This Girl Can advert Flashcards
(5 cards)
Background Context
Developed by Sport England with various partners.
Aims to break down barriers stopping women from doing sport – mainly fear of judgement.
Celebrates real, active women, no matter how they look or perform.
Funded by the National Lottery – non-commercial campaign.
Social & Cultural Context
2 million fewer women (aged 14–40) do sport compared to men.
Research showed:
- 13 million women want to be more active.
- 6 million are not active at all.
- Fear of judgement is the main barrier.
Campaign success: 1.6 million women started exercising.
Women’s sport participation is rising faster than men’s.
Nike launched a similar campaign soon after: “Better For It”.
Front Cover
ThisGirlCan hashtag encourages social media interaction and connection.
Main image: Mid-shot of a sweaty, non-celebrity woman exercising. Looks relatable and real, not glamorous.
She is the ‘hero’ of the advert (Propp’s theory) – confident and enjoying herself.
Slogan: “Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox” Reclaims negative phrase, promotes feeling confident and attractive through sport.
Campaign name/logo: “This Girl Can” Positive, empowering message encouraging women to try sport.
Limited text + bold image = enigma code (Barthes), makes audience curious.
Small logos (Sport England + Lottery) don’t distract from the main message.
Representation of Women
Campaign challenges sexism and gender stereotypes in sport.
Women shown as strong, confident, happy – not weak or secondary.
Focus on her face shows joy and empowerment.
Unpolished, realistic visuals – no glossy, idealised images.
Women in the ads are relatable role models, not perfect athletes.
Promotes the idea that sport is fun and for everyone.
Use of “Girl” in the campaign
“Girl” is used to mean all women – creating unity and inclusivity.
Reclaims phrases like “throw like a girl” to flip stereotypes.
Some criticism: Older women might feel excluded by the word “girl”.
