Nike's Oscars "Dream Crazier" is still shining a spotlight on female athletes breaking down barriers. Whilst it's been months since this ad went viral, now boasting 31.6m views on Twitter, it is still leaving an empowering message and as a female athlete it is inspirational to see adverts displaying women in all sports including weight lifting and boxing.
'Don't ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they're crazy enough.'
Nike’s new “Dream Crazier” ad, earlier in the year during the Oscars, celebrates women in sports breaking down many of the barriers that have existed over the years—and, in some cases, still continue. Narrated by tennis star Serena Williams, the commercial features female athletes of a whole host of sports, including Sarah Reinertsen, an Ironman triathlete and Paralympian; Caster Semenya, a South African 800-meter runner often called out because her naturally high levels of testosterone; and Paralympian wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden. The ad focuses on insults often hurled at women in sports, and the double-standard they are often held to—if they show emotion, they’re called dramatic, if they dream of equal opportunity, they’re delusional, or if they get angry, they are hysterical, for instance. Or, as the ad says, they are just being “crazy.” The women in the ad are celebrated for breaking down barriers, and broadening the definition of sport—and women’s participation in them. “Today, we are at a turning point for women in sport,” Rosemary St. Clair, vice president and general manager of Nike Women, said in a statement. “The definition of sport has broadened overall; we recognize that the same lessons in self-esteem and confidence that come from participation in traditional sports also come from yoga, boutique fitness, functional fitness and so much more. We see superhuman ability not only in elite athletes, but in the efforts of our peers.” This ad serves as a reminder to women to keep pushing forward, despite the criticism they may face.