Think of all the classic movies and books you saw as a child where the main protagonist was a boy (E.T., Indiana Jones, James Bond, Marty McFly…the list goes on). You probably felt left out, but didn’t necessarily understand why at the time.
If you’re sick and tired of being forgotten, and don’t want your daughters to suffer the same fate, GoldieBlox is here to the rescue. The toy company, whose completely awesome mission is to design products that encourage girls’ interest in engineering and confidence in problem-solving, is at it again with some incredible marketing.
READ: Think You Hate Barbies? You’ll Probably Love Their New Ad
Recently, they created a new ad which launches their latest action figure, Ruby Rails, who literally rails against sexism in Hollywood (which, amazing). The video advertisement portrays women and girls taking over roles reserved for male heroes from pop culture, like “Rocky,” “Mission Impossible,” “Men in Black,” and “Indiana Jones.” The company hopes to encourage positive change for women by empowering them from a young age.
While the video is only about a minute long, it takes a strong stance. Why aren’t more women and girls prominently featured in blockbuster hits? Sure, there’s the Hunger Games franchise and a female Ghostbusters remake, but that’s not enough. GoldiBlox’s statistics say it all: Only 12% of protagonists in major Hollywood films are women, while only 1% of the top 500 films of all time star women of color. It’s so bad that even the FBI is looking into it.
READ: Target Decides to Phase Out Gendered Advertising
If sexism is going to be addressed, using pop culture and entertainment that everyone knows and loves is definitely smart–it gets at your heartstrings while also making the audience question, why not?
Watch their amazing ad below–it’s definitely worth a minute of your time:
