Nike breaks the internet with their ‘Dream Crazier’ advert narrated by Serena Williams.
Nike is no stranger to setting the internet ablaze with campaigns that shake society’s core values. But perfectly in time for Women’s History Month they are now inspiring women to ‘Dream crazier.’
The advert
Narrated by Serena Williams, we see women athletes who are changing the game. They are breaking the stereotypes that the media has created around female athletes. Williams describes situations in which they have bared their emotions, dreamed of equality, or broken the ‘norm’ of what a woman is capable of. In all of the instances, the women were painted as crazy, unhinged, and delusional. The advert highlights the accomplishments Chloe Kim – the first female to land a frontside double cork 1080, Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first female in Olympian fencing to compete in hijab, and of course Williams herself who won 23 tennis grand slam titles.
The message
The whole message of the advert is that all of these accomplishments that society once deemed as crazy if accomplished by a woman are not so crazy after all. The athletic industry that was once dominated by men is now filled with women who are just as passionate and talented.
These women, who are called “crazy” and “hysterical” in the advert, are no different than men who demonstrate the same type of emotion. The tagline ‘Show them what crazy can do’ is all about embracing the crazy and using that to fulfil your dreams and goals. It’s encouraging female athletes to not be discouraged by what the media will label them as and to not be afraid to pour their hearts into their craft.
Another subtle message highlighted was that some of these female athletes, and even female coaches, are mothers. We see Williams, whom after having a baby, jumped right back into the world of tennis. This pushes back against the idea that once a woman has a baby her entire life is now dedicated to that child.
While this can be true to a degree, does this mean that she is to give up all hopes and dreams she had for her own life. Absolutely not. She is not crazy because she chooses to parent her children while continuing on in her career. That would not be expected of men and therefore should not be expected of women.
What this means to me
I think the idea of ‘dream crazier’ is something that can be instilled in all aspects of women’s lives, not just sports. The women we celebrate in this month all embodied the idea of dreaming crazier. They pushed past what society deemed was enough for them and changed society.
The women of history and today are the ones we need to celebrate. These, after all, are the women our future daughters will see and be inspired by.
