I have been watching an advertisement for a fortified soya powder that apparently reduces the cholesterol levels in a person’s blood. This powder can be mixed in any dish and consumed. It has apparently been proved to reduce the cholesterol levels.

The advertisement has been produced in a very glossy fashion. There are at least five to six ladies who extol the benefits of this wonder powder. But almost all the ladies are speaking of using this wonder powder for the benefit of their husband’s health.

I found it very disturbing, to say the least. What was the message of this advertisement? This powder is apparently good for all, then why focus on the health of the husband only?  A series of doubts have been raised in my mind.

Are men naturally prone to cholesterol problems?  Are women not prone to it?  Is a woman naturally wired not to have any such problems?  Or is it that she can manage her cholesterol better, she has the innate capacity to do so, but men do not have it?  When both the man and the woman consume the same food, does a man’s metabolism not break down the fat properly?  Or does his liver not function the same way a woman’s liver functions?

The advertisement seems to convey the message a man’s health is a woman’s concern. She has to make sure her husband’s health is fine, because the whole family depends on it. So what is her position and what is her role?  If her health is affected, will that not put the family’s health under pressure?  Or since she is taking care of his health, automatically her health too will improve?

What about the children?  Does their health not matter?  Is the advertiser trying to say a man does not or cannot know how to care for his health? He is prone to consuming all and everything, so his wife has to keep check on his health and provide him healthy food?  Is a man careless about his food habits, is he not conscious of healthy eating habits? Is he so immature?

One lady even had a dopey look on her face, maybe to convey her feelings of love for the man in her life. She was actually conveying the message that her husband’s health is the only important thing in her life. And the models were all upper class ladies. All of them appeared educated, well informed and stylish. So does this also mean that women from middle to lower class do not either bother about their men’s health or the men have better health down the ladder?

The advertisement conveys the message that a man’s health has to be considered very important.  It is a wife’s duty to use all her knowledge to see her man’s health does not suffer. Only one lady said she was using the product for the health of her whole family. That should have been the message. But the whole focus seems to have shifted.

Did a man think of the creative, I wonder?

Then there is another advertisement where it is shown how irresponsible a man is regarding his health. He grabs his food on the run, consumes junk food, has irregular eating habits, and is shown having a protruding belly. In the end the advertisement shows a man watching television in bed, with a large bowl of chips on his stomach, into which he is dipping regularly. The wife is advised to sms to a number about heart, and she will get information how to regulate his eating habits. This advertisement is for a cooking oil. Here too the focus is the man’s heart, which should be the concern of the woman.

It is a fact that our eating habits have changed. Also the quality of our food products have deteriorated. Our lifestyle has led to all health problems. So we need to be careful, if we do not want to fall ill. But this has to be for every member of the family. The health of the whole family is important, not only one member’s.

And I do not know why some woman has not objected to this angle of the advertisement. There could have been better creative to convey the message of the effectiveness of the product. Why bring in some gender bias and convey some hidden message of duty of a woman towards her husband? 

This fortified powder can be used in any dish. It can be mixed with any flour or any dish that has gravy. It does not have a smell or different taste, so it will not interfere with the flavor or taste of the dish it is mixed in. That is a positive message. Since the powder is apparently effective in reducing cholesterol levels of a person, then people will want to consume it, provided it does not leave a bad taste in the mouth.

So the product is good, if what it claims is right. But the method in which it has been conveyed could have been better.

(1 votes, average: 2 out of 5)

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