Layer'r was recently called out for its sexist 'shot' ad that was also been accused of promoting rape culture. The ad preys on women's fear of rape in order to advertise a deodorant, and is wrong and dangerous on multiple levels. The brand has since then issued an apology, but the damage is irreparable.
However, the objectification and stereotyping of women is something that has been prevalent in most Indian advertisements even before this. These regressive Indian advertisements demonstrate our long history of sexism, and no matter how much they are called out, some brands never learn.
Here's a look back at prominent brand advertisements that were criticized by the public.
1. Jack and Jones
Although it was apparently an ad for an office shirt, social media users were not fooled by the technique employed to objectify women.
This 2016 ad for Jack & Jones India, which featured Bollywood sensation Ranveer Singh, received a lot of backlash for its misogynistic message.
This advertisement was also pointed out by actor Siddharth. He shared a photo of a billboard with a Ranveer Singh ad and called out the business, Jack & Jones, for its poor portrayal of women in the workplace. "A new low for women's rights in the workplace in India. What were they thinking? #Fail" ,he wrote in a tweet
After receiving backlash for the commercial, Jack & Jones said that the billboard will be removed through Twitter.
2. Flipkart
Flipkart put out a statement on International Women's Day 2022 that many social media users thought to be tone-deaf and misogynistic.
"Dear Customer, This Women's Day, let's celebrate You. Get Kitchen Appliances from ₹ 299." Many social media users believed the ad perpetuated negative assumptions about women's place in the kitchen.
Flipkart may not have seen the issue with marketing kitchen equipment on Women's Day, but Twitter users did, and they called the company out.
Flipkart issued an apology when the outrage over the Women's Day message escalated.
3. Prestige Pressure Cooker
Prestige is one of the most successful pressure cooker companies in the country, and one of their commercials emphasised that cooking is a woman's work and that a guy who loves his wife should get her an excellent cooker.
Their tagline simply depicts women doing all of the cooking and males assisting by providing a cooker: Jo biwi se kare pyaar, woh Prestige se kaise kare inkaar. (How can someone who loves his wife not get her Prestige?)
4. Voltas Dishwasher
The ad for Voltas dishwashers has been slammed for encouraging gender stereotypes. In the whole story, they only showed women operating the dishwasher and left out guys. They claimed that men do not require dishwashers since women will handle all of the household chores.
5. Qraa Men
A men's grooming goods brand, 'Qraa Men,' was criticized on social media for a sexist marketing campaign. Netizens flocked to Twitter to share screenshots of some of Qraa Men's Instagram postings. They accused the company of objectifying women in its marketing strategy, which included nude photographs of women to promote items. The company was condemned for insinuating and spreading toxic masculinity ideologies.
6. Ola
The commercial depicts a man travelling around a market with his girlfriend, compelled to stop at every shop while the lady picks items for him to purchase for her.
It concludes with the man turning to the camera and stating, "Meri girlfriend chalti hai 525 per km, but Ola Micro chalti hai sirf 6 per km," (My girlfriend walks for 525 per kilometre, while Ola Micro runs for just 6 per km).
The commercial was called out for being sexist, confirming the age-old stereotype that women bother men because of their generalised shopping habits. Ola took removed the ad, but not before making a snide remark:
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