The John Lewis advert for home insurance

[DartmoorChef]

Surely I can't be the only person to find this advert absolutely terrible. Yay let's put a boy in a dress and make up and be so woke... and let him completely trash the house while mummy looks on indulgently because apparently home insurance covers wilful damage these days...

If I had gone on the rampage around the house like that... my backside would have been so sore I wouldn't have say down for a week, nor would I have been allowed out or given spending money until I was 35

Seriously though, this has to be one of the most absurd adverts I've ever seen and yes I know by posting about it, that is probably the desired effect but it actually puts me off shopping at John Lewis or using their services.

Yanbu - ridiculous advert
Yabu - it's fine and a bit of fun

[QuestionNumberOne]

In a way it’s a nasty reflection of the way trans activists oppress women:

The girl’s painting is ruined but she cannot complain

The house is damaged but the mother cannot complain

The adult flouncing of the kid seems inappropriate but must be celebrated or you are the problem

It’s actually really toxic.

[HairyScaryMonster]

Yep DH and I saw it yesterday and agreed the dress wearing is erroneously drawing attention when it's the trashing the place but it's ok because they have insurance message that's completely terrible.

[Longdistance]

It’s a shit advert and doesn’t encourage me at all the buy JL home insurance.

[DeepaBeesKit]

It's so ickily woke. It's a shame, I thought better of JL.


The idea that the only way boys can play with dressing up in traditionally female clothes is by turning into a sexualised mini drag queen.

This. If they wanted to do an add challenging what children wear, how about a back to school one with an older child starting school for the first time, and a younger sibling of the opposite sex desperately copying and dressing up in siblings school uniform. So 3 yr old boy putting on sister's gingham dress, little girl in grey shorts, white shirt & tie like big brother. This is more like what little kids actually do - simply not notice what society thinks boys/girls must wear.

[PamDenick]

Good luck making a claim, folks… I don’t think deliberate damage is covered.
ASA?

[Flowiththego]

Yep. Agree with you all. Also, as someone who's had acting training flicks hair I wonder how many takes it took to make him really go for it - look at how stiff his arms are (i.e. unnatural). I'm guessing it took a lot of takes and a lot of mess to make this. It's tasteless and mis-judged.

[WineAway]

Yeah but he a male in a dress, NOBODY is allowed do it say anything or do anything about his behaviour. To do so would be liberal violence & looking to erase him.

[NiceGerbil]

Not seen it but based on description-

Boy trashing house. Adults watching and don't stop it?

And they are saying this would be covered by accidental damage insurance???

I work in insurance. That is NOT accidental and what? They are covering it? That goes against some really total basic insurance principles.

I know a strange thing to focus on! But I've been in the industry for over 30 years. And that's staggering.

[NiceGerbil]

Anyone got a link?

[cariadlet]

@NiceGerbil Go on YouTube and put "John Lewis home insurance ad 2021"

[cariadlet]

.... in the search box

[MichelleScarn]

gerbil their fb is v much
"Of course we won't actually pay out for any damages like this, yes I know this is what our advert shows, but nooo we're not actually going to pay out for what we show is faaaabulous in our advert, gosh no, why would you think that our advert shows what we do.... BIGOTS!!

[NiceGerbil]

Having a look...

[Doyouthinktheyhearus]

My home is insured. I don’t let my
kids swipe all the pictures off the walls though and trash the place whilst wearing my swanky evening wear and what appears to be ALL my jewellery. Sod off John.

[RicherThanYow]

Just watched it - he’s a wee shite! Tipping the paint on the rug was the last straw, literally made me cringe. What a total misfire as a home insurance ad too, like JL insurance would ever pay out for that mess in a squillion years.

[Azerothi]

John Lewis sucking Stonewall et al's big male cock.

Done me a massive favour - one less to compare for home insurance.

[NiceGerbil]

I found the vid but not on JL Facebook so can't see what they said.

What the utter fuck?! I mean. Just a million ??? and about the whole... Everything.

What on earth did they think they were doing?

[EsmaCannonball]

Can you imagine how pissed off insurance companies would be if every parent whose child got food and paint everywhere tried to make a claim on their house insurance?

Aside from that, I know loads of boys who've played at dressing up like this; the problem here is getting the boy to mimic adult drag mannerisms (remember the Mini-Pops?) which in turn mimic and mock a degradingly reductive and sexualised view of women. The other problem is we are supposed to accept this boy is expressing his authentic self by playing with gender roles when, in fact, he's getting away with very traditional 'boys will be boys' behaviour. The girl, meanwhile, just quietly puts up with him.

[ssd]

Jl insurance costs a bomb. That mammy doesn't care cos the cleaner will deal with it.

[MichelleScarn]

we are supposed to accept this boy is expressing his authentic self by playing with gender roles when, in fact, he's getting away with very traditional 'boys will be boys' behaviour. The girl, meanwhile, just quietly puts up with him.

Well everyone has to acquiesce to this behaviour don't they or else they are hateful and evil?

[DecadentlyDecisive]

My favourite bit was the end where it appears that someone has backhanded the vandalising little shit across the sofa....

[SpindleWharl]

There is no fucking way John Lewis would pay out for that. Like OP said, it's wilful damage, by a family member - who was under supervision at the time.

I think it breaches ASA guidelines just for that alone.

I've dealt with JL customer services and even where they admitted they'd made a mistake on their website advert, they were rude and useless until I escalated it to the CEO's office.

Utterly shite company these days.

[NiceGerbil]

Ok.

1. As an insurance industry professional (sorry that sounds wanky! Wouldn't normally say that but on this occasion) with over 30 years experience on life side. And experience with multiple direct insurers and a host of reinsurers. Chat to CII, ABI amongst others. Trying to say. I know my onions and on life side I actually think what we do is a good thing...

This advert is just nonsensical.

Unless you read small print etc which most don't obviously. If you watch that as an ad for home insurance. The OBVIOUS total primary message is that your kid trashing the house bigtime. Paint on rugs etc. Is covered under their policy.

That single message casts aside and demolishes the CENTURIES OLD absolute fundamental. That insurance is to cover the unexpected, accident etc. Not to get cash to redo half your sodding house because you stood by while your child (not baby / toddler when you took your eye off) merrily fucked the place over.

[NorthernLion]

It's up on the JL Perspectives customer feedback panel website, with a caption thanking contributors for their 'tweaks' which 'helped to capture attention'. There's a comments box - currently with 0 comments - but when you try to leave a comment, it seems to have been disabled...

[MichelleScarn]

@nicegerbil is that what the 'message ' is? We'll pay even for horrific damages done under indulgent parental supervision?