Dear Dermawear,
Why in the world would you think it was alright to film and then air and advertisement that belittles women in a country which already has negligible respect for them?
In case it's slipped your memory, your advertisement was based on a man being asked to judge a woman's appearance and then refraining from an answer as the camera zoomed in on her "fat" stomach. He was depicted as refusing to answer because he didn't think she looked "good" in what she was wearing, but wanted a promotion.
Now let me just state ask the problems with this. First of all, just the fact that he didn't answer based in her appearance and say called "fatness" which I regret to inform you doesn't really define someone's beauty, is just wrong. Maybe you don't know about all the teenagers, grown women, men, and just people in general are suffering from self image issues, and self harming, hating and deprecating themselves on a daily basis. Advertisements that tell everyone, however indirectly, that they will never be beautiful or desirable out lovable, or will never look "good" unless they wear certain clothes, look a certain way, or are impossible thin, don't help the situation.
Airing this ad in country like India, where it is no secret that women are judged, condemned, looked down upon, and treated like dirt is horrific.
We already have enough Indian television shows telling young girls what they can and can't do, who they should be, and how they should be the "perfect wife". They depict women in such a horrible light, but that gives you no excuse to do the same.
Secondly, this ad says that just because someone gives an honest opinion to another person who asked for it, that same person will perceive them in a negative light and condemn them. In this case, although it might not be your intention, it goes to show that if you " insult " a woman, she will never give you a promotion, and will just be extremely offended. Women aren't all "emotional" and "touchy" but maybe someone after viewing this ad will rethink their rights and their self perception, and will think that that is the way you are supposed to behave. Women and all sections of society have the same rights, and the same right to surreal, hold an opinion and stand their ground. It's not like men never hold a grudge. It's not like they don't cert, or feel emotions or have certain inherent biases. It's advertisements like these, although it may not seem like it, that tell men that's it's alright to view women as sexual objects, and as nothing else. This is what treks then that it's alright to take women, and to disrespect them. But that's utterly wrong. I'm not saying this is your intention or message, but maybe you should rethink your campaign next time, and try as hard as possible to not belittle any one individual or section of society in any way. In a country like India, it's not really needed. You don't need to tell men to look down on women. That's a common practice. What you need to do is tell them to respect them and fight for equality amongst all communities.
Television is watched and has an intense psychological effect on multitudes of prime.You have a large platform that reaches out to millions. Use it wisely. Some advice for you- "With great power, comes great responsibility."
