We’re confused.
In her first interview after being crowned 2013 Miss World last October, Megan Young told BBC News that the Philippines is gender-blind: “If you can show people that you’re capable of doing something, then you’ll succeed in life. It’s not about who you are, like if you’re a man or a woman, or if you have different preferences in life.” The latest Global Gender Gap Index by the World Economic Forum, released a few weeks after her inteview, backed up her claim by naming the Philippines fifth in gender equality — the only Asian country that made it to the top five.
SEE: 5 takeaways from Megan Young’s BBC interview
So why does Procter & Gamble insist that gender double standards in the workplace is “a prevalent theme in Filipino culture, where the notion still exists that women cannot be assertive or strong-willed when it comes to getting what they want.”
Pantene Philippines’ latest 60-second video campaign by BBDO Guerrero, “Be Strong and Shine” (clicks since it was posted on YouTube: 8,151,846), illustrates how people perceive things differently if it’s a woman doing it.
For example, a man washing his face is labeled “neat,” while the woman beside her doing the same is “vain”; if it’s a man behind a podium it’s “persuasive”, if it’s a woman it’s “pushy”.
The ad’s message: “Don’t let labels hold you back” and, like your beautiful jet black hair, “Be strong and shine.”
But is Pantene really breaking barriers or reinforcing outdated stereotypes? And why has this video gone viral?
“The video was posted on YouTube on Nov 9 and ran on television twice, there was no large scale roll out plan,” reports Laura Stampler in Time. “Then on Dec 7, Sheryl Sandberg [Facebook COO] exalted the commercial on her Facebook page. Ten days later, the video has been seen more than 8 million times on YouTube.”
We have yet to hear from women’s groups about what they think of this video but we want to ask you: Do you think this is really how Filipino men feel about their female colleagues? Tell us below.
