YouTube, I Tube, We all tube-

Clip that portrays stereotypical gender roles: https://youtu.be/VhB3l1gCz2E“Always #LikeAGirl – Unstoppable”

Clip that defies the gender roles portrayed in clip #1: https://youtu.be/KAR1sMZvPms “Kate Heckaman – Firefighter|Paramedic”

The first clip, “Always #LikeAGirl – Unstoppable,” advocates how girls are limited. The stereotypes in this video demonstrate how girls cannot be challenged and should not seek challenges. The girls in this video write different stereotypes on boxes which correlate to these young women feeling boxed into society’s limitations on them. Just a few of these stereotypes include how girls are weak, cowardly, unworthy, and slow. In this short video, one young girl mentions, "I can't really like, rescue anybody…it's always like, the boys who rescue the girls in the stories." I find this statement to be interesting because in today’s society, more and more women seem to be taking leadership roles and are rescuing others in society in a plethora of ways. However, the women who are in the position of these leadership roles are the women who have confidence in themselves.  

The role of these girls in the Always clip is to be seen as perfect individuals when in reality they only need to be themselves. Their experiences reveal how their role in society is to be closed minded by not going out for sports or being themselves. In the second clip, Kate Heckaman, a female firefighter and paramedic, defies the stereotypes depicted in the first clip. The contrast between the first clip and the second clip demonstrates how if a female believes in herself, she can be a role model for other females and give guidance as well as strength to other females. Kate Heckaman’s job portrays her as a strong leader by rescuing others. Her daily acts defy the stereotypical view in the first clip of how it is a man’s obligation to rescue others. 

The limitations of young women described in the Always clip correlates to Women Read the Romance. The article states, "Many of the women explained... they would feel refreshed and strengthened by their vicarious participation in a fantasy relationship where the heroine is frequently treated as they themselves (Dines, Humez 69). The women's desire to want to be treated as a hero is a direct parallel to how females ultimately do not view themselves as brave. Heckaman is one of the very few female firefighters and acts as a hero everyday. She is living her fantasy by being who she is- a brave and confident female.

The two clips compare to one another as well. In the first clip, one young girl mentions how she told herself she should stop if she was not good enough, however, this mindset only lasted for a week. She proved others wrong by trying harder to get better and stronger. Heckaman describes how she played hockey when there were not a lot of girl’s hockey teams, however, it is clear that her strength guided her and enabled her to believe in herself to compete. For both clips, the target audience is for females who do not believe in themselves or who do not have enough confidence in themselves. I believe both videos are effective in teaching the audience; Heckaman states, “the more young girls are exposed to strong confident women, the more they are going to believe in themselves.” This statement is true for all the women out there who have the mindset to not let others limit them in anything they desire to do.