Bing’s “Be Brave” Commercial: Not Every Celebration of Women is a Feminist Agenda by Ayele B. Hunt

Salon’s article by Daniel D’Addario undercuts feminism.  Written in response to Bing’s commercial “Celebrating the Heroic Women of 2013,” D’Addario mischaracterizes the commercial as being a “spotlight for heroes of feminism,” calling it “deeply strange.”

The Bing commercial has nothing to do with feminism.  Feminism is an ideology and movement working to establish social, political, and economic equality for all.  The commercial showcases Bing’s top searches; specifically focusing on the women Bing considered heroines from the 2013 top searches.  That’s it.  Nothing feminist intended, articulated, or orchestrated.

Why should anyone care about Daniel D’Addario’s article?  His misguided characterizations and subsequent critiques of the video using a feminist lens is indicative of the media distorting feminist ideology and purpose of the movement, by portraying feminism within a singular light as the powerful, successful woman’s ethos.  This is just as destructive a view as the man-hating stereotype attached to feminism for much of the 20th century.  Political, social, and economic equality must remain at the core of feminist ideology, movement, and depictions.  The faces of feminism are characterized by intersectional experiences, diversity of expression and identities, untied for the common goal of equality.

And yes, personally, I enjoyed the Bing’s commercial: “Be Brave in 2014."

Enjoy the video here
 

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