Super Bowl ad showing real-life NFL 'Taylor Swift effect' is bringing people to tears
The daddy-daughter storyline is a tearjerker, without saying a word.

One dad and daughter share their new football bond.
Dads and daughters often have a unique bond, which can sometimes hit a rocky spot as adolescence approaches. It's not that the love isn't there, but swift changes in development can leave them both reeling and struggling to connect the way they used to.
In an unexpected turn of events, many fathers are finding themselves bonding over football with their previously uninterested daughters recently. Taylor Swift, pop star beloved by millions of teens and tweens, started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce near the beginning of the NFL season, and as their relationship grew, so did Swifties' interest in football. The phenomenon has been dubbed the "Taylor Swift effect."
Is a singer dating a football player a silly reason to start watching football? Maybe. Has it been a boon for many a daddy-daughter relationships? Apparently so. And skincare company Cetaphil is highlighting one real-life "Taylor Swift effect" example with their tear-jerking Super Bowl ad.
The ad is called "Game Time Glow," and it features a father and daughter who seem distanced at first. The dad sits on the sofa in his jersey watching football, while she puts her headphones on and hangs out in her room.
But soon we hear the game commentator saying something about Taylor Swift at the game, and as it catches the daughter's ear, the dad turns up the volume. Later, he brings her a football jersey of her own—number 13, which is Taylor Swift's favorite number—and soon we see them together in their jerseys, arms decked out in friendship bracelets, sharing the joy of where their worlds have collided.
It's beautifully done. No dialogue, no talking at all, just music and the sound of the game as the story plays out. Watch:
The dad and daughter in the commercial are real, and the ad reflects how their relationship has grown through this football season. The idea for the ad was pitched to Cetaphil by agency Lippe Taylor in early February. Once it was approved, it was pulled together in only one week, with lots of input from the dad-daughter pair, throughout.
That authenticity may be part of why it's hitting people so hard.
"Crying at a Cetaphil commercial at 10am on a Friday," wrote one commenter.
"Cetaphil helps the tears glide more smoothly down my face," wrote another.
"Yep, now I'm crying," shared another. "I love that dad's & daughters are now experiencing this together. It also reminds me that these days with my Daddy are coming to a end soon. I've got to call him now & tell him I love him & thank him for all of the games he watched with me."
Well done, Cetaphil.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.