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An Ariel ad about women's empowerment is exposing misogynists on Twitter

An Ariel ad about women's empowerment is exposing misogynists on Twitter

Tell us again how an ad that shines a light on the social stigmas women have to deal with is against religious values...
24 Jun, 2019

Masculinity so fragile, a commercial about women fighting social stigmas can cause uproar.

A recently released Ariel ad seems to have ruffled quite a few feathers; the commercial showcases phrases that society often throws at women to keep them "in their place" like "log kia kaheingay? (what will people say?)" and "chaar dewari mein raho (stay within four walls)".

We then see Pakistan's women's cricket team captain, Bisma Maroof appear on screen and state: "Yeh jumlay nahi, daagh hain. Aur yeh daagh humein kya rokeinge?"

Soon after the ad was released, #Boycott Ariel starting trending on Twitter and it seems like the brand has removed it from their official pages as well. If you're scratching your head about why, trust us, you're not alone.

Who's going to tell this guy that the ad is precisely about women making their own choices and not others dictating what we do?

Well, that's a few less sexist customers for Ariel

We're not sure what he's really against: brands using feminism as a marketing tool (which we can totally get behind) or women defining domestic and social boundaries (this part, not so much):

Apparently, the commercial goes against our values...

But this Twitter user makes an excellent counter point

Here we go again, not wasting any opportunity to hate on the Aurat March:

Even Careem and the Pakistani entertainment industry got dragged

The trolls wants Pemra to take action:

Meanwhile we're here like...

People rightly pointed out that there's nothing to get so worked up about:

In the words of Taylor Swift: you need to calm down!

Comments

Fahad Jun 24, 2019 02:30pm
Shame on such add makers. Ariel must be banned.
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Syed Irfan Ali Jun 24, 2019 02:59pm
Beautiful ad by Ariel.
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MA Jun 24, 2019 05:41pm
Dont the product management have better ideas?
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malz Jun 24, 2019 05:52pm
I really wish people would make such a fuss on issues like hanging prisoners with psychiatric illnesses.. if people would actually speak up on something like that pakistan would be so much better so fast instead of criticizing an advertisment... proves that these people only waste time in silly stuff...no one really cares about what matters...it'ssad and its apathetic
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Saeeds Jun 24, 2019 08:06pm
Good thing Tweeter showing true face of the people . These are digital signatures and in future people cannot contradict what they truly believes.
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Farooq Jun 24, 2019 08:10pm
There was no need to put a woman player in this ad and opening a pandora box of controversy
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Shehzad Ali Jun 24, 2019 08:46pm
Well, we should shut our mouths on both sides....if a woman wants to go out and do some work....leave her and if she chooses to live in her house....who are we to force them out?
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Baburao Tapkir Jun 24, 2019 09:27pm
Such mean thoughts, and such a regressive society! Wish good luck to Pakistani women, and liberals.
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Sohail Jun 24, 2019 10:08pm
Pakistan has one of the highest rates of drug addiction. Not to mention grinding poverty and uncontrollable birth rate with 2nd or 3rd highest child mortality rate. And we (mostly men) get all worked up over an ad supporting equal rights for women. Goes to show how primitive we are as a society.
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raja hindustani Jun 24, 2019 10:42pm
If you ban 'Ariel', it is loss for pakistan, not for P&G company.
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raja hindustani Jun 24, 2019 10:44pm
This ad just show the mirror to patriarchal society of pakistan. Don't hide under religion n culture excuse and face the reality.
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Kash Jun 24, 2019 10:47pm
Another typical case where religion is being brought in while it has no bearing on it ... what's wrong in women having to choose what they want to do ... doesn't Islam gives right to choose to a woman? ... of course it does... why are some of the South Asian males so bigoted ...
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HashBrown® Jun 24, 2019 10:53pm
@Farooq "There was no need to put a woman player in this ad and opening a pandora box of controversy" That's the problem. The person in the poster is Bisma Maroof, one of Pakistan's most celebrated sportspersons, but all you see is a woman. She isn't being provocative, she isn't being vulgar, she's just looking at the camera, and yet somehow this is unacceptable to you. In the UK and Europe, women aren't banned from appearing on billboards. They occupy positions of power and authority, and they are also protected by harassment laws. Incidentally, these are the same parts of the world that we try to escape to illegally, in search of a better life. Do you see any connection?
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Laila Jun 25, 2019 12:22am
@Farooq Clearly the "pandora's box" unleashed by this ad, shows there IS a need to have a female athelete in this ad. It is important that we keep challenging and fighting against this deeprooted misogyny in our society even online. Sadly these men have time for this but not for real issues facing our women daily. They are responsible for our society and country not progressing at least culturally.
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Laila Jun 25, 2019 12:25am
PS: Also I find it strange that these guys who are so up in our business, dont seem to worry about morals and islamic values when our women are DAILY denigrated, beaten, abused, killed, raped, made destitute, forced to marry men, forced into modern day slavery, put in bondage, sold, have their voices suffocated, made responsible for the entire societys and countrys scoalled izzat, forced into prostitution, forced to give up their children. stigmatized, ostracized, made homeless, driven to suicide, refused their basic rights both under pakistani law and islam. Tub kahan hoti hai in "mardon" ki ghairat aur un ki ye awareness islamic aur cultural values ki? Lets not forget our culture is deeply and inherently misogynistic. Our religious rights have no value to these men. Nothing must dismantle or challenge their position of power and iron hold of women. Sisters, fight. Fight for your rights. And the righteous REAL pakistani men stand up. We NEED you. Now more than ever.
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Mani Jun 25, 2019 01:17am
So these 'Muslims' think their Islam is so weak that it can be rattled by TV ad?
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BettertobeaCannuck Jun 25, 2019 05:24am
ARIEL achieved exactly what it wanted. Mission accomplished, divisions sown, Ariel becomes the talk of the town.
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Thinking Jun 25, 2019 09:38am
It's so tough being a woman in such a society. A simple non offensive commercial advertisement draws so much flak. To all those parents who brought up their girl children to be independent working ladies in such an oppressive environment, I take my hats off
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Abdul Wahab Jun 25, 2019 07:01pm
@Laila you are absolutely right. Could not agree more.
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Laila Jun 25, 2019 09:40pm
@Abdul Wahab Thanks, brother.
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Laila Jun 25, 2019 09:46pm
From the many disturbing comments in here, it is clear that if it was up to these guys, being female would be censored. Are we such a threat to your values, feelings and imaan that you always want to control us? This ad is fine. Your thinking and your obsessive need to control females under the FALSE pretext of Islamic values is not fine. Basically you want to keep controlling us socially and culturally. If our existance is such an eye sore for you then don't go out. No tv or internet.
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Laila Jun 25, 2019 09:55pm
You dont have to look so far if you want to see our institutionalized misogyny. Just look at the comments sections. Guys always lamenting on and on about izzat, haya, shame, limits/hudood, aurat ye aur aurat wo nahin kar sakti. Females even get offensive slurs and declared non-muslim by anonymous keyboard warriors. For unknown reasons, males are heavily represented on articles about womens fashion and covering. STOP POLICING US.
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