Tide, just like many other household product ads, is notorious for being sexist in it's commercials. This ad however, is new for Tide, showing it's view on gender roles.
The video shows a woman, obviously the perfect housewife and mother, who is upset that her daughter does not dress like a little girl "should". Despite her attempts to stain her daughter's clothing, she uses Tide, which no matter what gets the stains out because it is meant to make life "easier and cleaner" for women.
Usually it is the sexist ads that only show women cleaning, doing dishes, and laundry that bother me, but this ad is taking it to a new low, trying to tell children how to dress and their role of a frilly, pink, little girl or a camo, cargo shorts, little boy. They are saying if you do not conform to this social standard you will be "wrong" and clearly it will make mom unhappy. This social norm of gender begins at birth with the colours that are attatched to gender and the roles associated as well. The little girl in the commercial is playing with blocks and trucks but to society should be playing with dolls and kitchen sets because it is expected that she grows up knowing about the kitchen and babies because that's all she will know.
In the movies and soaps, women are often portrayed as the perfect housewife and that is usually the norm. This is just another way women we are influenced to grow up doing dishes and laundry and taking care of the family, and if you don't conform with that idea you are out of place and won't fit in to what society wants. A movie that goes outside the norm like "Bridesmaids", that shows women in a more vulgar manner is deffinetly funny but not meets the standard of the lady-like homemaker.
I do agree with one thing in this commercial, this detergent works and gets my clothes clean. But the "style is an option clean is not" caption at the end, I do not agree with. Tide, stick to cleaning my clothes and not defining my place in society, thanks.
- Regina Filanji
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