AFTER today, you will never use the phrase ‘like a girl’ in quite the same way, writes Ellie Mullan.

The brand Always is redefining the phrase through a new advertisement campaign, that in the past week has gone viral.

The advert seeks to empower females and attack what Always calls the ‘self-esteem crisis’ among teenage girls.

In the video, a cast of men and women of all ages are asked to describe what they think the phrase ‘like a girl’ means. The result is disconcerting – waving hands and flipping hair, the participants all enact what it means to throw and run ‘like a girl’, in a negative light.

All apart from the younger girls, who react to the term by simply performing to the best of their ability.

As a result they act out athletic and deliberate motions, and the older participants soon realise the mistake they have made.

Through this powerful video, one is reminded how culturally engrained sexist attitudes are within our society.

Branded female empowerment campaigns are nothing new, with the likes of Dove and Pantene all going down similar paths, yet I believe the message they contain is still vitally important to remember in our everyday lives.

The brand Always is correct in its interpretation – at puberty, girls undergo a knock on their self-confidence which sometimes prohibits them from being as competitive and athletic as they were, and becoming more retired, shy and what some would term ‘girly’.

I myself underwent this change – being a competitive swimmer when I was young, at the age of 14 I gave it up and pursued more girl-orientated activities such as dancing, singing and acting.

Now, I’m not saying that this happens to every girl, thank goodness we still have our aspiring Victoria Pendletons and Jessica Ennis types out there, yet this ‘self-esteem crisis’ does not only affect me, but women as a collective.

This advert is only the tip of the iceberg, yet touches on an issue which permeates our everyday lives, so it is worth taking a minute to watch what these young girls have to say. After all, as one woman points out in the video: ‘I am a girl and that is not something I should be ashamed of.'