My daughter pointed out a new full page advertisement of Hamdard ‘SAFI’– a blood purifying tonic – in yesterday’s Hindustan Times. Both of us found it disturbing to see how the campaign had the potential to adversely affect the feelings of adolescent girls towards their mother.
Trivialising the Relationship Between an Adolescent With Her Mother
Besides trivialising a complex relationship of a teenage girl with her mother, it also re-emphasised that looks are supremely important. It is bad enough that we are bombarded with ridiculous advertisements for fairness creams, all of which strongly suggest that to get ahead in life, be it for a job or a matrimonial alliance, one needs to be fair-skinned. Now we have this advertisement, which targets teenage girls and shamelessly exploits their sentiments.
I have registered a complaint with Advertising Council of India. Following is the full text of my complaint.
The advertisement has a tag line #Ihateyoumom. It describes a daughter’s jealousy towards her mother and how she overcomes feelings of inferiority after using SAFI. There is a teaser TVC with the same line repeated ad nauseum “Ihateyoumom”. The print advertisement is sending out a very strong subliminal message to teenaged girls, that looks are everything and that they are right in resenting their mothers’ popularity. It is wrong at various levels. It is psychologically damaging and seems to suggest that jealousy based on looks is normal among teenaged girls. A complex psychological issue like a mother-daughter relationship should not be trivialised in this manner, nor should it be suggested that looks are everything.
What Was the Ad Filmmaker Thinking?
I don’t have an issue with black humour per se. A few months ago, there was an excellent short film circulating on the social media starring Kalki Koechlin, called “It’s your fault”. The protagonist, Kalki, took potshots at the mindless logic behind absurd theories which blame the rape victim, such as talking on mobile phones and dressing in western outfits. The sarcasm worked in that film.
I wonder what the ad agency was thinking when they rolled out the SAFI advert. Were they trying to be funny? Well, it definitely doesn’t work. My concern is for younger girls in the age group 12-16. Beauty products aimed at exploiting the insecurities of kids are the worst.
Adolescence can be a bewildering phase of life, our teenagers need our love and support. Pitting them against their own mothers doesn’t work for me. It’s like telling them ’hey, your popularity is based on your looks. If your mom is doing nothing to help you, it’s okay to hate her’. How warped is that ?
(Nirupama Kotru is a Commissioner of Income Tax at Delhi. Views are her own.)
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