“Some Girls Like Superheroes”: Riley Knows What’s Up About Gender and Marketing

I hate YouTube videos. Seriously. I am so resistant to clicking on YouTube links on my social media websites that usually people force me to watch things with them in person. But this past week, there was this video and it kept popping up on my Facebook whatever feed and it was called “Riley on Marketing.” I didn’t click it the first time, and then it showed up again. Then again. Then people started writing about it on the Internet. Then someone posted it to my organization’s wall. Soon I started to feel like I was the only person on God’s Green Earth who hadn’t watched it, which is usually when I cave and watch a YouTube video. So I watched it.

It was great.

The video is a short and truly awesome devotional to the frustration of little girls and grown women everywhere who just can’t fathom the way gender permeates our lives and obstructs us from making our own choices. It’s an unscripted monologue that convinces you everything you’re doing to smash the patriarchy is important: and working. And it gives you a little more faith in the future of feminism, or whatever it might become. Plus, it features the supporting character role of Totally In Agreement Dad.

It’s the day after Christmas and last night your family said weird things to you and maybe even made you super sad / frustrated / confused. You deserve this.

Watch it.

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Carmen

Carmen spent six years at Autostraddle, ultimately serving as Straddleverse Director, Feminism Editor and Social Media Co-Director. She is now the Consulting Digital Editor at Ms. and writes regularly for DAME, the Women’s Media Center, the National Women’s History Museum and other prominent feminist platforms; her work has also been published in print and online by outlets like BuzzFeed, Bitch, Bust, CityLab, ElixHER, Feministing, Feminist Formations, GirlBoss, GrokNation, MEL, Mic and SIGNS, and she is a co-founder of Argot Magazine. You can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr or in the drive-thru line at the nearest In-N-Out.

Carmen has written 919 articles for us.

26 Comments

  1. If I might say so, Carmen, we are much alike. *nudgenudge* I had ignored this video until now as well. This is brilliant, that little girl is brilliant and I am now off to share this on every social network I use.

  2. I did the same thing. Everyone had shared this video, and I was like, “What’s so great about this video about a little girl?” But it blew my mind. I was well into college before I could articulate ideas about gender the way she has.

  5. First time I’ve heard aboot it… but very inspiring nonetheless, and so succinctly delivered by the young lady :)

  8. “It’s the day after Christmas and last night your family said weird things to you and maybe even made you super sad / frustrated / confused. You deserve this.”

    You are amazing and completely correct. Thanks for this.

    • Thiss is reallpy fascinating, You’re an excessively professional blogger.

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  12. Hey, just a reminder, but most people have been good about it so far here: Don’t gender this kid! You don’t know if this is a boy or a girl or a genderqueer person or some other non-binary gender.

    I saw some people writing things like “She’s going to grow up to be a strong, fine woman”

    And that’s just messed up.

  15. Happy dance on this one. I have two girls, and the pink explosion drives me nuts. This is why my kids can play with/wear anything (safe and not hookerish, duh) they damn well please.

  20. this has actually completed the most gender-expressive-awesome christmas of my life. My awesome aunt (who has lesbian roommates and works at a shelter for homeless gay kids) bought me guys jeans behind my parent’s backs, my parents bought 3 year old (male) cousin a battle bot and kitchen play set, and no one made me wear a dress. This is icing on my joy cake.

  21. (absolutely not to rain on the parade, because this is kind of wonderful)

    whenever she was talking, she messed up her sentences more often when she was talking about boys doing “girl” things than girls doing “boy” things. i think it’s interesting how its become (more/relatively) accepted but equivalent progress hasn’t been made on the opposite side.

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