Do you read the text on a packet of juice or candies before consuming them? Most of us don’t. But if we pause and pay attention to what the brand is telling us, we might notice a lot of sexism between the lines.
For instance, how many us knew that the packet of Dabur’s Real fruit juice says this to the parents: “Something that is good for your child should also make him smile.”
‘Him’, here, is the key word.
A nine-year-old girl from Guwahati saw this and refused to drink the juice. A student of Class 3, she told her father, who had brought her a carton of Real fruit juice, that she won’t drink the juice as it’s meant for “him” and not her, says this report in Hindustan Times.
Her father Mriganka Majumder, who is a banker, told the paper that he was pained by her daughter’s words and shot off a letter to Dabur, but got no response. Then he wrote to Union minister of women and child development Maneka Gandhi who took up the matter with the company and they finally responded on Wednesday.
As per the report, Dabur in its statement has defended itself saying the term “him” was used in a more general sense to connote children, but has promised to change it.
Here’s hoping the brand stands by its promise. And yes, all credit to the girl and her father for standing up for gender neutrality.
