Friday, October 18, 2013

Sexist subtext

I've spotted a very subtle yet obvious sexist subtext to some television commercials in Canada of late and it is a little disturbing. On the face of it the ads don't seem offensive. But there is some subliminal stereotyping of female roles/behaviors and gender expectations being broadcast into our homes and collective sub-conscience.

The first is a Nivea anti-perspirant product for women that apparently combats stress sweat. Turns out the very stressed-out subject is the girlfriend or female friend of a contestant on a Who Wants To Be a Millionaire-type game show. She's extremely tense before the contestant locks in the final answer and apparently survives those trying moments of suspense untainted by perspiration only because she used the Nivea product. My question is if you're attempting to create the illusion of a very stressful situation, wouldn't making the woman the contestant have worked just as easily - perhaps better? I can bet the person in the hot seat would be more prone to perspiring than one in the spectator gallery.

The next comes from Canada's telecoms giant Rogers. This dapper man walks into a Rogers store to ask about changing his mobile phone plan. The whole time he has his phone to the ear and the girlfriend/wife's tinny voice coming through. Here go the stereotypes - she seems like she can talk the hind legs off a donkey; her side of the conversation is entirely about shopping; and she, naturally, talks about buying shoes. So our poor protagonist mentions his new couples plan better have unlimited minutes. This sexist overload is enough to make my brain explode.

The third offending commercial is from Vicks. On the eve of the dreaded flu season this company urges you to use its DayQuil and NyQuil to get mommy back on her feet as soon as possible so she can slave away to make everyone else's day better and easier. It shows a little brother and sister talking about what their mom will do for them the following day because she will - obviously- have recovered overnight. The premise is meant to be cute. I find it anything but.

I am disappointed to see commercials like these in a country that claims to value rights above all else. Some might say I'm reading too much into what are meant to be light, amusing vignettes from everyday life. But the problem is that this subtle reinforcement of gender expectations and generalizations is being absorbed on a mass scale. It sneaks into the subconscious, hibernates there undetected and can spring out and ambush us some day. So why not vet commercials a little more before they're released? Self-regulation should be good enough because I still have faith in people's innate goodness. And Canadians have to protect their reputation of being proper. Let's not send these messed-up messages out there.