Previously posted on EvilSlutopia.com ...
We've all seen those annoying Swiffer commercials in which a mop or broom or duster just can't get over being replaced by a Swiffer product... this one ... this one ... extra creepy one .
So here's a mini-guest blog from my 9-year-old daughter. (The title was her idea.) She really doesn't like those commercials...
Dear Swiffer,
I think your commercials are totally sexist.
There is no good reason why in all your commercials there is a girl cleaning the house with Swiffer. Why are there only women doing the cleaning? It makes just as much sense that a man would be doing the cleaning of the house. Yes, some women do housecleaning, but some women don't. And it's not the only thing that women can do.
In your next commercial I think you should have a man doing the cleaning. The mop or broom can sing the song "Come Back To Me " by Vanessa Hudgens. (I'm not saying that you should actually do that song, because they might not be able to get permission to use it.) It would just be nice to see the genders reversed and have a girl mop singing to a guy using a Swiffer.
It's also pretty creepy that the joke of the commercials is that your mop or broom are following you around. They're kind of stalking you. Why would anybody want that? Imagine if it was your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend doing that? Would you want that to happen? I dont think so. It's not funny, it's scary.
It happens to real people and it's not good to make a joke about something serious that happens to real people, just so you can sell a stupid Swiffer.
Her very first guest blog about sexism in the media... I'm so proud!
- Lilith (of theEvil Slut Clique)
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Wow, your daughter's awesome! And yeah, I totally agree with her/you - those ads are so sexist and creepy. Also, it's disturbing to compare cleaning products to lovers - women don't actually have emotional attachments to cleaning products. Shockingly, they have fulfilling lives completely independent of sweeping the floor!
Lol. These commercials do not appeal because of all of the above and also because I hate cleaning (gasp); I do it because I have to.
That's a pretty smart little girl very nice, I knew there was a reason I admire the younger generation
9-year olds don't write like that. This is simply you trying to project your own world views through your daughter. Why not stand up as an adult and tell the company yourself?
We both plan to contact swiffer... but the argument was her idea, so I let her write it herself.
I don't know if all 9 year olds write like that, but mine sure does. She told me what she wanted to say, I typed her words verbatim, and then I let her look it over and make any changes/corrections she wanted to make. It's 100% her work.
I'm really proud that I have an intelligent, articulate and feminist-minded daughter. I don't have to project anything through her, it's already there.
-L
We both plan to contact swiffer... but the argument was her idea, so I let her write it herself.
I don't know if all 9 year olds write like that, but mine sure does. She told me what she wanted to say, I typed her words verbatim, and then I let her look it over and make any changes/corrections she wanted to make. It's 100% her work.
I'm really proud that I have an intelligent, articulate and feminist-minded daughter. I don't have to project anything through her, it's already there.
-L
Sorry for the double comment!
I wrote like that when I was 9.
What makes you think that? It seems like something a kid might write to me. The sentence structure is kind of awkward, not bad but not something I'd expect an adult native speaker to write, either. The spelling's pretty good, but I could probably spell almost as well when I was nine, and having spell check would've taken care of the rest.
Or do you just think that little girls don't care about the world? IME nine-year-olds are really into saving the world with a nicely-worded letter. My thing was endangered animals.
I've helped my mom (who is a teacher) mark several assignments (in English and in French as a second language) and I've also tutored... nine year olds most definitely can write like that. It is unfair and ageist to suggest that they cannot.
I'm inclined to believe a nine-year old writes like this. Nine years old is in the fourth grade(there abouts), and considering grown adults mostly read at the fifth grade level...
I certainly thought/wrote like this at nine. Wish I'd known more girls who did too, or I might not have given it up :(
Wow! Please tell your daughter that she is very inspiring! I'm sure she will do many wonderful things in her life!
Wow! Please tell your daughter that she is very inspiring! I'm sure she will do many wonderful things in her life!
Kudos to your daughter.
What's strange is that about 5 years ago, Swiffer's commercials were the opposite of sexist. I was doing a project in which I analyzed a lot of advertising at the time, and I remember being pleasantly surprised by the fact that (at the time) Swiffer portrayed both men and women doing housework, staying away from the stereotypes.
Sad how things change.
your daughter rocks! maybe i'll show this to my 9-year-old cousin. kids inspiring kids to take on sexist media. sounds great.
I think you are reading into these commercials too much. So what if they only have women doing the cleaning? There's only three total commercials, it's not like a huge sample size of 100 or something.
In addition to that, I would be very surprised to be presented with evidence that shows that men and women clean in equal numbers. Of course some men clean, but overall the majority of house cleaners are women. Ads are designed to target their audience, and since most house cleaners are women, why not use a woman in their ads? Using someone who is similar to the audience being targeted helps with acceptance of the message it is selling.
There's a reason why most commercials for weight lifting supplements, like EAS Myoplex, use male athletes like Brady Quinn in their ads. It's simply good marketing.
Um, what? There have been dozens and dozens of different Swiffer commercials and magazine ads, no doubt close to a hundred if not more. I think there was one, back in the day, that featured a man cleaning. I'm pretty sure, IRL, more than 1% of men know how to use a fucking mop.
Secondly, women clean more because society expects them to. Reinforcing that sexism is irresponsible and unacceptable. It's also circular logic. Women clean more because society is sexist, so it's okay for the media (the largest influence on modern society) to be sexist? What a ridiculous rationalization.
I said three because those were the three that were mentioned in the original article. Alos, knowing how to use a mop versus using one on a regular basis is an entirely different thing altogether.
I won't argue with the fact that society has traditionally expected women to clean more, and, as a result (though not the only factor), more women do clean than men. Since advertisers are always looking to capture their target audience, this means that women are mostly the target for cleaning ads. It's not the company's 'fault' that more women clean than men, it's just the reality of the situation. And in a free market economy, companies are looking to maximize profits, not combat percieved societal ills.
Also, women are more likely to be the victims of stalking and stalking-related crimes. So I guess that part is okay too, right? lol
I shouldn't have to point this out, but targeting a certain demographic for a cleaning product is not the same as a certain demographic being more likely to be stalked.
And by the way, in case you aren't already aware, there's quite a bit of a difference between a hobby/sport and a household chore. Women do not enjoy cleaning any more than men do, and we shouldn't be expected to take the second shift with a smile so that the boys have time to pump iron.
Most guys don't like to lift weights. I would agree that most women don't like to clean. But just like some guys actually enjoy lifting weights, some women enjoy cleaning. So there really isn't any sort of "the woman stays home and happily cleans while the man goes out and lift weights" going on with my analogy I used.
Oh sorry, I guess I should have included EVERY SINGLE SWIFFER COMMERCIAL THAT EVER AIRED. The sexism in these commercials is so obvious that even a 9 year old picked up on it.
Even if it's true that women do most of the cleaning that doesn't mean that's okay or that it isn't still a stereotype. The fact that women probably DO do most of the purchasing of cleaning supplies is all the more reason that advertisers shouldn't talk down to them or stereotype them. I'm more likely to support companies that have ads that aren't sexist, so the best way to target that demographic isn't by showing them how we should all be in love with our swiffers.
A 9 year old picked up sexism in this commercial because she is being conditioned to by an adult. It does nothing to support your argument.
Unless you want to live in a society where our media is controlled, commercials will continue to target people who are most likely to buy their product. There is nothing wrong with advertisers targeting women for cleaning products as long as it remains true that the majority of cleaning is done by women. If this changed, and men did most of the cleaning but commercials still targeted women exclusively, then you could make an argument that it is sexist.
As it stands now, you are getting upset over nothing.
OMG! So sexist!
How dare they portray women as Cleaning...
We all know that men are more likely than women to clean their house, and to buy cleaning products, right?
Wait... that doesn't sound right...
Men Don't clean as often as women do.
So they should ONLY show guys Using their product, because that will get Us men off our lazy asses to clean the house!
And it will sell their product better also!
This company.... I swear, Presuming that women are more likely to purchase cleaning products is Outdated sexism.
-Edrick
Oh, you're so witty Edrick. Would it be such a stretch for Swiffer to include footage/photos of men using their product as well as women? Sheesh.
Why thank you for your compliment Vasa!
I agree, that the Swiffer company needs to portray their product as being used by men.
This company clearly does not realize that their "Commercial" as they so brashly call it, is in FACT a deep psychological commentary, instead of JUST an attempt to sell products.
In fact, I would go so far as to say, that they should be required to give equal screen time to every minority group in our great diverse world!
Disabled persons, African-Americans, Native-Americans, Pacific Islanders, Homosexuals, etc, etc, etc...
For the sake of diversity...
Otherwise they will be revealed as the Racist, HUMAN Hating Misogynist Patriarch SCUM that they actually ARE!
Oh, yeah, they will more than likely say: "But we are just trying to sell a product"
WE SEE RIGHT THROUGH YOUR GAME!
-Edrick
This company clearly does not realize that their "Commercial" as they so brashly call it, is in FACT a deep psychological commentary, instead of JUST an attempt to sell products.
That's the point. They ARE just trying to sell products... but they're doing it in a way that reinforces sexist gender roles AND portrays stalking as funny.
You make it sound as though it would be impossible to create commercials that aren't sexist or offensive... but the fact is, a lot of companies are getting it right. Swiffer isn't.