Well, speaking of this topic, I’d like to talk about an advertisement that I didn’t really like. It’s for a dish soap brand called White Cat, which is actually a very well-known kitchen cleaning product in China.

I remember seeing the commercial on TV when I was still living in China. It was a video ad showing a child giving this dish soap to his mother as a gift. The idea was that this product doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals, so it’s gentle on the hands, even without wearing gloves. The mother in the ad looked really happy and touched, as if receiving this cleaning product was a thoughtful and loving gesture.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. But later, after I moved to Canada and started to learn more about feminism and gender equality, I began to realize why this kind of ad made me uncomfortable. Why did it automatically assume that it’s the mom who does all the dishwashing? Household chores should be shared equally by all family members, not just mothers.

There are other similar ads too. I remember one about a study machine. A little girl said something like, “Now Mom doesn’t have to worry about my homework anymore.” Again, the ad assumes that it’s always the mother’s job to supervise the child’s studies, while the father’s role seems to be just working and making money.

Actually, that was true in my own life as well. My mom was the one who always kept track of my homework and study progress. My dad rarely got involved in my education.

I really hope this situation can change. Fortunately, more and more people in China are now speaking out against such gender-stereotyped advertisements. It shows that our society is moving forward, and that’s something I’m glad to see.