Then the horror strikes again. A huge, shiny Mercedes drives up to the school and a wealthy developer steps out and slaps a sign on the school wall. Tergusur! This land is being reclaimed! The pretty young teacher steps out to confront the developer and they instantly recognize one another as the young lovers from the past. They look into each other's eyes and we can see young love rekindled. What the message was going to be. Was it for a foundation dedicated to supporting the poor downtrodden masses? No, it was Ponds. The message: if the teacher had only used Ponds and had whiter, clearer skin, she could have won the rich guy and saved herself, her school, and the poor masses.
Your comments:
Oh lady, you rule! (No, not for being white, but for writing this). I loved reading this. Why couldn't they just film a story of a girl who liked playing on the beach or doing water sports and needed the lotion to keep her skin clear? Would have saved more time and money and made more sense. Nevertheless, your article made me laugh, so thank you!
Maya Fitri
We see from this the advertisement did manage to attract attention; therefore it was a successful, albeit shameless, one. Unilever headquarters may not have been the one to decide what kind of advertising should be aired on Indonesian TV, so it is not a question of white supremacists.
It should have been the ad agency's responsibility to make a more appropriate and less insulting ad for Pond's.
Advertising can be a reflection of a nation's level of sophistication. Beauty is more than skin deep. Please do not give ad agencies the power to stir up your anger; their tastes are as cheap as their morals.
Sledet
I loved this article! Women should shout out about this kind of thing, and not just sit and watch TV, and let images of perfect white-skinned ladies poison our minds.
Cherika
TV advertising can fool people. What about those alternative medication ads that fool so many people. Where is the control of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) in all of this?
B. Yusuf.
I think TV ads have a tendency to fool people, depending on their educational background. Educated people don't let themselves be affected by such junk, but many people out there, uneducated, take it as a guideline. TV ads have made people live in fear and be dissatisfied with who they really are.
Like B. Yusuf said, where is the KPI in all of this?
Indri Stalla
I agree. I have not seen the full ad, because after seeing previous ads, I knew what kind of ad it would be. All of Pond's ads always give the same message; that women must have fair skin or they will never be happy.
It makes me sick! Whoever came up with the idea needs to be banned from making another commercial. Shame on you!
Dee Irawan
I was shocked to read your article. Not shocked by the content that is something we all know, and have grown to simply ignore. (We do not have the power to stop TV stations accepting money from advertisers).
Shocked by the fact you wrote the article and it appeared in the media. I now have a little more respect for the media. I hope the media can continue to publish such views from both sides of world - the greedy money world and the normal human world.
VelShan
It is a totally unacceptable advertisement to be shown publicly, on the television especially. Why would someone combine the unfortunate conditions that exist in the country with personal economic ambition in the first place? It is inappropriate for such a big cosmetic company to convey their products' features in this way.
Rayzafranc
Yes, Indonesia is a tough child to adopt. But what is your point? Stupid and sexist beauty ideals are hardly confined to Indonesian society and many countries have brutal colonial pasts.
You are not the first expatriate to move to Indonesia and find that it has just as much wrong with it as the place you left.
Scot
Dude, get a life. I watched the same silly ad, and I got nowhere near the racist impression you are suggesting.
Not that the ad was good - I was really bored for 20 minutes wondering whether I had entered the wrong theater - but it is definitely not racist. Just another one of those over-the-top, naive "love wins it all" tales Indonesians seem to like so much.
Budi Gunawan
These ads are based on research and reflect what people think and what would work best.
Don't complain about the TV ad. Complain about mindset of Indonesian people.
Bob M
