By Lipi Mehta:
I can feel the adrenaline pumping again, and boy, I’ve missed this. The feeling of waking up early and going for a run, of landing on the high jump mat (thud!), of swimming till that (oh so sweet) pain takes over your arms, of scraping your knees on a basketball court or football ground, but looking up and laughing at your teammates. For a few years now, I have missed playing sports, but all these memories came rushing back to me today, with the feeling that I want to at least try and do it all over again. And it’s not just me – a new video by Nike has gotten many people on the Internet feeling exactly like this.
Actor Deepika Padukone released the video earlier today (she also features in it) and mentioned how sports helped her deal with depression and changed her life. “I got goals and I won’t take no for an answer,” says the upbeat and extremely motivating ‘Da Da Ding’ right at the beginning. The lyrics are great, but what’s even greater is who’s in the video.
Every frame shows women playing sports. It’s fierce, it’s passionate, it’s inspiring. And for once, here’s a video that doesn’t sexualize women. It shows them as they are – as athletes. That’s doubly important because it’s an ad after all. And while Nike could have chosen any route to sell its shoes, it leaves an even stronger message here – by focusing on the spirit of the athletes, not their legs and butts. It also doesn’t pit women against each other, but shows the power of women coming together. In fact, the group shots of the athletes playing, kicking, dancing and jumping motivated me the most. [envoke_twitter_link]In just 3 minutes – you’ll get a good dose of not just motivation, but unstoppable girl power[/envoke_twitter_link].
