Empowering French Soccer Ad Shatters Gender Bias Stereotypes Ahead of Women’s World Cup

Orange France/Youtube

A French soccer commercial went viral ahead of the 2023 Women’s World Cup for pointing out gender biases in the sport.

The video, which has garnered over 4 million views on YouTube and been widely shared on social media, starts off with highlights of the men's team. The energetic announcers passionately commentate on the goals scored by the players, intercutting with footage of enthusiastic fans cheering.

The voiceover exclaims in French, "Magnifique! Quelle équipe splendide! C'est ça, le football que nous aimons!"

The video transitions to black and displays the text, "Only Les Bleus can evoke these emotions. However, what you have just witnessed is not them." (Les Bleus refers to the French men's soccer team.)

The advertisement then rewinds the highlight reel and presents a clip of someone manipulating the footage to create an illusion that men were scoring the goals, when in reality, it was the women's team. The intricate deep fakes are showcased alongside the original footage. Next, the video reveals the same highlight reel, but this time with the women soccer players successfully scoring the goals.

“At Orange France, when we show our support for Les Bleus, we extend the same passion to Les Bleues,” concludes the video. (Orange is a renowned telecommunications company in France, while Les Bleues refers to the national women's soccer team.)

Orange France/Youtube

The ad, which was originally launched in June, aimed to promote the Women's World Cup scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 22, in New Zealand. A spokesperson for Orange clarified the intention behind the commercial's message, stating that many soccer fans hold the belief that men's soccer is superior to women's in terms of quality, speed, and excitement. The spokesperson also acknowledged the popularity of soccer videos online. To challenge this perception, the first half of the video cleverly portrayed women participating in actions typically associated with male players, effectively challenging viewers' preconceived notions.

The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team has been advocating for equal pay since 2016. Carli Lloyd disclosed that their male counterparts earned 40% more, despite the women's superior performance in tournaments. As a result, the team filed a complaint and sued the U.S. Soccer Federation for gender discrimination.

In February 2022, the lawsuit was resolved, and each player received a total of $24 million. Subsequently, in September, both the U.S. men's and women's national teams reached an agreement for equal pay, ensuring comparable compensation for games, tournaments, and World Cup prize money. Recognizing their contributions on and off the field, the team was honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2023 ESPYs.

“This award represents a truly astounding achievement,” Briana Scurry, a goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s team who actively participated in the 1996 strike demanding equal pay during the Olympics, expressed while graciously accepting the honor on behalf of the team. “Throughout the history of the U.S. national team, 252 remarkable women have proudly donned the team's shirt. Today, as we receive this prestigious recognition, we accept it not just for ourselves, but for every single one of these extraordinary individuals.”