WHAT: #BeTrue, a Nike ad that casts a spotlight on the undersung athleticism that goes into voguing.
WHO: Dancer Leiomy Maldonado, and writer/directer Daisy Zhou.
WHY WE CARE: Leiomy Maldonado is known as the Wonder Woman of Voguing, and if you’ve seen her defy the laws of physics on America’s Best Dance Crew, you already know why. Now, the first-ever trans woman to appear on that show stars in the video Nike made for Pride Week, sharing her special set of skills with an even broader audience. The brand’s #BeTrue Pride campaign is meant to show solidarity with the LGBT community during a week of recognition. It manages to do so in a not-especially-thirsty way. Instead of, like, having RuPaul and the Babadook on a rainbow-colored seesaw, the ad simply gives the art of voguing some overdue athletic respect. We see Maldonado preparing in a number of ways, and then doing the damn thing, and by the end it’s hard not to feel tired just from watching. Rather than pandering, this is a subtle way to show voguing viewers that their pride is hard-earned.
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