Al Rifai Gets Sexist And Then Apologizes

So you know I’d never miss an opportunity to name and shame sexist ads and well lucky for me (or not) Lebanese brands’ love affair with sexism in advertising doesn’t look like it’s about to die out anytime soon.

On my naughty list this week is Al Rifai and although their little faux pas looks like a misdemeanour compared to Mazda’s blatantly sexist ad last summer, it still didn’t stop them from taking the heat for it. My bros over at Plus 961 and Blog Baladi were quick to point the ads out before they were quickly pulled off. Al Rifai quickly issued an apology and all is good in nut land.

“Al Rifai would like to point out that the Valentine visuals were not, in any way, trying to belittle the role of women in society. These visuals are part of a campaign that highlights the beauty of every nut and not our view on the role of men and women in society. We believe in equality, not only among people, but also among all our nuts ;-). We hope that you will be able to see things from our perspective.
We thank all of you who appreciated the creativity of the campaign, your support proves that it was a successful one, but in order not to offend anyone and to avoid any further misunderstandings, we have decided to remove 2 of the posted visuals. Wishing you all a Happy Valentine’s Day!”

And although I do take offense in male nuts having “the brains” while the female nuts looking all curvaceous and sexy I am impressed with Al Rifai for listening and making prompt amends. However, I still can’t seem to understand how this ad was not meant to “belittle the role of women in our society.” Someone? Anyone? I’ll tell you this though, male or female, those cashews will give you instant curves. (mmm)

Check out the ads that caused the ruckus.

On another note, at first glance did anyone else associate the branding with Micky D’s?