Supermodel Gisele Bundchen is featured in a 2014 women-focused Under Armour ad campaign series called “I Will What I Want.” Gisele’s athleticism and focus are demonstrated through the commercial, which shows her kickboxing and sparring with a punching bag while comments and criticisms about her flash up on the walls around her.

discussion

What messages are flashing on the walls in this advertisement? Do they target her as a person, her job, her relationships, or other specific aspects of her identity (for example, her gender or femininity)? Are they positive or negative messages? Who do you think are making these comments, and through what avenues?

In your own social media use, do you openly comment and criticize either people you know, or people you don’t know? How do you respond when people comment or criticize you?

Do you think commentary and criticism affects her, even though she is a celebrity and public figure? How is she shown to be responding to the societal pressures and expectations in this clip? How does this relate to the Under Armour “I Will What I Want” message, and the product and brand being sold?