What’s Wrong With Today’s TV Ads?

“We won’t starve because there’s a woman to cook for us!”

Change is coming — at least that’s what Unilever promises. The consumer goods giant has made a pledge to change gender portrayal in its ads, aiming to remove stereotypes and gear towards a more realistic depiction of men and women. (It’s been a long time coming.)

I sat in front of the tube that evening I heard the news, with the intent of mainly watching ads. The tables turned: I groaned whenever the show came back and said “Yes! Finally!” when the adverts came. I noticed recurring themes that haven’t changed since I started watching TV over twenty years ago. If other companies want to follow Unilever’s “Unstereotype” campaign, they ought to be more wary of releasing ads with outdated themes:

1. It’s always about impressing “the cute girl” or “the cute guy.”

Enter any supermarket, pharmacy, or convenience store and you’ll find that men’s and women’s cosmetics are clearly segmented. This gender binary reminds consumers that males and females aren’t equal and that girls should use pink razors and men should use the black triple-blade ones (’cause apparently only men need ‘close-shave’ precision razors.) TV ads reinforce these stereotypes by depicting men falling prey to the scent of a woman’s hair (After she uses the pink-bottled shampoo), or men using a certain brand of deodorant (with a “manly” scent) to impress the ladies.

Gender binaries are also widely used in TV ads’ color schemes. Take a look at these stills from Pond’s skin care adverts. Mario Maurer has to show that he’s some kind of action hero to rationalize his need of an ‘energizing’ facial wash that ‘recharges’ his face (in black packaging, no less). Nadine Lustre, on the other hand, doesn’t need stunts! She just stared at the camera then sat down with some girls wearing pink and white clothes, talking about their skin care regimens.

Girls, you won’t grow a beard if you use your dad’s Dove Men Facial Cleanser. Also, men want to impress men too! And girls want clear skin not just for cute dude lurking around the corner — but also for potential girlfriends!

2. “Beautiful” means white skin and black hair.

In this Palmolive soap ad, this girl is asking Carla Abellana (right corner) how she can be as “fair and fab” as the top she’s holding.

This isn’t just about gender — it’s the multinational companies literally reinforcing a “black and white” thinking pattern: Buy this conditioner to get silky black hair and this lotion for flawless white skin. They’re failing to show the continuum of looks, hair colors, skin colors that exist. Each one of these ads gives consumers a piece of something they will never look like, no matter how much of that CreamSilk conditioner they use.

There’s a lack of diversity in the hair types these ads show — where are the ombre looks, the ‘fros, the dreadlocks, the dos people like to experiment with? People with highlights use shampoo too!

3. It’s always the mom or the “misis” cooking.

In this Maggi Magic Meals advert, a man talks to his buddy and they realize that they’re both craving Bicol Express. His wife just arrives from work, and is shocked when her husband and an all-male choir suddenly expects her to make Bicol Express. I mean, if you want Bicol Express that badly, why don’t you make it yourself — Nestlé has already made it easy enough for you! Why do you have to ask your wife who just arrived from work?

In the image on the right, the woman is scooping some Bicol Express for her husband’s friend.

The worse part is, she even has to serve it to the men (who just sit down and don’t even offer help)! In the final frame, she doesn’t even get to eat the Bicol Express she improvised!

Advertisers should stop equating the kitchen with women or moms — because moms eat too! Moms like takeout! Moms can like pizza and ice cream — just like everyone else! They do tons of other things aside from cooking, doing the laundry, and taking care of the kids.

And why is it always the mom who’s giving the glass of milk to the kid, feeding the baby, taking the daughter to the dentist — dads can do that too! Where are the cooking dads? Cooking teenagers in their dorm rooms? Cooking kids? How about an ad showing a kid making powdered milk drink himself instead of just waiting for the mom to hand it to him?

Maybe he won’t need the Tiki-Tiki appetite enhancing vitamins anymore if he actually was able to participate in *making* his lunch, no?

Getting it Right

My TVC binge-watching didn’t end on a bad note though: Nestlé gets it right sometimes.

This BearBrand Adult Plus advert would make feminists proud. The protagonist is not wearing a dress, or white pants to show that she can walk around even while on her period. And she’s not trying to impress a man. Most of all, she’s called “an adult,” and the milk isn’t marketed “for women.”

It’s a shame that ads like these aren’t the mainstream yet. “Un-stereotyping,” however, isn’t as simple as putting a man in an apron and having him advertise Magic Sarap. There are smarter ways for companies to boost sales and show consumers how their products can solve everyday problems, while connecting with them through realistic representations.

Also, the kids are watching —so if your little boy’s ashamed of using the pink-bottled shampoo because TV taught him it’s meant for girls, then something’s wrong.

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