John Lewis and it’s ‘gender relaxed’ ad

[SouthernFashionista]

Curious to hear thoughts on the new ad from John Lewis. It strikes me as sinister. Why does a small child have to send out a message of LGBTQ equality? Why is he acting like a drag queen.

The glitter alone would have me putting him up for adoption, let alone the wanton destruction of his sister's property, destroying things around the house and decimating my bedroom.

This wouldn't be gender identity thing for me, this behaviour would send me through the roof.

Glitter. Never to be trusted anywhere

It’s turns up long after it has been banished

Yes. Glitter is actually a problem pollutant and I remember the schools in my area of Sydney starting to discuss not using it or finding alternatives that quickly broke down.

Having huge bowls of it sitting around doesn’t sound responsible .

Sorry if it's already been mentioned but anyone else find the choice of track "interesting"?

I've always thought the song was about an older woman seducing a teenager and I think that's a pretty common interpretation.

(I've only just now googled to find that Stevie claims it was inspired by the death of John Lennon and her uncle days apart, which makes the song an even odder choice if anything).

Boys will be boys even when they're identifying as girls

If you wouldn’t mind Weatheronwax and kings.

What do you see when you see the strutting and pouting? And what do you see when this boy is posing against the wall in weak kneed fashion?

Do you have children who do this? What is it exactly that you think they are copying?

@KimikosNightmare

But why were there large crockery bowls of glitter on the counter. I mean that's fucking weird

Agreed- I was puzzled by that.

Same here. It's usually carefully stored in It's tiny little tubes and shaken out really carefully.

The one from a few years ago with the girl dancer was much more "she's dancing but might accidentally damage something" this one is just disrespectful deliberate damage!

That final shot where he drapes himself upside down over the sofa and stares suggestively at the camera is creepy. The more I watch this advert the worse it is. I turned the sound off, just to concentrate on the visuals and it really is sexualised. I wonder how that child felt about doing it. Or how his parents felt about it.
My sons auditioned for theatre back in the day and the rules about parents being around and comfortable with what was going on were pretty strict.

That final shot where he drapes himself upside down over the sofa and stares suggestively at the camera is creepy.

I thought that too. It’s a very sexualised gaze into the camera. Absolutely horrible to see that on a child.

Also not the point but surely it's not a good idea to show a child spinning a saucepan round.

What a horrendous advert. I just feel stressed watching it and I need a sit down.

He smears the trans flag colours in nail varnish down the bannisters too.

The message being 'I'm dressed as a woman so I can do whatever the fuck I want.'

If it's deliberate it's genius.

@Helleofabore

Yes. Glitter is actually a problem pollutant and I remember the schools in my area of Sydney starting to discuss not using it or finding alternatives that quickly broke down.

Having huge bowls of it sitting around doesn’t sound responsible .

waitrose.pressarea.com/pressrelease/details/78/NEWS_13/10408

Waitrose no longer includes glitter in products because of environmental damage.

Presumably the Ad company didn't get the press release.

It’s the bit with the sister that bothered me most. He’s throwing stuff around near her, the body language is aggressive and then he deliberately spills her paint, so spoiling her activity. And she just sits there - which suggests she’s used to this kind of behaviour and her ghastly brother being indulged. It’s not nice to watch.
Also, I thought there were particularly strict rules about not being misleading when advertising a financial product (which this is). The ad is literally saying “let life happen” - cos JL will pay for it, is the clear implication people will take away. That does seem pretty misleading to me.

What the ever loving fuck is that piece of indulgent nonsense!??

@Itsanewdah

Adverts are expensive. Choices are made carefully. Nothing in that advert is there by chance. Adverts are expensive but the usual decision behind colour choices is usually something along the lines of “the ceo’s wife’s cousin loves xyz” or “because we had leftovers” or “because it was cheap”. the bigger the company, the more random (its my line of work, there is hardly ever any thought involved)

I disagree / I'm in a similar line of work and we take colour/props placement etc very seriously. The devil is in the detail

I disagree / I'm in a similar line of work and we take colour/props placement etc very seriously. The devil is in the detail

I'm not sure. They clearly tripped up on the glitter placement.

Removal of micro plastics from products is a big deal at the moment. If the agency cared about detail they would be on top of this, given John Lewis' stance on this issue.

www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/media/press/y2021/pioneering-projects-funded-by-Waitrose.html

How could John Lewis get it so wrong.

It’s grandad trying to be down with the kids and fucking it up

The advert is inaccurate, unpleasant and just plain mystifying

They’ve been led up the garden path

[quote merrymouse]I disagree / I'm in a similar line of work and we take colour/props placement etc very seriously. The devil is in the detail

I'm not sure. They clearly tripped up on the glitter placement.

Removal of micro plastics from products is a big deal at the moment. If the agency cared about detail they would be on top of this, given John Lewis' stance on this issue.

www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/media/press/y2021/pioneering-projects-funded-by-Waitrose.html[/quote]
Yes re glitter. Male aggression is also a big topic and look how that's played out!

It wouldn't surprise me if the colours were the ONLY thing they'd paid attention to Tbf!

It's interesting in it's lack of ethnic diversity. John Lewis usually try and be multicultural in their ads. I wonder if they had the sense to think " a black kid trashing the house will make us look racist, the kid has to have white privilege and an indulgent middle class Guardiany mother to look believable"
It makes me not want to buy John Lewis house insurance as I now suspect it is overpriced due to parents claiming when their "free range" spoilt darlings trash the place.

It reminds me of a Catherine Tate sketch. The mum will be asking if the kid wants a cinnamon and goosebury yoghurt whilst yelling for the au pair.

My first thought on watching that advert was that someone at JL/the ad company is secretly GC and that the ad is actually meant to be an allegory for our times.

The bit where he trashes his sisters paints while she is happily doing her activity is particularly shitty.

As for him having additional needs - I work with kids with special needs and I can tell you that none of them would get away with that level of deliberate destruction, not even in a dress!

The child is also far too old for this to be funny anyway, it would have been slightly better with a toddler, but this kid is like 8 or 9 years old!

John Lewis have inadvertently made the perfect GC advert. It's delicious. And they're getting slaughtered on twitter - rightly.