MUSINGS: ON PANTENE’S ‘DON’T LET LABELS HOLD YOU BACK’ CAMPAIGN

On the opening of the ad. 

First of all, wearing high-heeled shoe has impending health hazard on women’s vertebral. It’s a proven medical theory that wearing high-heeled shoes can cause hip and spine misalignment. Secondly, women know exactly the truth about this as there’s no woman in this capitalist world, whether how pricey the shoe her foot has on had not complained of pain at all, but all for the sake of the so-called femininity and butt-sway, women endured, thinking - to be beautiful is painful. And to mitigate this discomfort, Science has been exploited by various shoe designers to lessen the pain. The odd news is that, the more comfortable you stand on your toes, the more expensive the shoe would be. Lastly, it is also a rich domain of never ending debate of sexual politics. 

Anyway, so, this ad has been circling around and as I write its views is now close to 3.5M and now goes viral in social media and has raked various commentaries from different gender categories. I must say congratulations to the ad team, you deserve a raise. 

This is quiet my subject matter and I just love to share what I have in mind about labels and stereotypes. 

In the beginning, I was really in full gears to pushing gender equality, a concept commonly understood as all human categories should be given equal treatment and opportunities. But as I accumulated age and had seen the world, somehow my worldview has shifted from ideological to  something more practical, that gender equality should not just be the determining agenda to giving everyone equal chances but rather gender uniqueness should be given more emphasis as it speaks of the strengths and weaknesses of every individual, hence, should be nurtured, valued and respected. 

I have always been so prejudice about corporations’ advertisements insinuating double standards, subtle and blatant divides in gender. In fact, it is the corporations, the capitalist world that intensify all of these labels and stereotypicals. We may not be aware of it and women may feel it to be just so natural, but beauty culture in this time and space is constructed in such a way that once a woman get to begin a shampoo/conditioner routine there’s no way she can reverse the process, she can only change brand and scent. 

In the end, this is still a brand awareness campaign of Pantene and moreso, its sales. 

Have you bought their shampoo and conditioner set lately? Or have you gotten yours free at a subscription site? I bet you did hope winning a diamond jewelry set in that promo lately, didn’t you? Or maybe I'll come up with a review of their product with ingredients I cannot even pronounce very soon. You see, even someone as empowered still gets to dance with the music. 

Here watch it!

Posted in Beauty and Beyond, Feminist Musings