This Is How Feminists Watch Commercials — Are You Guilty?

Feminism has come up in the media more and more lately, and I couldn't be happier about it. People are genuinely curious, and are learning that feminism isn't about the detriment of men, but rather, the equality of all people, which is phenomenal. I'm not sure how much it has to do with Beyoncé quoting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in "Flawless," but I ain't mad at her.

Feminism is also about thinking critically. Now, sure, this video illustrates this to a pretty absurd degree, but the point stands: Advertisers have to catch up to the Internet generation's view of marketing. We don't want to be talked down to. Stop pretending that moms love doing laundry or cooking breakfast or that having even one natural body hair on you is shameful. When you do this, you also sell men short. I've never met a man who can't scramble an egg — and it isn't uncommon to see men that generally do enjoy cooking and basic hygiene.

Luckily, the media seems to be gaining self-awareness and ad agencies are rethinking the limited scope of the female tropes it's blindly promoted for the past 50 years. We're seeing women of varied backgrounds, abilities, ages, sizes, and occupations, and it feels good (cue "Pocket full of Sunshine").


Akilah Hughes — the twenty-something blogger behind It's Akilah, Obviously! — has pretty much won the Internet. When she's not studying improv at UCB, you can find her drunkenly reviewing young adult sagas or taking selfies of her increasingly large hair. You should probably follow her on Twitter.