Why John Lewis’ 10-year-old ‘Tiny Dancer’ epitomises IWD for SHOOK's Gemma Moroney

On International Women’s Day, SHOOK co-founder and behaviour designer Gemma Moroney picks the campaign that, for her, nails womanhood.

There’s ‘This Girl Can’, of course. But I’ve written about it before. Then there’s the show-tunes shocker, ‘Viva La Vulva’: probably not a coincidence that the director is the same for both, the wonderful Kim Gehrig.

Then there’s the hard-hitting. Women’s Aid all-women led ‘Public Emergency’ work. Vahit Tuna’s ‘Shoes’. Perhaps even more hauntingly, Marina Abramovic’s ‘Rhythm 0’.

But after some consideration, I’ve gone with John Lewis Premier Home Insurance’s ‘Tiny Dancer’. Yes, an advert about insurance that’s not even for women per se.

The reason I’ve picked it is because it’s funny, imperfect and the ‘main character energy’ is unashamedly on display. That’s the spirit right there for me.

Don’t we all need a bit of that right now?

It does a better job of showing the women we need to be, and see, than many ads that set out to do so. Plus, it’s just a light dose of creative licence from reality and slays in its lane.

I don’t want a chocolate brand claiming to lighten the load for mothers when all it can really help me with is stress-shovelling them into my mouth.

No, today, at least, I want to be cosseted in a silly, glorious, life-affirming call to arms with a banging soundtrack.

One that claims no higher purpose than its actual purpose. Yes, even if it is really about insurance.

The world is a bad place. The word woman appears to have been banned by Donald. The stats about how the world isn’t designed for women sound like a made-up press release that would find its way onto Bad Science:

Women (51% of the population) weren’t included in clinical trials until the 1990s. While we make up 70% of chronic pain patients, 80% of pain medication has been tested only on men. (Source - Guardian)

You can’t always advertise your way out of problems like that. It needs changes in focus, money and the concept of power (read Mary Beard on that). 365 days, not just one.

So, in the meantime, I’m taking leotards, laughs and the hope that little girls will never lose their sense of self.