Birell's advertisement campaign has raised a storm on social media for telling its consumers how to “be a man”, which critics say encourages objectifying women and male chauvinistic behavior.
The first ad from the non-alcohol beer producer shows a man on his computer, looking at the popular image of a black and blue dress that was widely circulated the internet. “Forget about the color of the dress, the important thing is the one wearing it. Be a man!”
The advertisement suggests that the man should be focusing on the woman who is standing in the background of the advertisement with her hands on her hips.
The campaign is part of a long-running series of ads, telling consumers to “be a man”, but the new ad seems to have crossed the boundaries of what many would deem acceptable advertising as it perpetuates traditional societal attitudes of how men should behave towards women.
In an environment where many incidents of sexual harassment and assault have made international news, and 80 percent of Egyptian women have admitted to experiencing some form of harassment, the advertisement has been seen by many as indirectly encouraging men to harass women.
“Who distributes/advertises for #Birell? Should be named/shamed for promoting sex harassment in #Egypt! Disturbing,” tweeted Mai El-Sadany, a student activist and well-known Twitter commentator.
“Who’s that [explicit] head who comes up with those #women demeaning #campaigns..?!! #Birell #Harrassment #sexist,” tweeted Marwa Assal, another Twitter commentator.
Another Birell ad suggests that wearing skinny jeans is feminine.
Birell’s campaign also includes an ad that instructs consumers that wearing skinny jeans will make consumers more of a woman than a man.
The ad says, “How to wear skinny jeans: 1- Go buy skinny jeans, 2- Take the first taxi, 3- Go to the public registrar, 4- Change your name to Mayssa,” which is a woman’s name in Arabic.
Promoting behavior viewed as masculine or enforcing gender roles is common in the advertising industry, especially when product consumers are aimed at a specific gender. Birell, a non-alcoholic malt drink, tends to be drunk in Egypt by men as a replacement for beer in bars. Birell’s “be a man” ads, encourage users to drink their product to make themselves more masculine. Other companies often encourage women to be more feminine by buying their products.
Many rights groups criticize gender-specific targeting in advertising, arguing it perpetuates stereotypes and fails to reflect the more modern realities of a less gender-defined 21st century lifestyle.
