian, I have witnessed the confidence crisis among girls and the negative impact of stereotypes firsthand," Lauren Greenfield, the filmmaker behind the campaign, told Bustle. "When the words 'like a girl' are used to mean something bad, it is profoundly disempowering." She continued, "I am proud to partner with Always to shed light on how this simple phrase can have a significant and long-lasting impact on girls and women. I am excited to be a part of the movement to redefine 'like a girl' into a positive affirmation."

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