What is the controversy around Vim Black, the ‘dishwashing liquid for men’

Has Vim really brought out a dishwashing liquid exclusively for men? What is the controversy about, and how has the brand responded to it? We explain.

The ad and the backlash

A video of the ad — shared by model Milind Soman and MTVIndia on Instagram on Friday — shows a man in a gym talking about how he “helped” his mother do dishes. Soman approaches the man, praises him for “bragging”, and then offers him Vim Black, with the advice, “Vim Black for men, easy to clean, more to brag”.

Soon, the ad and screenshots of the product were all over social media, with many joking, more fuming, and a few pointing out that the ad appeared to be satirical. Milind Soman too came in for some trolling, for endorsing a ‘sexist’ ad campaign.

Vim’s clarification

On Sunday, Vim finally clarified that the ad had been a joke. “We aren’t serious about the black pack, but we are super serious about men owning chores at home!” Vim posted on Instagram on Sunday.

In another post on the social media platform, Vim again sought to make the point that household chores are men’s chores too, and they earn no bragging rights by doing what is their job.

&

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vim India Official (@vimindia)

“Dear Men, we see you bragging about the limited edition Vim Black bottle. But we forgot to tell you one teeny tiny detail – Only the bottle is different, the liquid inside has been the same all along! Bartan dhona sabke liye ek jaisa, toh liquid bhi ek hoga na (washing dishes is the same for everyone, so the liquid too will be the same). You don’t need a new bottle to enter the kitchen, just the realisation that these are your chores too. As you take on new year resolutions, why not chalk in owning your chores and make sure you cut out those bragging skills? P.S. No men were harmed during the making of this campaign,” the note said.

The black colour of the bottle seems to be a jab at how products for men are often packaged in ‘manly’ colours of black, olive green, blue, etc., while women’s products tend to come in pink, peach, and other ‘softer’ shades.

Not the first time

This is not the first time Vim has come out with an ad with the message that household chores are not a woman’s job alone.

In 2020, its ‘what a player’ ad showed cricketer Virender Sehwag doing dishes, while a cricket match commentary running in the background praised his ‘performance’.

In 2021, its campaign with the tagline ‘Nazariya Badlo, Dekho Bartano Se Aage (change your viewpoint, look beyond the dishes)’ attacked the same stereotype. One of the ads showed a man and woman meeting before their marriage, and the woman telling him he should be “independent” about doing household chores.

History of sexist ads

The uproar in response to the recent Vim ad can be understood in the context of the many sexist ads that continue to be made in India and in other parts of the world.

To give just one example, earlier this year, the government had to step in after a deodorant brand’s ad appeared to trivialise sexual violence.

The Information and Broadcasting Ministry in June asked Twitter and YouTube to take down the Layer’r Shot ad, stating it violated the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.