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Whether it’s Mattel pumping out maudlin ads about dolls inspiring girls to be whatever they want — socioeconomic, racial and other barriers be damned — or Dove’s saccharin bits of self-esteem boosting sap that, in the end, still hawk “beauty” products, commercial pop feminism sells. So much so it’s now the stuff of parody.

A YouTube video of a fake advertising agency called Jane Street perfectly parodies the trend. It boasts “demand for girl-power ads has skyrocketed.” It says the agency uses a CLITT (Core Lady Insecurity To Target) approach to “hone in on the most sensitive areas for improvement” and “We even empowered women with yogurt.”

And it’s true, whether it’s Activa or Kotex, “girl power” advertising has become ubiquitous in selling higher-priced pink-packaged products to women instead of the less costly “male” version of shaving cream, yogurt or whatever.

There are of course benefits to the mainstreaming of feminism: if companies seeking social responsibility cred present more well-rounded women to young girls or fund education abroad or tackle violence against women, those are good things. So too are more women in power and men who realize that women’s issues are vote getters.

Just because Trudeau’s feminism has been effectively packaged, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have some authentic and important roots. But let’s drop the pretence Trudeau’s feminism is purely altruistic. In the age of brand-driven politics, nothing is. Because if that were the case, he would have just built a gender neutral cabinet, instead of touting it loudly and often before the writ dropped. His brand is now inextricably linked to that new, mainstream version of palatable feminism and his cabinet will be held to its standards time and again. If it results in good public policy, then all the better.

If not, then it’s just another example of the cold calculation that makes up the 21st century campaign. It really is 2015 when the commercial feminism perfected by pop stars and ad agencies becomes the stuff that makes prime ministers.

National Post