to think the new ASDA advert is the biggest pile of sexist crap in a long time

[MaureenLove]

to think its trying to APPEAL to women? dur!

[Fakebook]

Last post.

[Xenia]

As LeQ said. Also the more we see this kind of thing the more women will think it is their place to be put upon.

It is the portrayal everyday sexism which matters just as much as the lack of senior women in the cabinet. I remember my son coming home to say a teacher had suggested women/mothers cook. He felt it was sexist and it's not his experience at home. Other boys may not have even known it were sexist as they see these ads and some have housewives as mothers who do the cooking. We only change things if we effect change ourselves through how we conduct our own Christmases and the messages we give to our children about roles of men and women in marriage.

I shall think about this thread as I zip down ski slopes with the children on 25th. Mind you the downside of the hotel meal is that it will be French and complex and we may not like it. On the other hand most people eat too much at Christmas and don't feel good so at least we avoid that.

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

That pouffe is definitely the worst bit of the whole advert!

[OnwardBound]

So do all those posters who enjoy and aspire to a traditional female role at Christmas also enjoy [as depicted in the Asda ad] doing the washing up/loading the dishwasher, sorting all the leftovers into appropriate containers for the fridge, etc AFTER they have done the warm glow stuff of twinkly lights and serving out the turkey?

Because if you do really enjoy this I would be very happy to help you out. PM me and I will give you my address and will gladly allow you to do my washing up post Christmas festivities. Consider it my present to you

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

^ that!

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Which would be fine, if there were lots and lots of adverts showing an aspirational lifestyle in which the mother didn't smirk to herself as she doles out veggies in her spotty pinny and then sits on a fucking horrible pouffe at the table because That's What Real Mums Do.

[horseygeorgie]

I like it.

Fairly true to us (apart from the trying to fit in horses etc into it and we do all help out). We always have 'tradition' roles at Christmas, mainly because Dad is a Vicar and has services from 6am throught to finishing at 2, then evensong at 6 (11 churches who all want Communion at 11 am with the Vicar). It is usually Mum and i in the kitchen, we ask over a handful of old/alone friends and parisheners and some family and its lovely! We normally do horses very early and leave them in for the day then argue about who gets to drink champagne at lunch as someone has to be able to drive.
Tbh i do most of the cooking these days as Mum gets stressed and i love it. The baby will get Looked after by everyone and i love making it special for the people i love and care for.

There is nothing wrong with the advert. The mother obviously isn't chained to the kitchen, perhaps you should consider the idea that she actually ENJOYS doing things this way!? Surely one of the aspects of femanism is the option to CHOOSE if the woman would like to have a tradition role or not.

[ashesgirl]

I'm also getting a little fed up of being told what should and shouldn't annoy me.

It's common everyday sexism like this that's so insidious - it does need challenging

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

As Oscar Wilde so nearly said: there is only one thing more pathetic and lacking in the milk of human kindness than observing that an advert is sexist .... and that is ranting away on a thread which is about that, which you do not have to be on, to say that everyone else who is bothered is pathetic and lacking in the milk of human kindness.

No-one has to think about anything they don't want to, but where on earth do some people get off telling people who do like to consider stuff, that they are pathetic?

[QuickLookBusy]

I just asked DH if he'd seen the ad, his response was

"it's awful, she does all the work, they make her sit on the pouffe, then when they are all sitting in the lounge drinking and farting, he asks her what's for tea! It's a fucking outrage"

I do actually do most of the preparation for Xmas, as Dh works and I don't. However on Christmas Day itself, it's all hands on deck. We help each other.

Expecting one person in a house, to do all the work on Christmas Day and sit on the f'ing pouffe is NOT on. Start thinking now about what other people in your family can do on Christmas Day.

[mum2threesons]

Ive seen the advert many times and I think its brilliant.

[iHijinx]

I think there would be a lot of Mums out there who would be thinking ?thank God someone is telling my side of the story.? I know if I didn?t get stuck in like the woman in the ad, Christmas wouldn?t happen in my house - not for any other reason than my husband works so hard and family are all over the country.

I don?t feel like a doormat or a martyr, I feel like we?re a hard working family and I am superwoman!

[Chubfuddler]

God just how sanctimonious can one be in such a short post? Well done.

[MissSooz1]

It isn't the Asda mum who has had her brain fried, you lot obviously have issues, the biggest of which is a total lack of perspective and absolutely no sense of humour. Get a grip, I appreciate there are other massive problems in the world but really, is all you have to do is sit at your computers and mump? why not get out in the real world. I would if I wasn't stuck in the house, recovering from surgery and too ill from chemo to get out and enjoy myself. Always wondered what Mumsnet was all about as had heard so much about it but there seems to be a lot of bile flying about so I'll give it a wide berth. Also lacking in the milk of human kindness. Take care all of you, have a lovely christmas (obviously not an Asda Christmas) and wishing you and your families good health in 2013 because at the end of the day that is what really counts .

[LineRunner]

There is an asteroid hurtling towards the earth and Asda is still shit.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Imminent environmental melt-down? I tell you, I'm not pairing any more socks or reading any more school reports whilst that's going on! I'm all about the priorities....

[squoosh]

I'm horrified by the situation in Syria and yet I can still see that this ad is a load of old twaddle.

[Softlysoftly]

The original I'll see your starving babies and raise you child soldiers!

[thecalpollady]

Is she the actress the plays in The Paradise?

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Oh how I despise and loathe being told what I should get 'worked up about'. It's all stuff, it's in the world, it's happening - there is no shame in having an intellectual response to it for heaven's sake!

Maybe you shouldn't get upset about the 'misogynistic music videos' because there are also worse things that that? What's a bit of misogyny when there are STARVING BABIES?

[MissSooz1]

Honestly, is this the most important thing we have to get worked up about? I watched the ad and yes it portrays sexist stereotyping, BUT it also rings very true. If women did not engage in the whole xmas hysteria then it would not happen to the same degree. We make a rod for our own backs because we buckle to the pressure of providing the perfect christmas. I only have to think of friends and family of varying ages and it is the women who "do" christmas, the men may lend a hand but they are not driving the whole thing. I cannot believe when there are so many other truly awful, unjust things happening to women in the wider world and our own society that people see fit to get worked up about this ad. Watch some of the frankly misogynist music videos and look at how young women are objectified and sexualised and get upset about that! Not some ad which is actually quite truthful in depicting the way christmas is in many households!

[OnwardBound]

Okay Irn Bru is the best snowman advert...

[SamuelWestsMistress]

Well I must admit if it weren't for me running around like a blue arsed fly all Christmas then it wouldn't bloody happen!! I can relate to what they're trying to achieve there perhaps on a different level.