Outright Sexism Or Harmless Entertainment? 6 Lebanese TV Adverts That Made Us Reconsider
Our first thoughts when watching advertisements are that they’re harmless promotions, hilarious and quick ways of portraying a storyline to sell a certain product. Yet when we take a deeper look at the content we are being exposed to on a daily basis, the underlying sexism is quite alarming, especially since gender stereotypes are proudly enforced. Here are six advertisements that made us think twice:
1. Buzz Beer
Hilarious, yes. However, I couldn’t help but wonder why in both variations of this advert the beer drinkers were men, dealing with their stereotypical, emotionally charged girlfriends. Can you imagine how awesome this advert would be if a woman was having a beer instead? There’s nothing wrong with reversing gender roles and breaking societal stereotypes every once in a while.
2. XXL Beer
Similar concept: guy drinks beer to deal with women. However this isn’t as trivial as your girlfriend throwing your dog a birthday party. Rather, this advert objectifies, sexualizes, and degrades women in an offensively disrespectful manner. Neither me, nor my female co-workers go to work half-naked, with our tits out and pornographic reading glasses. XXL, keep your fantasies to yourself.
3. Siblou
First and foremost, the narrative itself is directed at women, as opposed to the general public so as to say this kitchen related storyline can only be understood by women. Many women may be able to relate to dreading their afternoon in the kitchen, but are we forgetting that men also cook, use the kitchen, and go grocery shopping too?
4. Hawa Chicken
Indeed, at the end of this advert the husband doesn’t expect his wife to cook dinner, but rather, to order it. At first instance, it seems like wonderful progress for the Lebanese market. However, the real problem is that he expects his wife to prepare dinner in the way HE sees fit. Again, this goes back to the women-only-belong-in-the-kitchen mentality and the hard working husband expects to be catered for in an impeccable manner. As a woman, I’d love to see this advert the other way round too, with the husband ordering dinner for the hard working wife, which in my opinion is way more reflective of society nowadays.
5. Lesieur
Jealous wife – check.
Flirty husband – check.
Wife in the kitchen – check!
6. Persil
Via @PersilLebanon Facebook Page
I think you get my point by now; woman = housewife. However, I wish it stopped at the TV ads. The Facebook adverts not only target women, but daughters too since apparently only young women, and not young men, need to do their laundry. Housewife training perhaps?
So no, women aren’t sexual objects or overbearing and emotional beings who spend 90% of their time in the kitchen making dinner or slaving away after their immaculate husbands. Let’s think again, are these adverts really just a bit of banter, or do they carry an underlying damning rhetoric highlighting the sexist society we live in within which change seems very very far away…
