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Original poster

The John Lewis advert for home insurance

221 replies

DartmoorChef · 13/10/2021 19:33

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 Grin

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

OP posts:
NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 22:10

Plus.

  1. I find the way that child. Aged what 8-10? Ish. is pouting wiggling etc discomforting. Others may see differently. It's the sort of drag kids thing I think being referenced. Not comfy with that either.
  1. When searching I saw criticism about 'middle class' ad. Annoying.
That house is immaculate. The mum would just sit there and not do anything? The way the bedroom turned over would have made one hell of a racket. The number of parents who would not go racing up at first crash and deliver a bollocking is... Obviously small. MC or otherwise. And in a house that immaculate? With two kids that age? That is a family shit hot on tidying up not making a massive mess etc. Just sit there? Like fuck.
  1. Who the hell does that kid think they are?
Note it's acting so this is not personal about the actor but the character played. Arrogant nasty terribly behaved little sod. How is what he does supposed to appeal/ be relatable to anyone? Other than those who have a really uncontrollable child. And spend a lot of their time bursting into tears, hiding in the bog etc. And probably popping ADs or similar like no tomorrow. I've had friends in that situation. Not Fun.
MalteseBubs · 13/10/2021 22:11

It's a bizarre advert.

Maybe aimed at those with more money than sense and a daily cleaner

MalteseBubs · 13/10/2021 22:11

Let's face he made more mess than bunch of drunk teenagers

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 22:12
  1. Throwing his sister's paints on the floor. She doesn't look shocked, look angry, burst into tears etc. She's used to this behaviour? Him fucking her stuff up? That's appalling. Parents are doing a really bad job.
JohnStonesMissus · 13/10/2021 22:14

@PyjamaFan

It's a horrible advert with a horrible message. I would love to have been a fly on the wall in that meeting, what on Earth were they thinking?
One word...bandwagon
RubyJam · 13/10/2021 22:14

It’s so super woke it’s unbearable

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 22:15

Yes that's what this video says.

What other message could there be?

ssd · 13/10/2021 22:17

But who is this advert actually aimed at? Jl customers are usually middle class, is it saying middle class kids are wee dicks and their mums are clueless?

JohnStonesMissus · 13/10/2021 22:18

@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.

I know, it's vile and switch off the minute it comes on, John Lewis are a bunch of tossers, I used to love their ads...not anymore
KittenKong · 13/10/2021 22:19

If JL think it’s merely joyful childhood exuberance... next time my nephews and nieces are down I’m going to jag them up on sunny delight and Bens cookies and take them shopping on Oxford street...

MichelleScarn · 13/10/2021 22:21

It's bonkers gerbil am a boring nhs worker so have no idea how all that works, but I can't imagine someone could call up insurers and say 'oh totes hilaire, need new carpet, sofa, TV, painters in as dc was so exuberant last night he just tipped paint everywhere and it's all wrecked, so proud what japes!'

GothicaAutistica · 13/10/2021 22:22

The moment where he swings the umbrella at his sister like a weapon was uncomfortable to watch. Especially since there is no retaliation from either the girl nor the adult in charge: a female of course. Why on earth was it necessary to depict the character doing that?

I can't believe that the trans activists are applauding this. It hardly shows gender-nonconforming children in a positive light, does it? It shows them as spoiled, destructive, out of control and possibly violent.

Bounce55 · 13/10/2021 22:25

Just watched it
What the fuckity fuck?

HuhWhatNow · 13/10/2021 22:27

The only thing that little shit was advertising was Supernanny. Why the hell would a child destroying a house be a good advertising tool? And what's with the obnoxious drag shite? Dressing up as a woman and throwing shit around dramatically is an approximation of femininity?
It's the blackface equivalent of sexism in my view.

At least I can happily say I have never bought from John Lewis (no real reason, just haven't needed to) so will not feel inconvenienced when I continue to not buy from there after this Stonewall stamped crap.

Msfoxy17 · 13/10/2021 22:29

Terrible. One of the worst pieces of woke shite I've ever seen. Enough to put me off buying anything from John Lewis ever again.

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 22:31

@ssd

But who is this advert actually aimed at? Jl customers are usually middle class, is it saying middle class kids are wee dicks and their mums are clueless?
Well exactly.

JL has always been (honestly!) a loved haven for my mum. She indoctrinated me into that religion from a young age.

My parents are - what even is the definition of middle class now? But their target audience, she always and still does buy pretty much everything from them.

Would she let me and my brother do anything even approaching that? Would she fuck. She would have gone mental. And back then generally houses weren't... This sort of interior coordinated and immaculate look that is the thing these days.

God I remember the time my brother drew round his hand with a biro on the lounge wall. We all still mention it because it was a VERY BIG DEAL.

The idea that to appeal to their main/ target customer base. Mainly women MC etc. By presenting that as appealing/ relatable? Are they MAD???

And for me. The way he treats his little sister would be. Riot act time.

Noeuf · 13/10/2021 22:36

Wow. Shite acting shite message

ssd · 13/10/2021 22:38

All the pouting and dramatic shite would be nipped in the bud here long before he'd managed to knock his shed out.

Callixte · 13/10/2021 22:39

I’m not in the UK so John Lewis doesn’t have to worry about my custom, but I saw that ad on Twitter with no real context (someone had just posted something like "What do you think?" and embedded the clip). I thought it was intended as a parody of extremist "tran rights activism" and was really surprised that it was a real ad that this company had approved and run.

It’s not just a case of the damage being covered by insurance or not, the child also makes a huge mess that someone else is likely to have to clean up, and interferes with the little girl who is quietly getting on with her painting. He behaves like a self-centred little shite, and the message that it’s OK because stuff happens and children need to express themselves isn’t a good one. (I still think it's some stealth feminist having a laugh, though.)

NiceGerbil · 13/10/2021 22:40

The lack of surprise/ shock from the mum and sister.

The way IMO they don't smile or anything either. They look. Like they don't feel about to react/ are hiding reaction.

That's really really bad.

Message.

This child (male natch, in ads the 'boisterous' children are always boys). Has behaved/ done / said etc... Things. Over such a long period of time.

That both his mum and sister are essentially scared/ conditioned to mask any and all reactions to the boy doing essentially anything he wants in the house. Whether it's ruining whatever his sister is doing, or damaging things in the house. Tipping them out, putting paint all over them etc. Whatever he fancies.

I mean IRL the mum/ parents would be seeking professional help about this extreme family dynamic. His behaviour esp to sister and the fact they feel it's impossible to even react.

Theluggage15 · 13/10/2021 22:42

There’s so much wrong with that ad, as has already been pointed out, but the male violence while wearing a dress as the cowed women and girls look on, sums up a lot about the whole trans thing for me, presumably not what JL wanted.

And yes, rather a trading standards issue as well.

ssd · 13/10/2021 22:43

Wonder how bad the xmas one will be?

KittenKong · 13/10/2021 22:43

God help them all when this character hits their teenage years.

Sussexbrick · 13/10/2021 22:46

First time I’ve ever made an official complaint about an advert. I didn’t refer to gender just said that it was portraying a child’s destructive behaviour as being cool. Also that it’s misleading as wouldn’t be covered by insurance for wilful damage

Rainbowshit · 13/10/2021 22:52

It's very 2021. Entitled male in a dress trampling all over females. Awful.

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