5 Socially Irresponsible Commercials Which Ignore Progress Made On Gender Equality

I've compiled a list of a commercials running on America television which completely ignore any progress made in the realm of women rights and gender equality. Not to mention these are unfriendly to people who challenge society’s preconceived notions of what it means to be a 'boy' or a 'girl.'

1.

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Men know cars; women don’t. We can thank Toyota for reminding us, in case we had forgotten. Men like rims, women like navigation – naturally, since they can’t drive and get lost frequently. The worst part of this ad comes from the woman who’s uneducated on car terms and is mocked by the guy behind the camera – “grounded to the ground.”

2.

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Girls should wear pink! The secondhand shame is visible in this mother, as she tells us how disappointed she is that her daughter’s hoodies and cargo shorts were saved from being ruined by Tide laundry detergent. Tide: ruining the lives of parents with gender non-conforming children since the 1950s.

3.

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What do guys want? To score points in football games, obviously. What about women? Reality TV shows and their “lady drinks.” Of course, God forbid a man be subjected to the same unattainable body image ideals that a woman is on a daily basis. Thankfully, Dr. Pepper has created a beverage for men who don’t ever want to have their manhood questioned. (In case you forgot, ‘woman’ is the worst thing you can call man.)

4.

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Smart, nerdy men work hard, so they deserve a model on their arms. Women are trophies for men to polish and show off to all their Dr. Pepper 10-drinking buddies. Never mind the fact that the kiss in this commercial was one of the most unpleasant things I’ve seen on television in a while. Thanks, GoDaddy!

5.

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As someone who respects Kat Dennings, and appreciates a show featuring two strong, rarely sexualized female characters, I turned my head down in shame when I saw this. Let’s face it: the only way to get people who watch the Super Bowl to watch “2 Broke Girls” is by showing them women dancing on a pole and doing suggestive things with food.