role stereotypes
How does he know that I’m the right one? Sexist promotional video banned
What do men want? Watching football …
© Match.com / PR
Match.com had to withdraw a promotional clip. The video revealed what a woman would do if she wanted to tie a man. Using clichés from the 1950s – Match.com defended itself as having told them these tricks.
Dating app Match.com had to pull a promotional video on TikTok over sexism. What happened? The video revolved around the most exciting question when it comes to online dating: what to do to break out of the never-ending cycle of non-binding encounters. So the video asked, “What do I have to do to make him realize I’m the ‘right one’?” – in the original “Things that make him realize I’m a keeper”. And that was answered very conventionally in the video. The clumsy cast and camera work also reminded viewers of the opening sequence of an amateur erotic flick, adding to the controversy over the video. This was certainly not intentional, but due to the tight budget.
Awkward like amateur erotica
In the video, a blonde woman can be seen in her apartment and she explains how she intends to commit her new boyfriend permanently. In addition, she shakes her lush blonde mane and wears very tight pajamas that can hardly tame her lush forms. Her recipe is simple: give the man what he wants.
Three things are involved:
“I’ll make him a protein shake when he gets back from the gym.”
In the bathroom she puts the laundry back: “I make sure that he always finds a new towel and warm socks after the shower.”
In the living room, she adjusts the huge TV: “I turn his football on every evening”.
The whole thing ends: “Find your keeper through Match. Download the Match app todayr.”
The whole thing is presented seriously and without a shred of irony. Countless viewers complained about the one-sided distribution of roles in the clip. Match.com, on the other hand, felt completely misunderstood. The clip is just part of a whole series. In the others, men would also reveal how they would show themselves from the “best” side. Moreover, no twisted advertiser dreamed up the stereotypes. These tricks have been betrayed from the letters from users of the service.
Confession of a journalist
The British Advertising Standards Authority did not want to accept these connections and the clip had to be taken off the internet. However, journalist Jemina Lewis (Telegraph) could not understand the decision. She writes that she only faced two fears when she saw the clip. The whole thing seems so wooden that she wonders if the woman had been kidnapped and coerced, or if she simply has no acting talent at all. Either would be sad. And then Lewis made a confession: In order to get her own dream man around, she bought him a massage every night. Really professional, with a special lounger and stimulating oils. She was already in her thirties and the thing with him was important to her, she excuses her behavior. But she hasn’t played the worrying Stepford wife forever, she admits: “The moment the ring was on my finger, I closed the massage table with a click and the performance was over.”
Source: telegraph