Close your eyes and try to picture what society has traditionally taught you to perceive as "ladylike." Got it? If I had to guess, what you see is probably closer to Eliza Doolittle at the end of My Fair Lady than to, say, a girl unbuttoning her jeans before diving into a plate full of french fries in bed or even a woman taking charge at the front of a boardroom. And you know what? It's time that we change that. Thanks to H&M's new ladylike campaign, we are making major strides in the right direction.
The campaign, directed by Gustav Johnston, questions what it means to be "ladylike." In the Google dictionary, "Ladylike" is said to mean, "appropriate for or typical of a well-bred, decorous woman or girl." Its synonyms include, "well bred," "polite" and "elegant." in Johnston's video, it means so, so much more.
The video features nearly a dozen different women, all of whom look and act different not only from each other, but from what we are normally used to seeing in a video. They show off muscles, hairy armpits, gray hair, and imperfect abs, arms and asses, all while shattering the image of stereotyped femininity. It features model Lauren Hutton in a power suit, singer Jillian Hervey sporting stunning natural hair, and transgender actress Hari Nef.
In 2016, there are countless different faces (and ages, races, socioeconomic classes and body types) that constitute what is ladylike — especially considering the fact that on Monday night, the first ever woman will compete in (and probably win) a US Presidential debate, despite the fact that her loudly arguing her opinions may traditionally be considered "unladylike." It's important to recognize that gender roles are changing, and H&M's new ad does just that. It goes far beyond just trying to sell clothes — it's trying to start a movement.
Understandably, the Internet has responded in overwhelming favor of this new version of femininity. H&M challenged viewers to share the video with their own views on what #ladylike means to them.
Not only is the message in this video beyond important, the clothes are pretty rad too — Power dressing is officially a thing for fall.
Since it's officially #ladylike to have and share an opinion, I'd like to share one of my own: In my own opinion, there are a million different, empowering ways to be a lady (one of which allows you to eat fries in bed), and H&M is breaking the ceiling for all of them.
Images: H&M/YouTube
