Men ‘feeling excluded’ from John Lewis ad

[Moro93]

I just watched the new John Lewis Christmas advert on YouTube. I just spent the whole time laughing at how the comment section is filled with men complaining about the lack of men in the ad!

Their fragile male egos are being shattered because men aren’t at the forefront of a Christmas ad. We women should hang our heads in shame and solidarity for the poor, excluded men 🥲

I have screenshots of some of the comments I can add if anyone wants or can’t be bothered checking. I will obviously cover the usernames.

I think the Christmas ad thing is gone nuts for reasons like these. Why can’t people just watch and enjoy? Why do people notice this kind of thing?

Misandry innit!

Yep, exactly what some of the comments are claiming!

They are probably bot generated responses

Sorry was thinking of the wrong advert.. boots not john lewis haha

In the John Lewis ad?

It's ridiculous. Men need to learn as a group, that they aren't always the main character but they really struggle - even from childhood where apparently we're giving them the wrong books (can't identify with books that don't have boys as a lead character), we talk too much (more than 30% and we're dominating the conversation according to them), movies (where we are woefully underrepresented in talking roles)

It's one bloody advert. In a world chock full of male representation, where the majority of all entertainment (from Shakespeare to most literature, to modern-day TV) is filled by a men to women's detriment. They can just grow up and deal with it.

It’s funny because across the board it’s the women who do actually prepare nearly all the Santa gifts. 100% me in our house. How about your houses?

Actually the ad has really made me stop and think. I’m feeling a little outraged that a man has taken the credit for all the kids gifts. I think it’s time that kids are told Santa Claus is and always was a woman. And maybe we can be truthful like the boots ad… Santa Claus is a man but he actually does nothing. Mrs Claus is the real Santa Claus.

They can't grow up and deal with it, obviously. That's the problem. They react with outrage to perceived threats to even a relatively minor type of privilege such as media representation. Remember the way they lost their shit about the female cast of Ghostbusters?
They are digging their heels in on equality on multiple fronts.

Maybe men aren't included because in the main Christmas wouldn't happen without women doing all the bloody work for it??

Women do Christmas, we all know that.

Edit, wrong ad 😅

If the ad showed a man buying a present for his sister, he would literally walk in, pick up the first thing he saw, and buy it.

Or he would get his wife to buy something.

I see their point totally as they are usually the ones last minute shopping on Xmas eve 😂

Reminds me of the year we all had flu and I was anxious as hadn’t done the wrapping yet and dh reassuringly patted me and said ‘don’t worry ! It’ll get done - it always does!’ I remember looking at him half wondering if he was being serious or if he thought that actually elves were genuinely responsible

The minute my DH pipes up about it is the minute I hand Christmas over to him. I am sure he still believes in Santa as he appears more surprised than the children at what they receive on Christmas Day. Fortunately, my DH knows where his bread is buttered and wouldn’t be so silly as to gatekeep Christmas shopping. My conclusion is that these comments are from ‘single’ men or those that use boots 3 for 2 offer to knock out wife/parents gifts and feel entitled to be included. Thinking of it, boots is exactly where my husband would go for a gift so maybe men have a point!

John Lewis or Boots - I’m confused. The Boots one is about make up and definitely has men in it! Regarding the JL advert, well most people don’t have a 40yr old white sister to buy for, but most of us can understand the general gist without getting our knickers in a twist!

Lovely advert about sisterly love.

Wait until 'bigdillan' realises how little representation there has been for women in every sphere bar child-rearing over the millenia. By that logic men must really hate women.

I think people need to step back and realise that all of these things are being picked on as “culture war” battlegrounds.

Culture wars have been fantastic for certain political groups, they are destabilising to society and they help drive people to ally with political groups, resulting in the shitshow that is now the US.

We need to get used to the fact that wherever there is an opportunity to generate a culture war argument (even over something as innocuous as Xmas ads) it is going to be leapt on and amplified now. As someone said above, amplification doesn’t even require real people, it can be AI assisted.

This is going to give the impression that these are genuine, significant issues, and the amplification will start to drag in real people who will comment in good faith (as is happening here) in a way that feeds into the argument and helps it to grow.

I don’t think people are prepared for what is coming - culture wars, disinformation, AI amplification - all this is leading to a world in which none of us will know quite what is real, what isn’t real, and everything will feel like it is polarised and divisive.

Agree, I actually thought this was a strong JL attempt. Less abstract but notable for featuring an adult women with a mission at Christmas (it is mainly us who do the shopping, let's be honest) Also thought it was good on the psychology of how we (well, some of us) really deep-dive to pick presents, particularly for siblings. You've got all the shared history, you know what they definitely wouldn't want, and you know where you dare not tread 😂 I enjoyed that despite all the expensive production the message was basically 'gawd, it's murder buying for her innit?'

The Boots one is Woke this year. I'm sick and tired of Woke now.

But how many times have adverts focused on men and their last minute Christmas Eve shopping? Did women complain then? Of course not!

I’m just reading the comments under the John Lewis ad. Wow such fragile masculinity at men not being centred in an advert.

Women have been expected to identify with male characters and as the Bechdel test confirms so many mainstream movies have women as afterthought or not fully realised characters. And here are men losing their minds over 3 minutes where we focus on two sisters.
(I don’t even have a sister, could still appreciate the narrative).

I thought the art direction was fabulous. It reminded me of my favourite film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as memories and nostalgia collapse around themselves.

(That said, JL are still on my shit list for the way they treat the privacy and dignity of their female employees. No amount of lovely woman-centred advertising makes up for reality).