These days everybody is talking about “India’s first Lesbian ad” which was created for a women’s fashion wear brand. Social media is flooded with shares, likes and discussions about the viral video.
The creative team behind this ad has cleverly picked the tagline “Bold is Beautiful” while narrating different stories around the same theme.
But this effort, while admirable in its own right, is still far from the reality of the Indian ads. Here’s a quick look at the space women occupy in our ad world.
1. Women are too concerned about fairness, dandruff, skin and hair. They just can’t stand a pimple!
Thanks, Kangana for turning down an ad offer. There’s at least one actress who feels that it is okay to have darker complexion.
2. Women are always there to cook delicious food for the family and eagerly wait for their feedback.
3. Only women are concerned about the cleanliness of their toilet and single-handedly deal with germs. Men only use public toilets, I guess!
4. Only women are concerned about family’s health. If father-in-law has a heart problem or son has a dental problem, only women should take care of it!
5. And it is needless to even describe sanitary napkin ads! Uff!
6. Women are not intelligent about investments. They do not know when and where to invest.
7. Every woman falls for a man who gifts her diamonds.
8. Women smell great, so that they influence men’s decisions.
In return, they are turned on wildly if a man sprays his perfume on them.
9. Men buy cars and women’s duty is just to do “aarti”
10. Women are always jealous of other women and nag their husbands to buy them things that their rivals have.
11. Women can resist the temptation of touching and kissing a man who has just finished shaving.
12. Women go behind strangers who get them their favourite soft drinks.
Clichés and typical stereotypes, nothing else! It’s high time both companies and the creative teams come out of this web and start thinking in a new direction!
It is also high time for women to analyse how they are influenced to be someone that the brands require them to be!
