In an argument on “political correctness” that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would surely throw a fit over (and judging from his insane week, probably will), a recent Gap advertisement is drawing some flak online for sexism.
The ad features clothing for young boys and girls, but labels boys as “the little scholar” while labeling girls as “the social butterfly.”
Check out the ad below:
What kind of message is this sending to our girls (and boys for that matter)? #AskHerMore #NotBuyingIt @UKGap pic.twitter.com/jXvSY5HbFF
— Miss Representation (@RepresentPledge) August 1, 2016
Boys will be geniuses in Gap clothing, while all girls can hope to be is “the talk of the playground?”
Sexist may not be the entirely correct term, but this advertisement does reek of a level of tone-deafness that Gap’s marketing team has demonstrated in the past.
As expected, the reaction of the internet was swift as the image circulated.
unbelievable sexism and spelling/ignorance from @gapkids @gap https://t.co/brMlPO29PO
— trsn500 (@trsn500) August 1, 2016
boys are scholars, girls just like hanging out. Classic sexist nonsense
— Andrew & Sabrina (@PsychScientists) July 31, 2016
How could any professional marketer have let this campaign go live? People are outraged by this 'sexist' gap ad https://t.co/W4uSeGUglC
— Dr. Marie Taillard (@marietaillard) August 3, 2016
Although the sexism of the ad is ruffling some feathers, others pointed to a perhaps even more egregious error.
Take a closer look at that little boy’s shirt…
That’s right. On an advertisement telling little boys to go out and be geniuses, Gap misspelled the name “Albert Einstien.”
It should obviously be spelled “Albert Einstein,” a scientist so famous and intelligent that his name has become synonymous with the word “genius.”
Hopefully, Gap goes back and has a look at their marketing department after this latest hiccup. After all, this is not the first time they have launched an ad campaign that was met with scorn for being insensitive. Three months ago, Gap removed a racially insensitive photo from a similar ad campaign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOtccQYtWpw&ab_channel=NewsBeatSocial
Featured Image: Screenshot Via YouTube Video.
