I Teel Ya, a Mistake Was Made at Ikea

Link to advert at the bottom

     Sadly, our favorite Swedish brand has fallen to the clutches of sexism, and it's a lesson to us all how easily our societal view of women seems to resort to a second class citizen. In the advert from China, the mom is displeased with her daughter, until she suddenly brings home a boy friend! The whole basis of their ad is that life for a woman is only easy and complete with a man by her side. Not only is this stereotype present, but the stereotype of a mom being nitpicky and annoying is also included. This isn't the first time that I’ve seen  a woman’s existence portrayed as dependent on a male counterpart. The sad thing about seeing ads like this is that we are not only exposing the bias against women, but are exploding it further by spreading imagery like this around to not only adults but also the youth- the most influenceable and important group in our society. If we want to eventually live in a world where independence for a woman is highly regarded and common, we need to teach the youth that this is the future they must shape. In Miss Representation, it was brought up that the female archetypes in media, advertisements to movies, is almost exclusively that of the hopeless romantic, constantly in search of a man. From Hallmark movies, to even our favorite rom-coms, it is quite obvious that women portrayed in video media are subject to the constant idea that they are nothing without a man.

     The poisonous reality about portraying women as such a one-sided character is that the people who watch these ads and movies will only be able to envision women as they are presented to them. Girls and women alike need strong heroines who go off to save the world, rather than saving themselves from a lonely night. This dependency upon a man is completely absurd, as women obviously have the tenacity and intelligence to take care of themselves. Women are put down in media in order to reflect the marketing of corporations. As Miss Representation pointed out, artistic media such as film seems to in reality reflect advertisements in order to promote them and establish their important in our lives. When you show people the stereotypes they have been condemned to, you plant a seed in their brain that determines their societal views. In order to sell products like cars to men, and perfume to women, you need to stigmatize the identity of the people. Make it taboo for a woman to be alone, and exciting for a man to be a bachelor. Give power to the men, so they feel like they have to fill that role and do anything it takes to provide for their woman. The objectification of women exists for the sole purpose of selling objects. It's upsetting to know our livelihood is struggling because of the greed of others, but we must take it as a call to action, to pioneer when our future is not clear.

LINK TO ADVERT ARTICLE