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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Catching them young- AIBU to find this Birdseye advert horrendously sexist?

62 replies

BOFtastic · 07/02/2014 21:50

- Birdeye's latest advert seems to be all about coaching girls to "win their man" with food. Apart from the usual guff at the end about discerning mums, which always irritates me anyway, aren't the kids portrayed a bit young for all this malarkey?

It leaves a rather unpleasant taste in the mouth. Much like the product, I'd imagine.

OP posts:
katiekitty · 07/02/2014 23:47

I'm team Bof on this one

Ledaire · 07/02/2014 23:57

caruthers, I don't think I will, if it's all the same to you.

I have a severely disabled child and I tend to save my limited energy for complaining and campaigning when it counts. But sometimes I just like to debate and discuss things on a talk-board Smile

squoosh · 08/02/2014 00:00

Bloody hell that Ben fella was a proper minger!

'ah want buuurds ah beeeef buuhrgurz'

WorraLiberty · 08/02/2014 00:02

You see for me personally, it's not only annoying that adverts mostly portray women as the cooks/cleaners/washers of dirty clothes etc...

But it annoys me that in the real world, there are so many men who cook/clean/do the laundry etc and yet they are very rarely represented in adverts. This is one of the reasons why the Branston pickles advert made me smile.

And if less women and more men were represented in this way, surely that would be a good thing? It might at least 'normalise' an equal division of labour for those couples who just don't 'get it', whilst representing a more 'healthy' family relationship?

I have a DH and 3 sons who do all of these things but they are rarely represented in adverts.

Equally, I'm not shy with a drill and a sander...but when was the last time you saw a Black and Decker or any power tool advert that was representative of a women doing DIY?

caruthers · 08/02/2014 00:18

In the space of 5 posts men have been described as "A Minger" and "A Balding Porker" so i'm unlikely to take either posters remarks seriously.

squoosh · 08/02/2014 00:22

Carutehrs I can assure you it's of absolutely no consequence to me how you take my post.

caruthers · 08/02/2014 00:28

It's enough of a mind that you had to reply squoosh.

As I knew you would.

squoosh · 08/02/2014 00:31

Well done you for you for working out how internet forums work.

caruthers · 08/02/2014 00:33

All you have to do is work out when to say you're bothered and when to say you're mildly interested.
It might take some time but with application you may just get there.

squoosh · 08/02/2014 00:34

Wow, are you always this unpleasant?

Original poster
BOFtastic · 08/02/2014 00:35
. Well worth the ten minutes of your time, and very thought-provoking.
OP posts:
Original poster
BOFtastic · 08/02/2014 00:36

Squoosh- I know not everyone will give a shit, but you will appreciate it, I'm sure.

OP posts:
Original poster
BOFtastic · 08/02/2014 00:39

WorraLiberty, if you watch that YouTube, I saw the bloke with the pushchair as completely normal (not sure if we were meant to), and I grew up with a dad who read books, and a mum who decorated and did all the DIY. I used to find the B&Q-type ads very puzzling!

OP posts:
wibblyjelly · 08/02/2014 00:39

I think it was co op about 12 months ago that featured a man cooking dinner. Shame it wss just as sexist, as the voice over said 'for when dad is cooking' and the proceeded to advetise loads of frozen stuff. Obviously, men can't cook from scratch according to co-op

caruthers · 08/02/2014 00:40

Check your own posts squoosh.

If you can make any sense out of them.

squoosh · 08/02/2014 00:41

Bof I absolutely will watch that video, first thing in the morning.

squoosh · 08/02/2014 00:42

Let's disengage caruthers, you seem to be spoiling for a fight.

MartyrStewart · 08/02/2014 00:56

BOF - thanks for the link, a very eloquent film.

musicposy · 08/02/2014 01:29

That link is really thought provoking.

I hate the birds eye ads anyway. Stopped buying anything made by them when the domestic abuse polar bear first appeared and was threatening the woman if she cooked inferior fish fingers or something. I was cheering her on to cook what she bloody well liked but she didn't. They toned it down in later adverts but it stayed with me as a horrible ad and since then nothing surprises me about them. They have some major twunts doing their advertising campaigns.

As for this latest offering, if she's after a boy who is only interested in seeing her because she cooks birds eye for him, then telling him to jog on should be the message. Yes, the kids are too young. Other kids of that sort of age (agree about Y7) will watch and think they must get a boyfriend too. The messages we send our children through some of the media are appalling and I honestly think worse if anything than when I was young.

pixiepotter · 08/02/2014 01:33

Kids like Birds eye shite is the message!!

Scarletohello · 08/02/2014 01:49

I hated that ad last year ( was it for Aldi ?)where a man eating hot cross buns and fishing described how wife as an 'old trout'. Grrrrr!

Or was it just me?

Scarletohello · 08/02/2014 01:49

His wife

dunsborough · 08/02/2014 03:53

Thanks for posting that film BOFtastic. Disturbing.

dunsborough · 08/02/2014 03:57

DH is a far better cook than me and I am getting increasingly pissed off with the high praise he gets for preparing our family meal.

A friend of DS aged 16 was truly gob smacked when he saw DH chopping veggies. He told us he has NEVER seen his father cook.

NDN comes over and acts as if DH has won the fucking Nobel prize.

These kind of advertisements do not help anyone.

Bodicea · 08/02/2014 04:17

Don't see a problem. She is breaking "tradition" at least by asking a boy out instead of the other way around which is a step forward.