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Under Armour Stereotypes

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Women are constantly feeling pressure to conform to the stereotypes set in place by society. One of the most offensive stereotypes in place is the idea that women cannot be successful athletes. Under Armour’s ad campaign, “I Will What I Want,” is ultimately aimed to sell their clothing through empowering women to conquer this stereotype. The commercial, featuring Misty Copeland, was released on July 30, 2014 and has over 10 million views on YouTube. After the release of the popular campaign, the Under Armour stock steadily increased between mid-2014 and late 2015 (Under Armour C1 A). The commercial appeals to young aspiring female athletes striving to break gender stereotypes. The advertisement, featuring Misty Copeland, is effective through its use of a stereotype-breaking endorsement, empowering emotions, and lack of facts.
The advertisers use fact and emotion through juxtaposition to add to the effectiveness of the advertisement. The commercial begins with a shot of Misty Copeland standing in sus-sous, a ballet position. The camera focuses on the strength of the muscles in her legs and her beautiful feet. In the background a little girl begins reading a rejection letter from a ballet academy. The audience is led to believe that the letter was intended for Misty. The little girl …show more content…
The advertiser’s use of a famous ballerina endorsing their new clothing line adds credibility to their product. Not only is Misty Copeland a famous ballerina, she is also the first female African American principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. This adds to the reasons for Under Armour featuring her in the advertisement. She breaks all stereotypes set in place by society and surpasses all doubts placed upon her from a young age. The endorsement leads the audience to believe that with Under Armour products, they can achieve anything, just a Misty Copeland

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