Kay Jewelers is currently running an ad that implies jewelry as more satisfying to a woman than education. Although the commercial is not blatant it is still benevolent sexism and jumps over the huge issues concerning women in the workforce. This commercial affirms dangerous gender roles that men’s education is more important than women’s. The ad is currently on the Learn More page of Kay’s Open Hearts Collection.
The ad promotes Jane Seymour’s Open Heart Collection at Kay Jewelers. We all know that jewelry commercials are notoriously cheesy and almost exclusively focus around how much women love jewelry. However, this ad takes the indication too far by placing the gift within the context of education and the workforce. The backstory that this ad creates is that the wife has worked extra hard to help her husband further his education with a college (or graduate school) degree and she is compensated for her sacrifices with a necklace.
It may seem extreme to want to remove a commercial that is intended to be sweet, but implicational issues like this shape our societies interpretation of what is and is not appropriate for men and women. Furthermore, what is not seen in this commercial is the ever-present issue of dividing a family’s money during a divorce. Many women have been accused of taking “his money” during a divorce settlement or have ended up in awful financial situations due to a family’s previous decision for the husband to continue his education.
The choice of the husband furthering his education is typically the best decision for a family because women still earn about 77 cents to every dollar a man makes (this statistic is even more troublesome for women of color). A simple commercial such as this one by Kay, overlooks its implications and supports harmful gender stereotypes, such as a woman’s greatest aspiration being a necklace. The commercial has caused great controversy and people believe it needs to be removed and Kay should publicly apologize for this sexist ad.
The ad promotes Jane Seymour’s Open Heart Collection at Kay Jewelers. We all know that jewelry commercials are notoriously cheesy and almost exclusively focus around how much women love jewelry. However, this ad takes the indication too far by placing the gift within the context of education and the workforce. The backstory that this ad creates is that the wife has worked extra hard to help her husband further his education with a college (or graduate school) degree and she is compensated for her sacrifices with a necklace.
It may seem extreme to want to remove a commercial that is intended to be sweet, but implicational issues like this shape our societies interpretation of what is and is not appropriate for men and women. Furthermore, what is not seen in this commercial is the ever-present issue of dividing a family’s money during a divorce. Many women have been accused of taking “his money” during a divorce settlement or have ended up in awful financial situations due to a family’s previous decision for the husband to continue his education.
The choice of the husband furthering his education is typically the best decision for a family because women still earn about 77 cents to every dollar a man makes (this statistic is even more troublesome for women of color). A simple commercial such as this one by Kay, overlooks its implications and supports harmful gender stereotypes, such as a woman’s greatest aspiration being a necklace. The commercial has caused great controversy and people believe it needs to be removed and Kay should publicly apologize for this sexist ad.