This ‘Tough Mom’ Video Is Making The News For All The Wrong Reasons

While this video showing a mom who was tough on her child and faces flak from the family has gone viral for its tough mom message, what are the other messages that it is sending out?

This recent video promoting All Out mosquito repellent has reached lakhs of people and has apparently been liked and shared by around 2 lakh people till now (around 11.30 pm last night when I posted this on my Facebook page) but for me it’s wrong on so many counts. Even though the creative visualizers and the director wished to convey a good message, they managed to convey and affirm only the prevalent sexism and patriarchy.

One good intention doesn’t justify the propagation of so many wrongs through the same video. Here is a quick list:

• The family, including the husband, denigrating the woman and calling her names.
• Dragging her parents into the family’s issues
• The patriarch not checking the family members from speaking to the woman in derogatory terms
• The FIL supports the woman for her tough stand regarding her son/his grandson but doesn’t bother to check his own son from insulting his wife. He’s concerned about the child not being imparted wrong values but he doesn’t seem to notice the demeaning attitude his son displays towards his wife
• The DIL bearing the insults quietly while the little girls are watching only affirms the notion of a silent, sacrificial woman as the ideal bahu
• The entire family eating nonchalantly while the DIL (perhaps the other DIL too) serves everyone signifies that she doesn’t have the right to sit and eat with the family. She gets to eat after everyone has eaten, that too the leftovers perhaps. Even the strong family head doesn’t seem to mind that.
• Women insulting and demeaning another woman/DIL
  

How I wish the creators of this advertisement had better sense! In fact, it should actually be reported to the advertising standards council for being derogatory towards women.

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