It was supposed to be a parody. But an advertisement campaign has landed Vim, Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s household cleaning supplies brand, on a slippery slope.
Vim’s commercials for “Vim Black”, featuring a black bottle of dishwashing liquid soap for “men”, have not gone down well with the Indian audience. The ads starring Milind Soman have been slammed for being sexist.
Has Vim launched a soap for men? Or was it a joke? We take a look at the controversy.
Liquid soap for men?
Model and actor Milind Soman shared the video of one of the ads on his Instagram handle on Friday. It shows a man in a gym bragging about helping his mother do the dishes. “I am a bit tired as I washed all the dishes last night. I often help my mom, we should,” he says.
Now Soman enters the frame saying, “Wow, what a brag. Go on, did you enjoy? Now, here is Vim Black (he shows a bottle of the dishwashing liquid). Now wash all the dishes and keep on bragging.”
“Vim Black for men, easy to clean, more to brag,” he concludes.
Sharing the video, Soman wrote on Instagram, “Vim Black – dishwashing liquid made for men. Or is it? @vimindia @mtvindia #VimBlack #VimForMen #BragWithSwag.”
View this post on Instagram
The criticism
The campaign seemed like a satirical attempt by the brand to normalise household chores. However, the joke has not landed and Vim has been slammed for being sexist and promoting a gender stereotype – that black is a colour of men and it represents machoism.
Soon, the commercial was shared on social media. While it received backlash, many pointed out that it was a parody. But that did not stop trolls from slamming Soman for promoting a sexist campaign.
Responding to his post, a social media user wrote, “For men? Kyu? Yellow wale mein kya problem hai?!”
“This is so wrong, Kaam ko genderize kar lia. Matlab black bole toh manly hogaya. C'mon! C'mon! Yeh kya kia. (Genderised a chore? So it is manly if it is black? What did you do),” added another.
“Yeah, of course ! Some men need a ‘Vim black for men’ to be able to feel manly enough to do the dishes because regular Vim mein lagta hai k bartan dhona bhi (makes you feel that washing dishes) is a woman’s job,” another comment read.
Twitter user Karthik wrote, “Vim Black for men is a fake product intended to "generate conversation" through biting satire. Allow me to argue why this campaign lacks purpose.”
'Vim Black for men' is a fake product intended to "generate conversation" through biting satire. Allow me to argue why this campaign lacks purpose: https://t.co/au44bUPmFn
Ironically, the campaign crux, "little work, much bragging" (directed at men) can be directed at Vim too! pic.twitter.com/nfmJwKCONw
— Karthik 🇮🇳 (@beastoftraal) December 12, 2022
Vim says it is a joke
Vim’s attempt to normalise household chores has clearly backfired. After the criticism, Vim clarified that the campaign for black dishwashing liquid was a joke.
In an Instagram post, the brand wrote, “We aren’t serious about the black pack, but we are super serious about men owning chores at home!”
View this post on Instagram
Vim India posted another open letter on Instagram addressed to men. “Only the bottle is different, the liquid inside has been the same all along... You don’t need a new bottle to enter the kitchen, just the realisation that these are your chores too!”
“As you take on new year resolutions, why not chalk in owning your chores and make sure you cut out those bragging skills?”
View this post on Instagram
Breaking gender stereotypes
The brand has in the past tried to promote equality. In its 2020 campaign, “Vim What a Player”, it roped in cricketing legend Virendra Sehwag and touched upon the need for men to participate in household chores during the pandemic.
Its 2021 campaign “Nazariya Badlo, Dekho Bartano Se Aage”, urges society to look at women beyond archaic roles and is a call for an equal partnership. An ad shows a prospective matrimonial arrangement with the woman telling the man that she should be “independent” about doing household chores.
Vim is not the only brand that has attempted to send the message that household chores should not be restricted to women. Airtel’s “Share the Load” campaign, nudging men to do their share of work in the house became very popular.
With inputs from agencies
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