Caring responsibilities have long been feminised, a reality reflected in the fact that just one in 10 nurses in the UK are men, according to an NHS study conducted last year.

The mantra of you have to see it to be it has never been more apt than within the nursing profession, something that the NHS and MullenLowe have championed in their latest ad, ‘Nursing in the NHS.’ This ad, which forms part of the brands ‘We Are The NHS’ activity, is a powerful reminder of the power of advertising to challenge outdated gender stereotypes in an authentic way.

The campaign aims to rewrite and reframe typical gender stereotypes and challenge the misconceptions around men in nursing. The film has set out to find and showcase role models for those men thinking about becoming nurses but seeing no one that looks like them already there.  

Role models are a vital way to shift the status quo and to challenge long entrenched social and gender norms. This ad is an authentic, honest representation of what it is to be a nurse in the NHS. The attitude, pace and punchy soundtrack all combine to create a pitch perfect inclusive tone.

‘Nursing in the NHS’ doesn’t shy away from the issues nurses are dealing with now, including drawing attention to the severity of street crime across the country. But it also captures the lives they lead outside of work from playing football to hanging out with friends and working out in the gym.

“We are not who you think we are,” is a powerful opening line, one that is designed to confront the underlying stereotypical attitude many may have towards not only nurses but also young men in general. In the midst of a somewhat toxic political climate, this ad is a joyful, emotive representation of the men, of the nurses, that help to keep the NHS running. It’s a shining example of what male strength actually looks like and evidence of the transformative power of inclusive creativity.