It was about six months ago (I don’t know why it took so long to cause controversy) when this Latin American Snickers CM featuring ex-RBD Anahi hit the waves.
In it, Anahi is doing her usual extreme biking when she falls and starts complaining about it. Her male friends call her Carlos and tell her that whenever he’s hungry he’s “acting like a girl.” “That’s not what your girlfriend said,” as she eats the snicker.
Anahi turns into Carlos.
I was never able to swallow that commercial, and every time it was on tv — even though it should be tough to run into it without watching much tv — I ended up changing channels with an “UGH”
It was a surprise as I got to CNN Espanol where I caught the headline that someone was being sued. I didn’t get to catch all the note, but it was enough to know that it was that commercial. Organizations in Mexico were suing the company and Anahi for discrimination.
Now, don’t get me wrong — I don’t think they should be suing Anahi… she’s an idiot for thinking the commercial is cute, but she’s in no way responsible for the idea of the video. And since we’re talking about the “idea of the video” let’s not forget about the commercial featuring Betty White, with the same concept with some very important changes.
The difference?
They’re not telling Betty White she’s playing like a girl. They’re not even telling Betty White she’s playing like an old woman… they tell “Jamie” that he’s playing like Betty White. To make it even more on point, the last shot is someone else who’s playing like an old man.
And that’s why, my friends who don’t think the Latin American version is sexist, the version with Anahi is sexist and the one with Betty White isn’t. It’s not because Anahi is young and Betty White is old, it’s because the execution makes it sexist.
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And since we’re on the subject of sexism on CMs… how about this commercial for a shampoo for men — Geomen — with the slogan “stop using the shampoo of your flaca” — flaca (meaning skinny/thin) is often used to refer to guys’ girlfriends amongst male friends.
Though this is actually the best commercial in the series, due to having a clear contrast in the well-defined curls often seen on women’s shampoo commercials that promise volume and fluidity, it does beg the question… is it wrong for men to have well defined curls?
