Creative critique from a gender lens: 22-26 January

Dr AL Sharada, advisor, Population First, reviews ads from last week on the basis of gender sensitivity

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Creative critique from a gender lens: 22-26 January

The Gender Sensitivity score is based on the following parameters:

0.5-1.5: Gender offensive, 1.5- 2.5: Gender stereotypical, 2.5-3.5: Gender Neutral, 3.5- 4.5: Gender Sensitive, 4.5-5: Gender transformative.

What worked:

Pramerica

The Pramerica ad, #ThisIsMyClimb, transcends stereotypes while acknowledging men safeguarding the nation and individuals sacrificing personal ambitions for their loved ones. The initial ad portrays a young girl mastering a tractor operation to assist her farming father when her brother enlists in the military. In the second ad, a father chooses a less promising career to support his son's musical aspirations.

The ad challenges stereotypes in several ways:

1. It showcases a woman actively pursuing farming, countering the underrepresentation of women in such roles in advertising

2. Notably, it depicts a woman operating a tractor, breaking the conventional portrayal of machinery operation being primarily a male domain.

3. The ad deviates from the common portrayal of mothers as sole providers of support for children's aspirations, featuring a father actively taking on this responsibility.

Positive portrayals like these are essential in breaking gendered role perceptions, highlighting the diverse capabilities and responsibilities of both men and women.

Gender Sensitivity Score (GSS): 3.5/5

Aside:

Meesho

The Meesho ad, featuring youth icons Ranveer Singh and Rashmika Madanna, promotes unbridled consumerism. Rather than leveraging the influence of these celebrities to encourage mindful consumption, sustainable choices, and financial responsibility, the ad emphasises impulsive buying and excessive spending. Celebrity endorsements often fuel aspirational consumerism, enticing fans to emulate their idols' lifestyles, fostering a shopping frenzy and reinforcing social validation. This trend may contribute to heightened consumerist behaviour among young people, driven more by the desire to align with a specific image or lifestyle rather than practical considerations.

GSS: 3/5

Other films from the week:

upGrad