It’s Time to ‘Share the Load’: Viral ad Emphasizes Gender Equality

A viral message of feminism and equality recently came from an unlikely source: an Indian laundry detergent brand.

[Photo Source: Screenshot via YouTube]

A viral message of feminism and equality recently came from an unlikely source: an Indian laundry detergent brand. Ariel’s latest ad campaign encourages men to “share the load” rather than leaving domestic chores—such as cooking, cleaning, and yes, even laundry—up to women.

The two-minute YouTube video begins with a grandfather playing at the dinner table with his grandson when his daughter comes through the door. Weighed down by bags and her long workday, she sees that the little boy has once again stained his shirt. She hands her father the return ticket she’s booked for him, then answers a work call on her cell phone as she begins to make chai for her husband. She continues to pull off her son’s dirty shirt, clean up the house and make dinner—all with the phone still tucked between her ear and shoulder.

Her father watches her buzz around the house, always doing more than one task at a time, and we hear his thoughts:

“My little baby girl,

You’re all grown up now. You used to play house and now you manage your own house and your office. I am so proud—and I am so sorry. Sorry that you have to do this all alone. Sorry that I never stopped you, while you were playing house. I never told you that it’s not your job alone, but your husbands too. But how could I have said it, when I never helped your mother either. And what you saw, you learned. Your husband must have learned the same from his dad. While playing house, he would have pretended to watch TV and a little girl like you would have pretended to make tea. Sorry on behalf of his dad. Sorry on behalf of your dad. Sorry on behalf of every dad who set the wrong example.”

As we watch the father say goodbye to his daughter and return home, he makes a promise to help with the household chores. Though he admits he may not become king of the kitchen, at the very least, he can help out with things like the laundry.

The ad ends with a simple question: Why is laundry only a mother’s job?

The inspiring ad hit home for a lot of viewers—including Facebook COO and “Lean In” author Sheryl Sandberg.

“This is one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen — showing how stereotypes hurt all of us and are passed from generation to generation,” Sandberg wrote in a Facebook post on February 25. “When little girls and boys play house they model their parents’ behavior; this doesn’t just impact their childhood games, it shapes their long-term dreams.”

The video Sandberg posted has been viewed more than 11 million times and the campaign was widely shared during International Women’s Day on February 8.

Laundry is not just a mother’s job. Starting this #WomansDay, dads #ShareTheLoad! Here’s what I’m talking about – https://t.co/2AMc2QbClK

— Radhika Apte (@radhika_apte) March 8, 2016

It’s bigger than just laundry #ShareTheLoad powerfully shines a light on gender inequality in the industry https://t.co/7x4IrLgorp #IWD16

— HumberADVCopywriters (@Humber_ADV_CWs) March 8, 2016

Many videos go viral, but this one—with its strong yet simple message of equality—is worth sharing.