I got hit by the new Fastrack advertisement for women’s bags. It basically shows a girl (who looks 12) hopping out of a room in an all boys’ hostel in a sheet, running about corridors, bumping into other dudes, falling to the floor ( to give the camera a docile puppy eye look) and at every stage she slips on one item of clothing. What do we have at the end? Well we have a 12yr old with short hair, an off shoulder tee that exposes her bra strap and of course, a short skirt-like hello how could a girl who sleeps with boys wear anything else?!
So, if I were in a country where women were sexually free and society didn’t condemn them for being like that-this ad wouldn’t have created a crease on my brow. If I were in a country where women wore pretty much anything they wanted, why would I even find myself gritting my teeth after seeing this commercial?
- Well, because I don’t live in such a place. I live in a place where the child sexual abuse rates are one of the highest in the world, thus swarming with pedophiles,
- where women who are seen talking to males are considered sluts,
- where women are raped at any time of the day,
- where there are more males than females,
- where men feel they have the right to grope and brush pass women in public,
- where men shout lurid comments at women in public,
- where what you wear isn’t really up to your discretion,
- where people are so influenced by what they see on their t.v’s that they expect everything to be manifested in real life.
What such ads create, is not only a swarm of sexually frustrated men who expect women to sleep with them because they are carefree, sexually free and happen to be clothes that aren’t considered ”decent” or ”conservative” (as ridiculous as it sounds, my friends have told me stories) , but also another layer in society that dwells in an unreality. As it is we have hoardings of women in bikinis for alcohol ads in rural towns, most of which don’t even allow women to expose their faces! If we want to appear modern and out there, and want to create a change in the mindsets of people, why not first empower the powerless ? Show women in a powerful light, that doesn’t revolve around having sex with men, or being the ‘house keeper’. Apart from that why are 90% of commercials centred around sex? Whatever happened to things like affection, happiness and caring? One ad I really commend is the new Hyundai Live Brilliant advertisement, that actually shows a woman driving a car:
Too bad it isn’t an Indian commercial.
The Behenji 
Lady, you are one piece of work!
Thanks ‘Bhai’, hahah
Ditto! 😀
You write well…trust me…i have taken days to read them all but i have….but i dont agree on this one…i personally think this ad is harmless and common the girl doesnt look 12…she looks atleast 16 😉
Hello! First of all, thank you for reading my stuff. I really appreciate it! No no the ad isn’t harmless, after all it’s fantastic- a girl, in a boy’s hostel, sneaking out half naked- what a dream come true ay? And 16 is way better than 18 right! 🙂
I sense sarcasm..but yeah i guess it is a male fantasy…but i still dont get whats wrong with it….? are you trying to say that she (the girl in the ad) shouldnt be doing “Wild” things like in the ad or are you just saying that the maker of the ad should not be showing these kinda things on TV although they are happening…either ways i think its an ad and not provoking anyone or anybody to do anything wrong…i dont deny that the Hyundai ad is not good but i think picking on this one is not right…
I don’t think anything’s wrong with what the girl is doing. The director did something really strange by casting a girl who looks underage, which has been an issue in many parts of the world in the context of commercials. In our country, we have to let ourselves stop and think about what is being poured through our screens and question its appropriateness; we have dance shows where little girls are made to wear silly costumes and do weird dance moves to ‘item songs’, we have those really raunchy deodorant ads which are extremely sexist and unrealistic. So this fastrack ad flows along such a stream. It might not provoke anyone, but it just makes the list of showing females in highly sexualised light, even longer. When you have a slot of 3-4 minutes for ad breaks during t.v shows, imagine the entire time being taken up with such imagery. For our country that has a lot to battle with in terms of how females are generally perceived and treated, this isn’t helping, but allowing such a perception of them to be accepted as the norm. What is the result? Come on, just try fitting your eyes through mine for 1 day when you have the most time to watch t.v and tell me what you think…Would you? Let’s try it 🙂
You are absolutely right in calling out on this ad. It’s one of the many male fantasies that gets played out in popculture. If someone were to be so obviously liberated in real life, she would be labelled a “slut”. And yes, it’s definitely disturbing that the girl appears to be 12-15 years of age. I’m glad you drew attention to the sexualization of nonage girls.
The Hyundai ad was surprisingly good, especially after the crappy Fastrack one.
Thanks! You are absolutely right. I wish these companies had some sort of arena where viewers could give their feedback. The ones that are listed are of no use!
i agree with all the acusations tht u hav made .but i disagree on one thng tht u pointd out.the grls age dnt u think she luks lot older than 12 or 15.nobady wud apove of this if a child was made to do such a vulgar ad
You must be so hurt that I said this girl was underage.