On December 27th, yet another controversial campaign aired, once again involving O Boticário.
The commercial, titled “LindaEx”, features three supposedly real couples who broke up.
The interviewer asks the women what led to the end of the relationship, and the answers are: “It ended over a bunch of little things”, “We basically became partners in raising the kids”… As for the men, they answer that “With routine, you get used to having that person by your side, so it stops being attractive”, “We get used to things, to the car, the ring, the person next to us”, “You just stop looking.”
And that’s where the challenge comes in: the brand’s proposal to these women is that they dress up and put on makeup while signing the divorce papers.
The result is the ex-husbands left looking like fools.
Watch the commercial here.
So, is it empowerment or sexism?
The word empowerment has been used so much lately that we barely know what it means anymore.
Well: “It mostly refers to the increase in political, social, or economic strength of groups targeted by discrimination (ethnic, religious, sexual, or other). On an individual level, it refers to the development of an individual’s capabilities, to their personal fulfillment,” according to the online dictionary Priberam.
Taking only the individual level into account, one could conclude that the commercial is indeed about empowerment. The women portrayed seem more fulfilled with their new looks, along with the pleasure of bouncing back, which creates a sense of power.
However, looking at it from another angle, since women are a group targeted by discrimination, the commercial goes in the opposite direction. There are two points considered problematic: the first is one of the interviewees’ comment, treating the woman as an object one got used to. The second factor is that, in the end, the women only fulfilled their mission of having their self-esteem sky-high. In an ideal world, feeling beautiful should be something that comes from within, not depending on someone else’s gaze.
Following this controversy, Conar will open a proceeding to judge O Boticário’s newest ad.
What do you think of the commercial? Empowerment or sexism?
Source: B9 and Huffpost Brasil
