Ingraham Mocks “Like A Girl” Commercial: “This Is PC Police”

ABC News contributor Laura Ingraham scoffed at the “Like A Girl” Super Bowl commercial promoting girls' self-esteem, calling its empowerment message “a non-issue” written by the “PC police.”

During Super Bowl XLIX, Always aired its “Like A Girl” commercial, intended to “reclaim a phrase that's been used to police gender roles and stereotypes that are harmful.” In the commercial, adults, young boys, and young girls are asked to demonstrate “what it looks like to run like a girl” or “throw like a girl.” While adults and young boys treated the phrase as a pejorative, flailing about and acting weak, young girls responded in earnest, saying to “run like a girl” means to “run as fast as you can.”  

The next day on her radio program, Laura Ingraham mocked the ad's message, and in the process demonstrated the very bias the ad meant to expose. Ingraham bragged, “I was a tomboy growing up. No one ever said I threw like a girl ... Maybe I just don't have empathy.”

Dismissing the ad's empowerment message, Ingraham stated, “This is PC police,” and went on to suggest that girls' self-esteem is a “non-issue”:

INGRAHAM: It's such a non-issue. First of all, boys are the ones who need more help in school these days. Boys are the ones who are falling behind girls. Boys are the ones who are seeing their sports programs cut because of Title IX because we have to have everything balanced. Boys are the ones who need additional help today. So, 'throw like a girl,' 'kick like a boy,' I mean, 'do pull-ups like a girl,' 'do pull-ups like a boy.' Honestly.