In Buick's Super Bowl commercial, "The Big Game Meets The Big Day," two female wedding attendees fight over a bouquet, diving for the catch like it's the football in the end zone, while the men stand admiring the groom's new Buick. Ah, yes, because the only way women would be able to play football is when a bouquet is involved. Buick's Super Bowl commercial perpetuates the stereotype that all women are desperate to get married, and it's disappointing to see.
The commercial features celebrity cameos from NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. and We Are Your Friends/ "Blurred Lines" star Emily Ratajkowski, but that's about the only cool thing about it. Ratajkowski stars as the woman who ultimately catches the bouquet, and Beckham is just there so that onlookers can comment on Ratajkowski's catch by saying, "She Odell'ed it." (Of course, Beckham sees it differently, saying, "She was out of bounds.") And while the comparison to a professional athlete is meant as a compliment, the commercial still relegates women to desperate bachelorettes, willing to fight each other to catch a bouquet, all because of some old tradition that says the one who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry.
Audiences at home were not very impressed by Buick's Super Bowl commercial, calling it out on Twitter immediately. Even celebrities, like Mindy Kaling, weighed in.
Frankly, the ad is especially frustrating because of the fact that women have repeatedly been pushed aside when it comes to professional sports. Even when professional women athletes reach peak popularity (like the U.S. Women's soccer team), they are often relegated to cable networks and given little fanfare. The Buick ad does nothing except popularize the notion that women just aren't interested in sports, but instead are focused on things like getting married as soon as possible. The idea that women can't play football, except for when marriage might be on the line, is ridiculous and offensive. It's an old, tired stereotype that has no place in advertisements, or football.
The backlash inspired by Buick's "women are desperate to get married" ad has already begun. Let's hope the company takes note for next year's Super Bowl commercial.
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Image: Buick/YouTube
