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Male entitlement in the John Lewis ad

315 replies

MardyBra · 15/10/2021 14:06

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/john-lewis-advert-boy-backlash-b1938929.html

Lots to deconstruct in this.
I have no problem with an exuberant boy in a dress (although I feel JL are trying very hard to show their target market how woke they are).

But the wilful destruction of the home his mum has put a lot of time and effort into offends my feminist (and middle-class!) sensibilities.

JL says it’s a ‘young actor getting carried away with his dramatic performance”, not “wilfully damaging his home”.’ He looks a bit old to be at the crayonning on the wall stage still.

OP posts:
EspressoDoubleShot · 15/10/2021 19:22

@doublemonkey

Vile ad! What a little shit he is.

And I'm pissed off they've used that Stevie Nicks song too.

He is an actor, acting a role. It’s not real?However your misplaced ire is real.
doublemonkey · 15/10/2021 19:22

@Hugoslavia

shitty attempt at social commentary of how trans"women" actually behave - destroy female spaces, while females watch passively and can hope for... some insurance for damages?

I hardly think that the advert is a depiction of how trans people behave. Neither did I for one minute see the boy as being trans, just because he's wearing his mother's dress over his clearly masculine t shirt. Dressing up at home is very common in young children. It has very little to do with being woke or trans.

We the viewers have no idea if the boy is trans.

Maybe JL should have included a pronouns badge?

doublemonkey · 15/10/2021 19:24

He is an actor, acting a role. It’s not real?However your misplaced ire is real.

Indeed. And the role he portrays so well is that of a horrible little shit.

EspressoDoubleShot · 15/10/2021 19:26

You’re being a bit daft and over,y indignant calling a child a little shit
Impossible to try take any moral high ground with that level of ire

LittleBrenda · 15/10/2021 19:29

He is an actor, acting a role. It’s not real?However your misplaced ire is real.

Why do people keep saying stuff like this? Nobody thinks it's a real event. Nobody has suggested that they think it's real. Confused

It's incredibly crafted. Not one moment hasn't been thought about and discussed. We all know that.

berlinbabylon · 15/10/2021 19:58

@TheLastLonelyBakedBeanInTheTin

I feel like they must have been watching my son and taking notes... he is an incredibly destructive naughty boy who also loves to dance, dress up and perform the musicals Blush they do exist!

Yes this advert has some misogynistic undertones and is not perfect, but adverts generally use a lot of stereotypes because people relate to them. It is incredibly effective advertising if everyone talks about it, like I'm not thinking I need to look up whether they cover for children damaging things. If they do then they are into a winner with this advert. It stays in your mind also, because as the people who clear it up it stays with the parent as it makes you have a strong emotional reaction to the chaos and destruction and prospect of cleaning it all up.

Well gender stereotyping isn't allowed in advertising.

And while a boy dressing in a dress and make-up is clearly not gender stereotyping, the rest of the ad is.

Boy trashing house.

Girl doing quiet gainful activity like painting

Mother just looking on instead of doing any "parenting".

berlinbabylon · 15/10/2021 19:59

Well maybe the last bit isn't gender stereotyping. But it's annoying that the mother is so wet.

pompomsgalore · 15/10/2021 20:34

I love the song and the dramatic performance. Don't care what sex the kid is. Also it's not real.

NewPapaGuinea · 15/10/2021 20:41

It’s highly irritating because they’re claiming the damage is accidental, when it comes across as being deliberate and malicious. Nothing else. There was a very similar JL advert with a girl dancing and dislodging things and that looks a lot more genuine.

Comedycook · 15/10/2021 20:52

@pompomsgalore

I love the song and the dramatic performance. Don't care what sex the kid is. Also it's not real.
Aww thanks...I had no idea it wasn't real...what a revelation
TheLastLonelyBakedBeanInTheTin · 15/10/2021 21:07

The tiny dancer one is much better! Much more subtle. She also has a sibling that is just standing staring, so I can see how the new one is basically a gender reverse. That said, the little girl only almost breaks lots of things and she does it by accident whilst having fun, whereas the boy seems to just be being destructive and intentional a lot more.

JazzyBBG · 15/10/2021 21:22

The calpol advert years ago where the calpol made the kids better and they accidentally trashed things was much better and more natural.

TSSDNCOP · 15/10/2021 21:31

Despite the fact that as a social commentary it's flawed, so too is the point.

I would bet that men and women buy their home insurance from whatever compare the CGI animal option is cheapest.

It's women that might be tempted by the JL brand butvwill veto JL home insurance based on the abject twattish, heavy handed, make a point about what the actual fuck of the ad.

So really, unless JL have actually bought up every single other alternative provider, I predict any sales boost will pale against what I imagine is the ridiculous price, can only have been designed by Apprentice contestant level of intelligence and marketing savvy of this ad.

Tavelo · 15/10/2021 21:42

Very telling of the sorts who contribute to the creation of such ads showing aggression towards a female on screen, that they've never been in the position of being harassed by a member of their own family in their own home, like thousands of people, mostly female, across the UK are.
As one of them, I can tell you that having your things destroyed in front of your face and having things thrown in your general direction while you're unable to do anything is neither funny nor cute.

Unmerited · 15/10/2021 22:05

I can’t seem to post pictures successfully today, trying again. This made me laugh in response to the JL response on Twitter.

Male entitlement in the John Lewis ad
OutwiththeOutCrowd · 15/10/2021 22:09

I'm not sure why they didn't just do a more faithful reimagining of the tiny dancer advert. A boy in a tutu twirling round and inadvertently causing chaos would have been fine.

RunningToHeaven · 15/10/2021 22:16

I'm not sure why they didn't just do a more faithful reimagining of the tiny dancer advert. A boy in a tutu twirling round and inadvertently causing chaos would have been fine.

Exactly. Lots of people are calling others bigots on twitter and accusing them of having an issue with a boy wearing a dress if they say the advert is bad, despite of being fuck all go do with what the boy is wearing. I think at some point all boys have put on mums dress or shoes or a princess outfit or whatever else is ‘girly’. No one cares about that. I think JL knew what would happen, thought they would cash in on the trans topic that is do not at the moment but have completely got it wrong by then letting the boy be destructive, a bully to his sister and have mum say nothing.

RunningToHeaven · 15/10/2021 22:17

*that is so hot at the moment.

NumberTheory · 15/10/2021 22:25

@Unmerited

I can’t seem to post pictures successfully today, trying again. This made me laugh in response to the JL response on Twitter.
That's a brilliant response to it!
Nayday · 15/10/2021 22:55

Rubbish add.

Jumping on the bandwagon of 'its ok for boys to wear dresses and make up' - of course it is -but it ironically (and annoyingly putting it mildly) missing the entire point and perpetuating the standard gender trope that 'boys are boys and break stuff', oh look at the sister, colouring all neatly and quietly like a good girl.

I'd like to see the version where sister gets up and gives him a wallop for messing up her paints and mum says 'lovely darling, yes you have let life happen haven't you? Time to clean it all up now!'

Blooming ad agency/customer trend driven tripe.

VladmirsPoutine · 15/10/2021 23:34

The ad agency have certainly earned their bonus!

stormyweather274 · 16/10/2021 00:37

What a little prick. My child would never damage his home like that in a million years. Spoilt disrespectful brat! Horrible advert.

FluffyBooBoo · 16/10/2021 06:12

Aww thanks...I had no idea it wasn't real...what a revelation

Have you read the thread? Quite a few people are talking about the behavior as if it was real... It might actually be a revaluation to some.

FluffyBooBoo · 16/10/2021 06:13

Urgh. Thanks autocorrect!

LonginesPrime · 16/10/2021 06:50

I think it's incredibly misleading to advertise a product by suggesting that it can be used in a way it actually can't.

IMO it's false advertising because it suggests that deliberate damage counts as "accidental" under their policy.

I don't understand how they can depict deliberate damage and then say "don't worry, buy our accidental damage cover" knowing full well that the scenario they're using to induce people to buy it won't actually be covered by their policy.

I wouldn't have seen this ad if it weren't for the misogyny angle, but now I have, I am going to report it to the ASA as misleading as it's a shitty thing for an insurer to do, especially when it comes to accidental damage policies aimed at parents.

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