P&G...no love for the Dads?

  Like every faithful American I have gone gaga for the summer Olympics and have faithfully kept up with all of the primetime coverage from the aquatic center to the balance beam.  I must admit I’m a huge fan of watching these incredible athletes representing their countries. The Olympics have been filled this year with charges of sexism, from commentary by the announcers to the bikinis worn in beach volleyball, however, beyond the disapproval from many that women athletes are seen as eye candy or not taken as seriously as their male counterparts, there is one advertisement that caught my eye and has nothing to do with skimpy uniforms. For the less avid Olympic viewers, the commercials during the Olympics rival those of the Super Bowl. They are carefully crafted and bold. P&G’s Olympic-themed commercials are no different. Proctor and Gamble, also known as P&G, has released a series of commercials featuring mothers of Olympic athletes with taglines that thank mothers. One commercial features a series of short scenes in which a mother is shown waking up her daughter, driving her to the gymnasium, washing her leotard, and feeding her breakfast. The daughter is then shown when she is older finishing her routine during the Olympics and running over to hug her mothers in the stands. The one that aires on television just features the american mother and daughter, I could only find this extended version but it's the same idea (maybe even more powerful).

Another commercial features various children dressed in Olympic gear preparing for different events and shots of their mothers anxiously watching on the sidelines with the tag line, “To their Moms, they will always be kids. P&G Proud sponsor of Moms.” 

Don’t get me wrong, I nearly teared up the first time I saw this commercial, the exact reaction I’m assuming they wanted this ad to receive. I think most Americans can relate to the extreme devotion, sacrifices, and love that our mothers give to us and this commercial acts almost as a reminder to thank them for everything they do for us. However, the more times I see this commercial (they play non-stop) the more I begin to take a more critical view of this campaign. Beyond the initial emotional reaction I have toward this commercial that makes me want to run back to Connecticut to hug my mom I have begun to realize the problematic nature these commercials propose by reinforcing gender norms pertaining to parenting and the role of mother figures. The media, particularly television, plays a powerful and influential role in promoting and normalizing gendered images of men and women in heterosexual romantic relationships (Ivory, Gibson & Ivory). In these campaigns the mothers are featured in domestic settings such as washing clothing and cooking breakfast, while any sort of father figure is completely absent. I’m sorry, did I miss something? Don’t fathers also support their kids? Don’t they coach, drive their kids to practice, and watch anxiously at the sidelines of every game? My father has given up countless weekends driving my brother to hockey tournaments since he was five years old and now pays for him to go to boarding school to play hockey. My father has been just as dedicated if not more so, to making my brother’s athletic dreams a reality. I know that I am not alone in this. Apolo Ohno, who happens to be a P&G-sponsored-Olympian, was raised by a single father.  Yes, that’s right P&G…father. This campaign seems to be glorifying women by highlighting all of the selfless acts mothers make for the benefit of their children and thus reinforces the notion of women as the primary caretakers of the children and household.

While there is no question that mothers sacrifice so much and that yes, many women do take on the role of primary caretaker in families, this seems somewhat sexist and limiting in my opinion. In the same way that the media is criticized for isolating or ignoring gay and lesbian figures and promoting stereotypes of heterosexuality, these commercials seem to be reinforcing gender norms within the family by disregarding fathers in the lives of their children and focusing on the mothers’ traditional function as care taker of the house and children. These campaigns are clearly geared toward mothers however, in doing so they alienate fathers. By ignoring fathers in these ads P&G in my opinion reinforces that women are the ones who make the real sacrifices for their kids and therefore deserve the acknowledgement and thanks from P&G. The media is an important source for information on the rules, norms, and rituals within our culture (Brown, White, & Nikopoulou). Therefore I don’t believe that the implications of this campaign regarding reinforcing gender norms should be dismissed  as unimportant or not influential--after all these commercials are running prime time during the Olympics…that is one large audience if you ask me.

            While these ads clearly are heartfelt and promote important family values of supporting kids, I think P&G fell short with their message. I think that these campaigns should have thanked and acknowledged the enormous commitment parents make for their children. I can identify the strategy behind targeting specific demographics however, I believe this campaign would have been just as effective if not more so by broadening its target audience to parents in general. Maybe I am being too harsh, and playing devil’s advocate or the politically correct police. Perhaps it is ok to acknowledge mothers without acknowledging fathers. Feel free to challenge me; this was just a reaction I have grown to acquire after looking more closely at this campaign.