+
A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM UPWORTHY
We are a small, independent media company on a mission to share the best of humanity with the world.
If you think the work we do matters, pre-ordering a copy of our first book would make a huge difference in helping us succeed.
GOOD PEOPLE Book
upworthy

super bowl

CeraVe Skincare/Youtube

"let my cream hydrate you"

Okay, so it’s pretty common for beauty and skincare companies to have celebrities endorse their products. And when it’s not in the form of a social media post, you can bet it’s a highly stylized commercial, where said celebrity—dressed to the nines, hair impossibly shiny, skin flawless—puts on that dreamy voice to tell you all the ways in which this product is the fountain of youth, as they are caressed ever so gently by billowing fabrics draping around them. Maybe, just maybe if you use this product held preciously in their freshly manicured hands, you can get a fraction of their greatness. It’s the epitome of aspirational.

And then there's the Michael Cera CeraVe ad that premiered during the Super Bowl this Sunday.

You might have seen the bizarre social media campaign in the previous weeks where Michael Cera was spotted mysteriously signing Cera Va bottles. This was followed by Cera insisting the “Cera” in CeraVe is a reference to him during a podcast interview. Followed by CeraVe “setting the record straight” that Cera had nothing to do with the brand. More and more strange occurrences followed after that, including popular dermatologist Dr. Shah even “testing” Cera’s skin-care expertise.

Turns out, this was all an elaborate lead-up to a CeraVe commercial starring Cera. One that’s being hailed “perfect,” “"genius.",” and "best Super Bowl commercial in years."

Nailing those fantastical, overtly sensual qualities of a standard beauty product commercial, Cera indulges himself with a massage, claiming, “I am CeraVe,” all while New Age music plays softly in the background.

Cue more over-the-top images like scaling and mountain and chatting with a narwhal (yes, really) and Cera masterfully delivering lines like “Let my cream hydrate you” and “Human skin is my passion” in his signature deadpan.

The camera then zooms out to reveal this is actually a commercial Cera is pitching to a boardroom, saying, “I think it would be really nice if people think I made this," he said.

The ad ends with CeraVe confirming the brand “has been developed with dermatologists,”not Michael Cera.

Watch:

Not only did the ad win hearts online, it took home the Super Clio from the Clio Awards, which recognizes the Big Game's most “entertaining or emotional” commercial.

"It gets harder and harder to capture consumers' attention each year, but viewership for live sports, especially NFL football, continues to grow," says Clio Awards CDO Purcell, according to Muse. "An audience as large as the Super Bowl is rare, so brands and advertisers are under a lot of pressure to deliver a spot that has a cultural impact and generates buzz."

CeraVe certainly seemed to succeed in that arena. It goes to show that it’s not just beauty that sells. People enjoy weirdness just as much.The ad ends with CeraVe confirming the brand “has been developed with dermatologists,”not Michael Cera.

Joy

Family's reaction to finding out their daughter is the star of a Super Bowl ad is so wholesome

Diana Flores didn't tell her family she was the star of a commercial, only that she was in it.

Family's reaction to their daughter's Super Bowl ad is so wholesome

There's just something about seeing pride swell in a parent's face when their child reaches a dream they set out to achieve. It's something that moves people to tears in the best way, and watching the reaction of Diana Flores' parents is no exception. Flores is a 25-year-old quarterback for the world champion Women's Mexico Flag Team, Mexico's professional women's flag football team.

In the clip, we find out from the writing on the screen that her parents and sister are about to watch a commercial that Flores participated in. But the surprise was that she not only participated in a commercial, but that she was the star of the ad that would premiere during the Super Bowl, which aired February 12.



The NFL recorded the moment her family sat down to watch the video. In the commercial, Flores is giving what appears to be a pre- or post-game interview when the reporter attempts to take one of her flags. This causes Flores to dodge and juke the reporter and others as she runs across town. At one point she stops short of the edge of a tall building, which causes her mother, who's seeing the ad for the first time, to audibly gasp.

Once the commercial is over and the realization has set in, cue the tears. Her father's delight is barely containable as he beams with pride and says in Spanish, "You are the star."

Flores' mom's eyes are filled with tears as she tells the flag football star, "You told me you'd be in it, not that you'd be the star."

The video didn't end there, because the NFL was determined to make viewers ugly cry by continuing to film the family's reaction. But the thing that got me, as someone who was extremely close with their stepdad, was when her dad called her princess and said, "You are powerful...powerful." It was like suddenly my eyes were all blurry and something was caught in my throat.

But you don't have to listen to me. Watch the wholesome moment below and see if you don't feel a little verklempt.

Health

Boyfriend's reaction to Tubi Super Bowl ad sparks important domestic violence discussion

Her parents' response helps explain why many women have a hard time leaving abusive relationships.

Photo by Piotr Cichosz on Unsplash, Screenshot via Reddit/Usual-Umpire-4468

A Tubi ad during the Super Bowl had families wondering who was messing with the remote.

Millions of people across the U.S. freaked out in unison during Super Bowl LVII when a commercial for streaming service Tubi duped everyone into thinking somebody was fiddling with the TV remote. The first few seconds of the ad made it appear as if game coverage was resuming, then suddenly, a smart TV home screen appeared with a cursor clicking on different things, ultimately landing on Tubi.

The brilliant ad clearly got people's attention, as people flooded social media with stories of how everyone in their household asked who was sitting on the remote and disrupting the game. For most people, it was a hilarious prank that ended in shared laughter. But for some, it didn't turn out to be funny at all.

In a now-deleted post shared on Reddit, an unnamed 23-year-old woman described how her 25-year-old boyfriend reacted to the commercial when he thought she was messing with the TV. It's a story filled with domestic violence red flags, and people are sharing it as an example of what abusive relationships can look like in their early stages.


"My boyfriend thought I was the one changing the channel and began screaming at me violently, calling me things that I don’t even want to write down," the woman shared. "Even as I told him it was a commercial he ignored me and kept blowing up at me and punched a hole in our living room wall."

Red flags: Screaming obscenities and damaging property.

"He eventually realized what actually happened and awkwardly apologized but I was so disgusted over his reaction to a 15 second commercial," she continued. "I feel like if you can’t keep your anger in check and get that violent over something so small I don’t want to be around for it. We’d been together for over a year, living together for the past 2 months and I’ve known him to get angry at things sometimes but this really took me off guard and I can’t forget how unsafe I felt around him during this."

Red flag: Feeling unsafe with your partner.

She shared that she left the next morning with some of her things and is staying at her parents' house. "I left him a note telling him how I felt and that I didn’t think we were going to work out long term," she wrote. "He’s been messaging and calling me repeatedly. My parents told me that I’m overreacting since he had a bit to drink and the Super Bowl gets everyone riled up but I don’t feel I am. I don’t think it’s normal to be that angry."

Red flag: Parents excusing violent behavior and not supporting their daughter who feels unsafe.

People in the comments let the woman know that her instincts are spot on. It's not normal to get that angry, especially over a football game.

"Jfc, that ad is not even 10 seconds long. It only took him that much to insult you and punch a wall, ultimately destroying your mutual trust? Yikes, that's scary. You deserve much better than that, mad respect for standing your own ground," wrote Reddit user itsOkami.

“'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.' - Maya Angelou. Believe him, he’s got an impressive collection of red flags," wrote Marlievey.

This astute comment from ohsheetitscici received more than 7,000 upvotes:

"Definitely not an overreaction at all! My partner and I watched the same commercial, and we thought one of us was sitting on the remote. When we finally realized it was a commercial, we laughed at how dumb we were and moved on.

"The fact that something that small triggered that intense of a reaction out of your (hopefully) ex is a red flag the size of f**king Texas. You did the right thing, and you are right to protect yourself if you feel unsafe. This is coming from someone who was in an abusive relationship before I met my husband. Trust and believe when I say, the abuse didn’t happen overnight. He, in a f**ked up way, did you a favor flipping out like that. Cause you just got a preview of what was to come later down the line."

Flowerino also hit the nail on the head:

"This is absolutely not overreacting. He was the one to overreact. Even if it hadn't been a commercial he'd still not have any valid reason for becoming so angry and ruining a wall. And if he's capable of destroying property over such a small thing as a commercial break, he is not safe to be around. Next time something he found inconvenient happens, it could've been you he'd hit.

"And your parents' comment about his actions being justified because he had a little to drink is disgusting to me. Alcohol should never be used to justify violence in any shape or form."

Others chimed in about how disturbing her parents' reaction was.

"Like 'Hey, Mom? He punched a hole in the drywall. He went from 0 to hole-in-the-wall in less than 15 seconds. Over something he thought I was doing. He wasn’t responding to the commercial, he was responding to me. I don’t care how many drinks he had; if it’s possible for him to become that enraged over thinking I was changing the channel during a commercial break then imagine if there’s ever a legitimate reason for him to be angry.'" – -janelleybeans-

"You ARE NOT overreacting! Your parents are UNDER REACTING! I don't care how 'exciting' a GAME is, nor how much alcohol was consumed. That doesn't excuse bad behavior. This would be a definite 'dealbreaker' for me." – Pyewacket62

Hopefully, this woman's story and the comments from people pointing out red flags will not only help her see that her instincts are right, but perhaps help others to recognize patterns of abusive behavior. As many people pointed out, domestic violence doesn't usually escalate to extremes immediately, and there are signs and signals that indicate abusive dynamics in a relationship that everyone should be aware of.

Good for this woman for recognizing that screaming and punching a hole in the wall over a Super Bowl ad is one of them.

If you are in or think you might be in an abusive relationship, get help from the National Domestic Violence Hotline by visiting hotline.org, or calling 1.800.799.SAFE (7233), or texting "START" to 88788.

Daughter shows her deaf mom Rihanna's interpreter.

Sometimes you come across something so dang sweet and wholesome that you just have to pass it along. That's the case with this short video. TikTok user Bella, whose handle is @mylifeasbella, uploaded a video to the platform showing her mother and her watching a clip of Rihanna's interpreter, Justina Miles, signing the song the star was performing at the Super Bowl.

Bella is a child of deaf adults, otherwise known as CODA, and wanted to show her mother the video since her mom skipped the Super Bowl. But as it turns out, even if she had tuned into the game, the dynamic interpreter was not shown on the screen. Bella explained in a second video that if you wanted to see the interpreter you had to go to a separate link during the halftime show.

In the video, Bella's mom is just sort of standing there until she realizes what's happening. That's when you see a quick flash of surprise on her face before she starts smiling wider, and it doesn't take long for her to start signing along with the interpreter. By the end, Bella's mom is dancing to the beat. It certainly made people smile.


"Why am I tearing up. This made me so happy. Representation matters," one person wrote.

Another said, "Why did this make me cry seeing your mom react, so powerful."

"So beautiful watching mom's face light up," a different commenter wrote, while another person said, "this is the cutest video I have seen all day."

Clearly this video has people feeling all of the feels. It currently has over 7 million views and 817,000 likes. If you want to test your smile muscles, check out the video below:

@mylifeasbella

#duet with @rollingstone My mom didn’t watch the superbowl so this was her first time seeing this and SHE LOOOVED 🤩 #fyp #deafparents #ASL #rihanna #reaction #coda #xyzbca