Five Sexist Indian Ads That Failed Women With Their Problematic Themes

Advertisements depict new trends and accelerate them. They are displayed on a mass level with the purpose to inform, educate, and raise awareness among people. To maximise their impact on the public, ad makers often feel inclined to create commercials that have a mass appeal and that become a subject of conversation. But in order to achieve that goal, advertisements often end up catering to our sexist mindsets, as a result, demeaning women.

The contentious question of the relationship between “reality” and “representation” and even unfair representation plays a central role here. The portrayal of women in Indian media, be it films, TV programs, visual advertisements or newspapers has long been a talking point. A central debate among feminists in the country concerns the “distortion” theme; that the media does not represent the “real” picture of women. One would have expected that with changing times, the themes that are picked up by advertisers will become less regressive. But as some recent ads have proved, that is hardly the case.

Here Are Six Sexist Indian Ads That Failed Women:

The Shot Mara Ad

A recently released ad by Layer'r for its deodorant was sexist, problematic, and offensive on so many levels. The ad openly promoted rape culture and thus was rightly called out on social media, even prompting the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ask the company to pull down the ad from social media. The ad focuses on four friends, one of whom asks “Shot mara? to which another replies, “Haan mara na.” He then folds his sleeve and says, “Ab Hamari baari hai. ” The conversation is witnessed by a girl who looks scared and shocked at their conversation and takes a sigh of relief when the guy takes out a deodorant bottle kept in the room on her side. An issue as offensive as gangrape was mocked and so casually used in this body spray ad.

The Notorious Men Will Be Men Ad

An alcohol brand uses the line “Men Will Be Men” literally justifying the male gaze. In this series of ads, men are shown gazing at woman, tucking their tummies in presence of an "attractive" woman, forgetting their wife's name, all in the name of justifying sexist behaviour. In one of the more recent ads, a comatose man is shown responding to a female doctor's touch as his wife watches befuddled. When will ads stop telling men that it is their birthright to mistreat women and see them as mere objects, purely because of the entitlement that their gender brings?

The Breakfast Mix Ad On Multitasking

MTR Aata Ad

MTR Breakfast Mix Ad shows this mom in the kitchen, who is making six different types of breakfast for her family. What's more, she is smiling depicting the notion that women are house machines and they never get tired even if they multitask. The ad reinforces gender-based division of labour that is a harsh reality of most Indian households. An analogy is made of the woman with a goddess showing that a perfect housewife is the one who knows all the household chores and does all the work without complaining and ultimately becomes a goddess.

'Be Special'

Cereal brand's Kellogg's 'Be special' and other ads depict the idea that a woman is attractive only when she is slim. This ad encourages women to lose weight and be slim, promoting problematic ideas like ‘zero figure’ and 'perfect body'. In one of the ads, a woman is shown trying to lose weight because she wanted to dance at a wedding ceremony as if it's a pre-requisite. In"> another, women lament how they can't pull off a dress at their reunion because of their "auntywala" figure. Any guesses what is the solution here?

Dairy Brand's Hume Unka Dhyaan Rakhna Hai Ad

“Chalo roz doodh piyen or healthy banien taki bade hokar hum bhi unka (apni maa ka) khayal rakh sakein.” This is the tagline of Mother Dairy's ad which shows a man shouting at his wife for a very small thing, and instead of retaliating, she says sorry. The ad showcases women especially wives as weak and needy of protection who can't talk back. It also encourages children(boys) to drink a glass of milk daily to become strong and save their mom from their father's wrath. Why aren't we talking about normalisation of toxic masculinity in Indian homes instead?

Suggested Reading: Are Indian ads reinforcing unrealistic expectations from women?