To be apoplectic with rage

[couldntlovethebearmore]

Over the vax advert?
Nice family having breakfast, the kids and man make a massive mess everywhere.
Mum walks in smiling and cleans it up with the vax.
WHEN the fuck will this sexist shit ever end?

Interesting point Mistress does anyone remember that BBC2 show "Who Does What? www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xxgx7

Left quite an impression on me, most of the findings revealed the household tasks were more evenly split than first thought, except dads often did less of the fun ones e.g. scrubbing the bog, and more of the fun ones e.g. watching your kids play footy on the weekend. It was fascinating and caused a mind shift in my SAHM-mindset at the time.

Children ME! MEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEMEME! I know my SIL who is a partner at a leading architecture practice and recently discovered she was earning less than another (male) partner with less experience. FFS. So many. Too many to list. Every female in my office. I employed 2 people in my team, a woman and a man, both graduates, the man asked for more than the female and he got it, and I had to threaten to quit unless they were paid the same. JESUS CHRIST where are my pills!!

"Actually more and more over the last few years i have come to realise how much power subtle everyday sexism like this (ie ad's like this, the normality of seeing half dressed women standing around for no reason but being eye candy at sporting events ect) DOES absolutely entrench a subconscious idea that women are an underclass

This

Yanbu. As said before it's not this one add it's the constant Drip drip drip of sexism that pervades everyday in life.

The pictures of airbrushed models, the half naked women selling some shit product, the daily mail (and others) women hating articles, the magazines were women are too fat or too thin, the pink Hoover, the lack of interest in women's sport, the pay gap, the number of women I know who work f/t and do far more of the house shit, the unequal number of female CEOs /MP/scientists/consultants etc. It all starts with the same basic fact that society still believes there are men and women's roles in the home and this advert perpetuates that out dated, deeply sexist notion.

I imagine that's what gives the op the rage, not this advert in isolation.

Ad not add

No one is mocking anyone.

It's the sexism in this advert and many more that enrages the OP and many others. That a woman is MOST OF THE TIME portrayed as the person who does all the cleaning and tidying up happily and that a man is MOST OF THE TIME portrayed as an entitled bastard. And it feeds into the inequality that women face in society and in the workplace. NO ONE IS MOCKING ANYONE. Or rather, it's the advert mocking us all... Bastards.

I didn't see that program London but it does sound interesting.

This is the advertisement in question if anyone hasn't seen it

Looks like the guy is busy sorting out the morning routine (sorting breakfast, getting the kids in the car etc) and the woman decides to do a quick tidy up before they all head out. Sounds pretty normal to me.

Obviously they have to make it all extra messy to show what the vacuum is capable of.

Fuss over nothing, sorry.

Companies pay billions to affect the way you think. If the sexism isn't necessary to achieve the sale then it would be very nice indeed if they could leave it out because I don't want peoples minds altered in that particular direction....

Absolutely NeverEver - the idea that these sort of stereotypes are annoying but harmless is wrong. They have consequences. Just recently some company was outed for paying woman doing the same job less as the men "had families to support".

But she's going out to work too! And did you see how he poured the cereal!?

Yes never, he poured it so it made a mess.

A mess for the vacuum that is being advertised to suck up.

Isn't it ironic? "Buy this vacuum cleaner and it will be such a pleasure to use that even if the family are careless fools you won't mind hoovering it up!"

How many threads have you seem in recent years with people enthusing over their roombas, dysons, etc. People do want to buy a vacuum cleaner that makes quick, easy work of inconvenient messes. This advert is playing on women's irritation that kids and (some) men make messes, alongside (some) men's desire for women to sort the mess out.

How many people would relate to an advert where a mess is made then the man and woman have a tug of war over the vacuum cleaner because it's oh so desirable?

He made a mess for the woman to clean up.

In our house whoever makes the mess cleans the mess. Harrumph.

I'd exempt the baby ...

I read the subject header as 'wax' and wondered why the mother might be going in to breakfast with hair removing wax adorning her body - I thought it perfectly reasonable to not want to watch anyone wax whilst eating breakfast whilst admiring her high pain threshold so early in the day....ooops

Maybe he was planning to clean when they got back from work but she doesn't like coming home to mess? :o

Whatever is going in the imaginary life of this family it looks like they were both doing their bit.

So no, I wouldn't call it sexist. I'm not denying there is plenty of sexism in advertising, it's just not in this instance.

Looks like he was dealing with the other kids while she tidied up, so not particularly sexist ie they both had a role his was to sort the kids out (probably nappy and get baby dressed) and hers was to do a last minute tidy before they both went to work! For all we know the couple swop this job every day!! Would prefer the vax to the nappy to be honest! If anything it made the man look a bit useless with the pouring of the cereal!

I do agree there is everyday sexism around but I don't think this ad is a good example of it.

I'd find it hard to be annoyed at the advert / advertiser, they're doing what their research tells them will be the best approach, financially. I agree with PPs that it's not the advertisers' role to change that stereotype in this kind of instance.

Sounds a very annoying scenario they're portraying though.

When it comes to roles in the household I do believe the division of labour typically results in women, on the whole, doing most of the tidying and vacuuming etc. Just look at Mumsnet's 'housekeeping' board, how many websites aimed at men have the same? I'm not saying it's right for everyone, but it's how it is, generalising of course.

Exactly how it is in our house. My fault though as always feel guilty if DC's or DH help. They are getting v. pissed off though and demanding I let them help!

Fairly representative, I'd say.

Vacuum cleaners are bought, and used, much more by women. This is a fact. Where do you get the idea that adverts are to guide and promote ideals in society, rather than to sell shit to the people who buy it?

It pisses me off when people will get "apopleptic with rage" about some stupid advert that isn't even bad, instead of directing that rage to serious issues. And yes, its all important, but have some fecking perspective. Go and DO something instead of wanking on about bloody adverts.

Another way of looking at the scenario is, as often happens in adverts, men are portrayed as incapable fools, Ok he's looking after the children but what a mess he's making! Typical! That's not fair either.

YANBU