Lego's Latest Ad Celebrates Girl Empowerment

In celebration of the upcoming International Women's Day on March 8, Lego unveiled its latest campaign shedding light on a concerning trend that girls are experiencing a decline in their creative confidence due to societal pressures and language bias. 

In its new short film titled "More Than Perfect," the company conducts an experiment where girls and their parents are tasked with building a playground.

In the first scenario, girls are instructed to build a "perfect" playground, leading to hesitation and limited creativity.

However, in the second challenge, they are encouraged to build "any" playground, resulting in a more collaborative and free-spirited approach.

"Mistakes are our friend," one of the children participating in the video shared.

By the end of the film, the girls are proud of their creations, emphasizing that they don't have to be "perfect" to be good.

A Study on Confidence and Gender

A recent study jumpstarted by the company revealed that girls' confidence in their creativity diminishes as they grow older.

Two major issues exacerbate this decline: language bias and the pressure to achieve perfection.

The global research, which involves over 61,500 parents and children aged five to 12 across 36 countries, also revealed that two-thirds of girls feel that the language they hear discourages experimentation and learning from mistakes.

Furthermore, three in five girls reported feeling pressured by society's expectations of perfection.

The impact of language bias is also evident in the way creative outputs are assessed.

Parents noted that gendered descriptions are commonly used, with terms like "pretty," "cute" and "beautiful" attributed to girls, while "brave," "cool" and "genius" are more often applied to boys.

Alero Akuya, vice president of brand development at The Lego Group, emphasized the importance of supporting and cultivating girls' creativity, underscoring the statistic that more than three-quarters of girls aspire to work in creative industries. 

"There’s no silver bullet to solve this,” Akuya shared. “But changing our everyday language is available to all of us."

A Multi-Layer Initiative

In addition to its short film, Lego also launched several initiatives aimed at empowering girls and supporting parents.

These include creative workshops, content on the Lego Life application, and a 10-step guide for parents developed in collaboration with parenting researcher Jennifer B. Wallace.

The Lego Group is also implementing internal training on inclusive language and gender biases.

Additionally, in partnership with Save the Children, they plan to host programs in schools and youth clubs in various countries to foster creativity and combat gender stereotypes.

Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang