Log kya kahenge? What will people say? It's a question women have been asked more times than we would like to admit. It's also a question Nike is asking in its latest commercial. Released over the weekend by Nike Middle East on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, the minute-long clip highlights the achievements of five Middle Eastern women. The video, in Arabic with English subtitles, also asks the loaded question, "What will they say about you?" Parkour athlete Amal Murad, featured in the advertisement, says the phrase is "every little girl's nightmare...we hear this every time we do something that might be met with criticism."
Nike wants to encourage, inspire others by showcasing these athletes' achievements
"I've had a lot of criticism throughout my journey, but I've never let that stop me or bring me down," says Zahra Lari. Smashing stereotypes like it's nobody's business, Lari is the first woman to wear a hijab while figure skating and hopes to be the first woman from the United Arab Emirates to qualify for the 2018 Winter Games.
Jordanian boxer Arifa Bseiso is one the women featured in the Nike commercial
The video shows women being stared at, disapprovingly, while running and skateboarding. "What will they say about you?" the narrator asks repeatedly.
"There's a fear to stand out and do something that's not part of the norm...I've learned that, if you genuinely want to do something amazing, you can't be afraid of hearing this phrase," says Murad.
The commercial has been viewed nearly 4 million times across platforms and has provoked a mostly positive reaction.
"It's great ad no doubt; love the message. But kind of hypocritical for Nike to have us in ads but have yet to make hijabs and modest athletic workout gear for us," writes Rahaf Khatib on Facebook. "Are we just props in your ads?!"
Islam Mirghani Ahmad says while she loves the advertisement, next time she would like Nike to be more inclusive: "Next time include black Arab women, Sudanese maybe, like me, maybe."
Arifa Bseiso, a boxer from Jordan, says that growing up, she did not have an athletic role model to inspire her. Now, Bseiso hopes people will say she's an inspiration to both women and men in the ring.
The ad also features Tunisian fencer Ines Boubakri and Emirati singer Balqees Fathi. It has been narrated by Saudi Arabian actor and activist Fatima Al-Banawi.
Anyone else having a flashback to that other Nike ad?
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