Dettol apologises after ‘toxic men’ advert sparks backlash in China | China
British hygiene brand Dettol has apologized after an advert published in China, said to have aimed to criticize “toxic men”, was widely condemned on social media as offensive to women.
The five-minute commercial for multi-purpose sanitizer, released across multiple online platforms at the end of May, features a man comparing his girlfriend to his ex-partner. The man, who learned that his ex-girlfriend was living with someone else before, likens their relationship to “second-hand service”. He then tells his friends that he plans to find a “clean and untouched” woman with whom he can be his first sexual partner.
“I may not be a virgin, but my future wife should be,” he says, adding: “Fortunately, I met her now, she is clean and unaffected by other men.”
The microdrama ends with his new girlfriend finding out about his statements, calling out his misogyny, and breaking up with him. As he throws his socks into the washing machine, a voice says: “A poisonous man is just like these germs; you need Dettol to completely eliminate them to feel comfortable.”
Dettol withdrew the ad on Sunday following widespread criticism from Chinese social media users, with many calling for a boycott of the brand owned by British multinational Reckitt.
In a post apologizing for the advert, Dettol said the promotion aimed to “challenge unequal gender attitudes and promote healthy, confident views about relationships and lifestyles”, but edited clips circulating online distorted the original message.
Dettol said the promotion was produced by a third-party agency but took “liability for any negligence in the creation and review of the content of the ad.” The statement said: “We are aware that true protection also lies in protecting the dignity of every individual and their right to equal treatment.”
The thread has been viewed more than 80 million times on Chinese social media platform Weibo as of Tuesday. “I will never use Dettol again,” wrote one user on the site.
