Gul Ahmed- 'Mein Perfect Hoon' and Shoop | 'Trust Toh Must Hai' Ads breaking stereotypes!
Once in a while we come across ads which catch our attention. Ads we just cannot skip. We do not walk away in between programs to get our chores done, neither to we change the channel. Most of the time, they are those ads that challenge stereotypes. Because the ones that do not challenge stereotypes, chances are we have seen some rendition of it, and hence, they are not exactly new for us. Here are two examples that I thought were very refreshing to watch.
This stereotype is pretty basic, one that has been embedded in our minds since forever. Women have to depend upon men of the house to do chores like getting groceries, 'rotis', things that mostly involve going out. Moms tell dads and/or sons to get them and wait for them if they are not at home. This ad challenges two such stereotypes. The girl in this ad sees her mother worrying about the groceries, so she gets up and does so by taking out her bike, a vehicle that most Pakistanis think is not made for girls.
This was a different concept as traditionally we have always been taught to wait for males of the family in order to get out. Moreover, riding a bike for girls is always seen as very strange and it reminds me that yesterday I heard two women talking amongst themselves that nowadays girls are not that innocent anymore and one of the reasons they mentioned that in their times, they would never see a girl riding a motorbike. This immediately reminded me of this ad and here I am!
The second ad is 'Mein Perfect Hoon' by Gul Ahmed;
We live in a society where everyday we hear of a potential 'rishta' family rejecting girls on the basis of their physical appearance. Too fat, too slim, spots on face, too dark, slanted nose, curly hair, the stereotype is that girls should hide all these so called 'imperfections' and girls should be perfect. This fantastic ad empowers women with those exact characteristics that they have been bashed with because it is all in the mindset. If we start believing that we are perfect with out imperfections, no one will have the courage to tell us otherwise. So this ad tells us that girls do not have to take these comments quietly. If in Pakistan, this ad educates at least some people, it can save a lot of young girls from going through this mental torture and this criticising behaviour.
These amazing ads are not only exciting but also thought-provoking. In a society where stereotypes have taken roots for a long time, these ads are like a breath of fresh air. We live in a society where we have to witness examples of these on daily basis so we can totally relate to this.