“AI doesn’t always show what girls are capable of. But we do.”

This hard-hitting strapline from Girlguiding forms part of the powerful ‘Girls Break the Bias’ campaign created by Don’t Panic. 

The work, which launched on the International Day of the Girl last year, has successfully driven an ongoing cultural narrative on what it is really like to be a girl. A testament to the longevity of the campaign messaging is while this launched last year, its insights were referenced on a Stylist cover story in March this year. A fact that underlines the power of playing the long game when it comes to earned media.

The powerful campaign underlines the bias that young women and girls are still subjected to within society. Girlguiding has revealed that 93% of girls aged 11 to 18 notice gender stereotyping in everyday life. For almost half (49%) of girls, these stereotypes have prevented them for doing something they want to do. A harsh statistic that underlines stereotyping causes real world harm.

Over half (51%) of girls and young women say they have been told they can’t do something because they’re a girl.

This societal bias is also evident in AI imagery. Type ‘building a fire’ into any AI image generator and the likely response is an image of a photograph of a rugged man making a fire. Request images of ‘being a leader’ and you will likely be bombarded with boardroom shots of a man in a suit leading the room. 

The campaign aims to start to break this social bias down by showcasing the real, unaltered, AI image next to the photograph of a Girlguiding member at a real Girlguiding site. The photography style is purposely real, candid and authentic; to juxtapose the overly composed aesthetic of AI.

The campaign, which has run across out of home and social media platforms, has also run across social media platforms. 

Amanda Azeez, Director of Communications, Marketing and Fundraising at Girlguiding, explained: “Our research reveals how exposure to gender stereotypes can undermine girls’ confidence, particularly in areas traditionally seen as 'just for boys.  Combined with the data from our Girls' Attitudes Survey, released earlier this week, it's clear that there is a significant confidence crisis among girls and young women.”

She continues: “This campaign aims to visually inspire girls, showing them that they truly can do anything. While strides have been made in breaking down stereotypes, especially in activities like football, there’s still much work to be done to build confidence and challenge societal perceptions—an issue we bring to life with the help of AI.”

While many brands claim to have sparked a conversation, the enduring power of this campaign is that five months after its initial launch it is still driving a much-needed cultural conversation. The fact that it was written, pitched, produced and delivered by an all-woman team underlines the power of the female lens.