RCL3: Give Your Mother the Gift of Cleaning Supplies

When I first saw this ad, I laughed. It really seems like a bad joke a 14-year-old boy makes, not an ad a multimillion-dollar company, like P&G, puts out. There are three things that I immediately see wrong with the ad: its sexist message laid out in its text, the fact that it’s a mother showing her daughter how to clean, and the complete alienation of P&G’s supposed target audience through the use of gender stereotypes.

I think it’s completely wild that a company would not only undermine a woman’s role in general but especially on Mother’s Day. It’s hilarious how tone-deaf this ad is to me. I imagine a group of men at a long table pitching ideas for an upcoming advertisement. Someone comes up with this idea and they all nod their heads and say, “Yes. This Mother’s Day, let’s diminish a woman’s role by saying the most important she does is clean.” I think it’s such a “man move,” and the fact that this was actually published amazes me.

Next, the ad shows a mother not only cleaning with a Mr. Clean sponge, but she is showing her young daughter her most important role as a woman! They both seem so happy doing this; this is after all what they were born to do, isn’t it? This Mother’s Day, teach your daughter her role in society. This Mother’s Day, teach your daughter what her most important job is. This Mother’s Day, teach your daughter to clean up after her future husband.

Finally, it’s obvious that P&G’s target audience is women. More specifically, it might be mothers. That being said, why would you belittle your main audience by subjecting them to stereotypical gender norms? As a brand, it’s evident that P&G believes that women should do the cleaning. It’s such an interesting choice to not only subject them to stereotypes like previously mentioned, but also depreciate the value every other job they do. This ad is arguable aimed more towards mothers since it’s a Mother’s Day ad, so why devalue a women’s role as a mother by implying that cleaning is the most important thing she does. Not only that, most mothers also work. What about their role as people who earn money and simply contribute to society?

When I see this ad, I think about the absolutely deranged scenario of a husband giving his wife a package of Mr. Clean sponges instead of flowers . I’m not sure if that’s what the ad is trying to convey, but that’s what I envision when I think of a Mother’s Day ad for cleaning supplies. I’m glad they never ran this ad again, and I’m glad most people saw how obviously offensive it was (and still is).