Fast Company Asks for Girl Rebrand

Gender preference is usually associated with the Third World—China’s infamous “one-child policy” or Indian advertising about the cheap price of an abortion versus the expense of a dowry—yet a majority of Americans would prefer to have a boy. But this is despite all the evidence that having a girl is a strong investment: women make up 56 percent of all undergraduates in the U.S., they are more likely to have a more balanced leadership style, and World Bank numbers show that development dollars invested in women have a 90 percent return. The magazine Fast Company has decided to take on an ad campaign to “rebrand” girls, or to help shed the old-fashioned belief that boys are somehow better. Some sample ads from some of the U.S.’s largest advertising companies include ones called “Hope It’s a Girl,” “Accidental Daughters,” “Don’t Diss Daughters,” and more.