Trigger Warning: The videos embedded in this article can be triggering for some viewers. Reader discretion is advised.
Creating content that gives zero f*cks to basic social responsibility is outrageous. I am speaking in the context of the recent back-to-back disgusting advertisements that Layer’r Shot, a deodorant brand, released. We’re wondering why on earth were these ads even made? How did they get an approval? How is this okay?
Twitter is boiling over these ads, and for a good reason.
This is neither funny nor entertaining. You’re insinuating rape, normalizing the idea of the male gaze. It’s not amusing. Women all across India go through catcalling, eve-teasing, sexism, objectification, or even outright molestation in the form of domestic abuse or rape on a day-to-day basis. And these are facts; google them anytime. Marketing a product premised upon this harsh reality is simply not okay.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken the requisite action.
But is this the ultimate solution? It’s not just about a brand or one ad in isolation. There are several ads, several songs, several movies. Not just that, there are bazillion real life incidents.
The issue here is also about the larger mentality that manifests such demeaning ideas. It’s sickening. Sexualizing women for the sake of grabbing eyeballs is not okay. Jokes around rape are NOT OKAY. Period.