A new advert by British hygiene brand Dettol has been heavily criticised in China, as it looked to tackle gender issues but has left viewers feeling like women were objectified through the ad. Taking on the concept of toxic masculinity, the advert sees a man who wants a "clean" girlfriend, who isn't "tainted by other men."
The advert then calls out this behaviour as being toxic. A plot twist later on shows the girlfriend calling out the man in the advert for his toxicity before breaking up with him. However, this message didn't quite land as intended, and as per the BBC the Chinese internet has called for a boycott of Dettol, believing the advert objectifies women.
"We recognise that it has offended many people, especially women. We take responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert," Dettol said in a statement.
Manya Koetse of the Eye on Digital China newsletter, says that advert was a "mess for a brand whose entire business revolves around cleanliness." She added that the message itself wasn't at fault, but the delivery certainly was. "Even if the intention was to portray the male character as being in the wrong, the message was conveyed so poorly that it backfired spectacularly."
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