Sexist holiday ads are sneaky. After all, ’tis the season! Colorful ads and gimmicks offer the masses “more for less”! It’s incredibly easy to get lost in the advertising hype and colorful packaging. But are women really listening to what advertisers are selling?
Two commercials stand out this year. They can be viewed as being so sexist in nature that women should be outraged at the implications. These companies deserve WTF! emails until the ads are removed.
Women Deserve Better
The “2015 WTF!” product advertisements go to Estee Lauder for their Modern Muse Le Rouge ad, and to Colorama: Adult Coloring Books. These sexist holiday ads are reminiscent of the 1950s when women were not in place in companies in the numbers enjoyed today. In fact, Estee Lauder and Colorama are turning back the hands of time in a type misogynistic joke at the expense of women.
Estee Lauder Misses Mark on Inspiration
Sexist holiday ads like over music don’t make them less sexist.
Watch:
Estee Lauder’s commercial encourages women to be an “inspiration,” like the featured actress. She glides down a busy street where she passes several men. In the background Lady Marmalade, the popular 1970s tune by Patti Labelle and the BlueBells, is heard. The French verse asks the question, “Do you want to have sex with me?” and “Do you want to have a go?”
The song lyrics played over a funky beat reference a New Orleans lady of the night on the stroll; the implied suggestion is that she’s on the prowl for potential customers. Note to Estee Lauder: women are not prostitutes for sale and a fragrance shouldn’t be used to imply such.
Colorama Wrongly Romanticizes Seemingly Blissful Women
The second contender is a holiday ad for the amazingly popular trend in adult coloring books. Colorama’s ad promises to help women de-stress with “flowers, paisleys, stained glass and more!”
No men are featured, and all the women appear alone, overly simplistic, or melodramatic in their demeanor. The women are happy and content. Excited about the opportunity to color after busting ass all day on the job. Their emotional fragility is highlighted as they they beam with the excitement at their ability to manage the extraordinary task of coloring inside the lines. Really?
What Working Woman Has Time For Coloring?
The free gifts include: a Colorama on-the-go kit and color pencils, hooray! Colorama, is officially put on notice. While it is true that women work hard all day and that life can seem like one continuously long grind, their sexist holiday ad is bliss in a colored pencil. Most women would prefer help around the house, and a foot massage.
To women everywhere, beware that the holiday season is no reason to support companies with sexist holiday ads and branding.
