Not for Laughs: Why Vim’s ‘dishwashing liquid for men’ has angered many
Not for Laughs: Why Vim’s ‘dishwashing liquid for men’ has angered many
It was supposed to be a parody. But an advertisement campaign has landed Vim, Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s household cleaning supplies brand, on a slippery slope.
Vim’s commercials for “Vim Black”, featuring a black bottle of dishwashing liquid soap for “men”, have not gone down well with the Indian audience. The ads starring Milind Soman have been slammed for being sexist.
Has Vim launched a soap for men? Or was it a joke? We take a look at the controversy.
Liquid soap for men?
Model and actor Milind Soman shared the video of one of the ads on his Instagram handle on Friday. It shows a man in a gym bragging about helping his mother do the dishes. “I am a bit tired as I washed all the dishes last night. I often help my mom, we should,” he says.
Now Soman enters the frame saying, “Wow, what a brag. Go on, did you enjoy? Now, here is Vim Black (he shows a bottle of the dishwashing liquid). Now wash all the dishes and keep on bragging.”
“Vim Black for men, easy to clean, more to brag,” he concludes.
Sharing the video, Soman wrote on Instagram, “Vim Black – dishwashing liquid made for men. Or is it? @vimindia @mtvindia #VimBlack #VimForMen #BragWithSwag.”
The criticism
The campaign seemed like a satirical attempt by the brand to normalise household chores. However, the joke has not landed and Vim has been slammed for being sexist and promoting a gender stereotype – that black is a colour of men and it represents machoism.
Soon, the commercial was shared on social media. While it received backlash, many pointed out that it was a parody. But that did not stop trolls from slamming Soman for promoting a sexist campaign.
Responding to his post, a social media user wrote, “For men? Kyu? Yellow wale mein kya problem hai?!”
“This is so wrong, Kaam ko genderize kar lia. Matlab black bole toh manly hogaya. C'mon! C'mon! Yeh kya kia. (Genderised a chore? So it is manly if it is black? What did you do),” added another.
“Yeah, of course ! Some men need a ‘Vim black for men’ to be able to feel manly enough to do the dishes because regular Vim mein lagta hai k bartan dhona bhi (makes you feel that washing dishes) is a woman’s job,” another comment read.
Twitter user Karthik wrote, “Vim Black for men is a fake product intended to "generate conversation" through biting satire. Allow me to argue why this campaign lacks purpose.”
'Vim Black for men' is a fake product intended to "generate conversation" through biting satire. Allow me to argue why this campaign lacks purpose: https://t.co/au44bUPmFn
Ironically, the campaign crux, "little work, much bragging" (directed at men) can be directed at Vim too! pic.twitter.com/nfmJwKCONw
— Karthik
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