Hooray for the rise in Girl Power! - Sexist Petit Filou advert
The other day, I saw an advert which really pissed me off. It's the newest advert from the French yoghurt company 'Petit Filou' which markets it's products at children, which has been slammed for having sexist adverts in the past.
I've tried to find the advert on youtube, but have been unable to find find it, but the advert can be viewed on the company's website here following this link here (it's the video on the left, by the way): http://www.petitsfilous.co.uk/index.php?page=adverts&titleID=5§ionID=1
The advert, set at a school, shows a little boy, sitting on a bench and eating a yoghurt, when he notices a little girl being bullied by two older boys. The boys are flicking her pigtails and apparently taunting her, while the girl does absolutely nothing, just stands there looking pitifully helpless. While a voiceover talks about the importance of children having strong bones, and about how Petit Filou contains calcuim and vitamin D, the boy dramatically puts on his cap, rolls up his sleeves, and strides over to the two boys. He then prods the two boys in the back, and glares at them. The two boys look anxiously at each other, and back away. And then the advert gets even worse. Having been 'rescued', the little girl then goes over to the boy, holds on to his arm, smiles dreamily and stares admiringly at him in a classic 'my hero!' pose. The advert then finishes with the words 'It can get tough out there: Petit Filou - be ready out there!'.
I guess some people may think 'what are you making a fuss about, isn't this reading to much in to it?', but my problem with the advert is this: it promotes the idea that girls are weak and helpless, and boys need to be strong in order to protect them, as they are unable to protect themself. The little girl in this advert does nothing. Absolutely nothing. She is not capable of fighting back or challenging the bullies in any way. She is completely useless and defenseless. She isn't even able to tell the bullies to 'get lost' by herself. All she can do is stand there waiting for a boy to come and 'rescue' her. Because, as a girl, she is 'powerless'. And in no way are the bullies even slightly intimidated by her. Why should they be? She's a girl.
But then a shrimpy little boy comes over and it's 'oh shit - RUN!!'. He's atleast a head smaller than the girl, but for some reason he's ten times as intimidating. Why, I wonder? Oh, I know - because he's not wearing a dress. Because he's a boy. It makes truckloads of difference.
And besides the 'girls are helpless and defenseless' message it's giving out, there is also the 'macho' message it is giving out to boys. The message the advert is giving out to boys is this: 'girls are helpless and unable to defend themselves, as so as a boy, you need to be strong in order to protect them'. 'It can get tough out there: Petit Filou - be ready out there!' - for what? To save girls who need rescuing?
Girl's are weak and unable to protect themselves = Boys need to be strong so they can protect them - that is the message of this advert in short. It frustrates me, and part of me is finding it hard to believe that this advert has been created in 21st century - I thought we'd left this kind of blatant sexism behind us years ago! But no, here it is, in an advert aimed at children. It's awful. I really hope they remove this advert soon, but I doubt it. Please, please, please advertising, you need to stop projecting these sexist ideas at children!