New Delhi: An advertisement featuring a same-sex couple celebrating Karwa Chauth has divided netizens.
The advertisement, launched during the weekend, shows two women preparing for their first Karwa Chauth — an occasion when married women fast throughout the day praying for their husbands’ long and healthy life — with one applying bleach on the other’s face. They are in conversation, discussing significance of the festival and why they are observing the fast for their partner.
It’s only towards the end of the video that it is revealed the two women have kept the fast for one another. They spot the moon and face each other, looking through the ritualistic sieves, a custom observed before breaking the fast.
While some questioned why a lesbian couple would celebrate a ritual like Karwa Chauth, others didn’t find it demeaning.
There were even some users who expressed mixed feelings. Here are some of the reactions by netizens:
Why would lesbian couple celebrate a allegedly patriarchal ritual like #KarwaChauth?
The conceptualisation of the ad itself is fundamentally flawed. It seems Dabur/Fem’s only objective was to get their share of stick and outrage.
Its a new featish among brands.
— Vikrant ~ विक्रांत (@vikrantkumar) October 23, 2021
Fairness products are inherently casteist and racist. Adding an LGBTQI angle doesn’t change that ??♂️ #Fem #Dabur #FairnessCreams https://t.co/iOlHFaMHlN
— There_is_no_try (@akanna_42) October 23, 2021
Well done, Fem/Dabur!
A nice film for a traditional, often-criticized festival by an otherwise conservative brand. pic.twitter.com/gHBTca6jP8
— Abhishek Baxi (@baxiabhishek) October 22, 2021
Mixed feelings about this one – accepting non traditional relationships is good, but then promoting a misogynistic tradition and also spreading the “fair is beautiful” trope.
— The Shah of Blah ? (@mrgnk) October 23, 2021
Saw the new Dabur Fem Glow ad. I didn’t find it demeaning at all. They didn’t abuse any rituals. For me personally, it felt so satisfying. Because they showed the fem couple traditionally, which rarely happens (it’s usually uptown rep, etc).
So yeah, I liked the ad.
— Radha ?? (@RK_twuwu) October 23, 2021
