These ads are challenging the messages we send girls

Have you ever wondered why "You throw like a girl" is considered an insult?

In a new ad, Always asks women and boys to act out how to do various activities "like a girl," versus without that phrase at the end.

When asked to do the same things, though, young girls acted it out the way they normally would. Why? Because they are girls. And this, the others in the ad come to realize, is what doing something "like a girl" should mean.

This spot makes us ask ourselves what kinds of messages we as a society send to girls, but this isn't the first time the advertising world has tackled this issue, especially this year. From being a science geek to getting your period, a bunch of commercials have come out sending girls the message not to be ashamed of any part of their identities.

Here are a few more that have fueled the discussion.

"Inspire Her Mind"

This spot by Verizon asks parents to think before the next time they discourage their daughters from a science experiment. With the powerful statistic at the end, it's no wonder the the company has a program to get more girls involved in STEM education.

"First Moon Party"

Should girls be ashamed to get their periods? HelloFlo attacked this line of thinking last summer with "The Camp Gyno," which made getting your period for the first time look cool. This hilarious spot serves as an addendum: Just because it's cool doesn't mean that getting it late is uncool.

"Girls Can"

When they were little girls, what were famous women told they wouldn't be able to do because of their gender? A lot of things, as this COVERGIRL ad shows. But they did them anyway. Because they knew anyone who said they couldn't was wrong.

"Princess Machine"

What better way to tackle the issue of girls losing interest in science than to show them how cool inventing can be? This ad by GoldieBlox, a company that makes toys for future female engineers, not only does that, it makes us jealous we're not little girls with a knack for tinkering.