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Ellie Bromley

Ms. Dott

AOIT English III honors

29 October 2017

What Girls are Truly Made Of

Imagine a world where women's sports are taken as seriously as men's. Where women’s

paychecks are equal to the paychecks of men. Where women are held to the same standard that

men are held to. In Russia, women are not treated with the same respect as men, and more

importantly, equality and gender discrimination is not a priority to the Russian society. At both

the federal and regional levels, the rights of women is only necessary for their, “social protection

of motherhood and reproductive rights rather than the advancement of women and equal

opportunity” (“Do Women Have Equal Rights with Men in Russia?”). In 2017, Nike came out

with a controversial ad named, “What Girls are Made Of?”, showing many Russian females

standing with a fierce attitude(NIKE - WHAT ARE GIRLS MADE OF?). The picture touches on

an issue that it not only in Russia, but is prominent in many other cultures and countries; the

inequality and discrimination of gender. This ad is featured alongside a video, containing many

well-known female Russian athletes and a young girl singing a popular Russian childhood song.

As the young girl sings, the song lyrics start to change to portray an inspiring message. Nike’s

2017 “What Girls Are Made Of” advertisement influences girls in Russia to strive for their goals

and expresses that they have more potential than what society believes.

Something that stands out in the picture are the colors the females were wearing.

Although the colors are not the main focus of the photograph, each color makes the viewer feel a

certain way because of the tone symbolized. The photograph has a variety of colors such as red,
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yellow, dark blue, pink, and white. The first color red symbolizes passion, which is defined as

the strong desire for something (“Color Wheel Pro - See Color Theory in Action”). Secondly, the

color yellow creates an optimistic mood, or hope and confidence for the future. Next, the dark

blue color represents the fierce aspect, for it symbolizes seriousness. The following color is pink.

Pink creates a homey, motherly feel, for it symbolizes tenderness. Lastly the most common color

featured in the photograph is white, which is associated with the idea of innocence. These colors

do not just play a role in creating the empowering tone of the ad, but they represent all the traits

and qualities women have to offer. From being a mother to a pro-athlete, or both, women

demonstrate the hardest of jobs and tasks making them qualified in Russian society. Sadly,

females are taken advantage of in most countries, but occurs predominantly Russia. According to

the Human Right House Network, "56% of women were threatened with beatings or were the

victims of violence at least once by their husbands," (“Do Women Have Equal Rights with Men

in Russia?”). The colors used also represent the defense of those that cannot stand up for

themselves, and emphasizes the traits associated with one that wants change, and isn't willing to

back down in view of future generations that are affected by the outcomes of today.

Another aspect of the ad that stands out to the viewer is the photograph itself. The

graphic consists of ten famous Russian athletes that are posed in different positions, some

interacting with sport equipment such as holding a basketball. One thing they all have in

common is the fierce attitude on their faces, and being positioned in stances that make them look

powerful. The women are posed in a dark warehouse and have a spotlight beaming down on

them. Centered within the strong female athletes is a young girl in a white dress. The contrast

associated between the strong athletes and young girl represent that all present and future

generations are affected by gender inequality. Not only does it represent the issue of gender
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inequality, it shows that girls of all age, shape, and size are aware about this issue, and are

willing to fight against it. The photograph also resembles the confidence the young girl has that

many girls living in Russia may not feel. This young girl can help inspire female adolescents in

Russia to be confident with who they are, and not be ashamed of their gender.

One misunderstanding that could be depicted from the photograph is that the United

States is bashing Russian athletics due to a recent doping scandal. In 2016, the international

sports committee provided evidence that Russian officials created a doping program that

benefited at least a thousand athletes in more than thirty sports (Ruiz). More than a hundred

athletes were banned from the 2016 Olympics due to the evidence shown by the World Anti-

Doping Agency. Russia’s dominance in the past international games such as the 2014 Winter

Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2013 World Track and Field Events are now tarnished,

for it was the peak of the nation's cheating. Although this ad reflects mostly female athletes, the

purpose was to motivate young girls, not to disgrace Russian Athletics. The “What Girls are

Made of” advertisement, was created by Riff Raff’s David Wilson and was a product of Nike

Women. Nike Women is Nike’s form of promoting and selling women's clothing, shoes, and

sport equipment (Jardine). In addition to the Nike Women aspect of the ad, “What Girls are

made Of” was shown to the public on March 8th, 2017, International Women's Day. Thus this ad

was more or less created to motivate and inspire young girls in Russian society to be what they

want and that they have as much potential as the work they put in.

Nike’s “What Girls are Made Of” takes a stand against the gender stereotypes and

emphasizes female inequality in Russian society. Through the photographs structure and choices

of color, the viewer feels a sense of empowerment and inspiration. The choice of the females

presented in the picture extract an emotional response from the viewer due to the difference
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between the vulnerability of the young girl and the power of the athletes. Although women have

the qualifications, traits, and strength to be successful in Russia, they still struggle with “lower

standards of living and worse social protection and personal security than men do” (Mezentseva).

Nike’s ad inspires young girls in Russia to strive for the best, and to believe they can accomplish

what they dream of being or doing. One day Russia will have a society where women's sports are

taken as seriously as men's. Where paychecks are equal to the paychecks of men, and where

women are held to same standard that men are equal to. This advertisement is one step forward

in the direction of gender equality and promotes the nation's females should stand together and

erase male dominance and female stereotypes.

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Works Cited

“Color Wheel Pro - See Color Theory in Action.” Color Wheel Pro: Color Meaning,

www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html.

“Do Women Have Equal Rights with Men in Russia?” Russia,

humanrightshouse.org/Articles/7821.html.

Jardine, Alexandra. “Nike: What Are Girls Made Of?” Creativity Online, 7 Mar. 2017,

creativity-online.com/work/nike-what-are-girls-made-of/51186.

Mezentseva, Elena. “GENDER INEQUALITY IN TODAY RUSSIA: WHO BEAR THE

SOCIAL COSTS OF REFORMS? .” 2006, doi:Indiana University.

NIKE - WHAT ARE GIRLS MADE OF?, Nike Women. 2017. By David Wilson, Riff Raff

Ruiz, Rebecca R. “Report Shows Vast Reach of Russian Doping: 1,000 Athletes, 30 Sports.” The

New York Times, The New York Times, 9 Dec. 2016,

www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/sports/russia-doping-mclaren-report.html.