“Ugly, Sexist, Misogynistic Rubbish!” John Lewis’s New Ad Features A Boy In A Dress & People Are Livid!

“Ugly, Sexist, Misogynistic Rubbish!” John Lewis’s New Ad Features A Boy In A Dress & People Are Livid!

If there’s one ad the entire globe holds its collective breath for it has to be British retailer John Lewis’ annual – and typically epic – Christmas work.

Not that its marketing is confined to the festive season, John Lewis dropping a new campaign in the UK this week plugging its latest home insurance product.

The ad, by London creative agency Adam & Eve DDB, is called “Let life happen” and features a young boy in a dress and makeup dancing to Steve Nicks’ classic Edge Of Seventeen while systematically trashing the family home. Check it out below:

Yet, despite the fun, not everyone is happy with John Lewis’ latest effort and arguably not for the reason you’d most expect.

If you thought a lad in a frock was the reason for the hate, you’d be wrong. Instead, the ad’s detractors are calling it sexist, as the young man is having all the fun while the women featured – the boy’s mother and sister – are shown in joyless, stereotypical women’s roles.

Viewers quickly took to Twitter to slam the “sexist” ad, calling it “narcissistic, destructive, aggressive and misogynistic”.

Another added: “I saw sexualisation of a male child imitating OTT (over the top) feminised posturing, who was also acting like a bully and vandal…”

Writing for the UK media site Campaign, Ogilvy managing director Vic Day (whose son is openly gay) said the spot had made him “wince”.

“It wasn’t the word inclusion that came to mind, it was the word stereotype – despite what I imagine were best intentions,” Day wrote. “Here’s the problem. We want to see better representation on our screen. I want my son to feel that he has his place in the world like anyone else. But how do you represent something that is not necessarily visible like sexuality or, in many cases, gender identity? In this case the solution was to make it explicit by leaning on recognisable stereotypes.”

The ad’s attracting so much hate (see the pick of it below), that John Lewis has been forced to issue a statement defending the work. Read it below:

Here’s how social media haters reacted.

Although the spot also had its supporters. One person tweeting:  “Imagine being a grown adult and being genuinely angry, annoyed or upset that a little lad is running around the house in a princess dress on a john lewis advert hahahaha.”

While another added: “People already having a rant about that boy in the John Lewis advert dressing up???”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Please login with linkedin to comment

Ad campaigns john lewis

Latest News

Revium Snags Peter Bauld From Deloitte Digital
  • Advertising

Revium Snags Peter Bauld From Deloitte Digital

Revium, a leading full-service digital and AI consultancy, has announced the appointment of Peter Bauld (lead image) as Executive General Manager. Revium is a full-service digital and AI consultancy with over 20 years of experience creating engaging digital experiences for leading organisations and their customers. Bauld joins Revium after an illustrious career spanning over two […]

Veridooh Snatches Prashand Menon From ScentreGroup
  • Advertising

Veridooh Snatches Prashand Menon From ScentreGroup

Out-of-home OOH) and digital media leader Prashand Menon (lead image) has joined OOH ad tech company Veridooh as group business director within NSW and QLD. Menon joins Veridooh from his most recent role as ScentreGroup’s group business director and brings with him more than 10 years of experience in Australian media. Previously, he held positions […]

Kat & Co Transforms Into THE WORLD OF Experiential Agency
  • Advertising

Kat & Co Transforms Into THE WORLD OF Experiential Agency

After more than twelve years of producing experiences for some of the world’s most innovative brands, including Hermes, Van Cleef & Arpels, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co, Kat & Co has quietly metamorphosed into THE WORLD OF. THE WORLD OF is an experiential agency at the juncture of culture, technology and the human condition. […]

SMG Studio Launches Risk: Global Domination X Dune Part Two
  • Campaigns

SMG Studio Launches Risk: Global Domination X Dune Part Two

Through a licensing agreement with Legendary Entertainment, SMG Studio inked the rights to adapt Dune: Part Two into a game based on Risk: Global Domination, Hasbro’s interactive board game. Inspired by Denis Villeneuve’s cinematic masterpiece, Dune: Part Two, this new digital adaptation, RISK: Global Domination X Dune: Part Two, is poised to captivate players from […]

QMS: Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year & Mardi Gras Were Boon For OOH Market
  • Marketing

QMS: Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year & Mardi Gras Were Boon For OOH Market

Taylor Swift, Lunar New Year and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival have had a dramatic impact on the number of people moving in and around Sydney over the past month, drawing big crowds into the heart of the city and its surrounding suburbs. New data from digital outdoor company QMS reveals a […]