LATAM
#girlsgetequal by
plan international
Did you know that gender discrimination in sports HAPPENS in three main ways? The wage gap, media coverage, and stereotypes. Or were you aware that women are on only 4% of sports magazine covers? Or that more than 40% of girls give up on professional sports careers before 16 y/o because they have no resources?
Plan International and MTV LATAM paired up to give a voice to girls in professional sports. With our campaign, we wanted to be the ones who invite girls to take action. It was important to us to show their strength and not depict them as victims. We wanted to help them speak up and never bow down to injustice. But we also invited boys to support the cause and address the prejudice-laden world of sports in a powerful and inclusive way and in line with the United Nations’ SDG goal no.5 of Gender Equality.
This campaign comprised five commercials, each of them addressing a different sport. The campaign was launched in LATAM and Brasil reaching more than 30 Millmon people and having a digital participation in the quiz of more than 20 thousand teenagers. A great success that helped the NGO and MTV to raise awareness about inequality in sports by keeping the tone of voice positive in every film.
Our challenge was to film real athletes playing with and against boys. All of the protagonists were filmed during their actual trainings. Tennis, hockey, soccer, basketball, and volleyball were the sports that we portrayed. For once, these female teens were in the spotlight. Cameras, lights, and a whole production crew were focused on them. But they were not nervous, not at all. They were proud and happy to shine a light on the situation of so many millions of female teens around the world who cannot follow their dreams. Our protagonists wanted to be part of the change, invite people to think about the sports industry of today. Sponsors, brands, federations, coaches... we all need to support them and turn the statistics upside down to make sure we have more and more girls who can get as far as men do.
“In my community, to be a girl means to know how to make tortillas, how to do laundry, and how to iron. However, to be a boy means to know how to work to provide for a family and how to play soccer.”
Girl from Navarrete, El Salvador.