Netizens Polarized Over Dabur's New Ad Depicting Lesbian Couple Celebrating Karva Chauth

In this season of festivals and controversies in India, FMCG company Dabur India has released an advertisement for its product Fem Creme bleach on the occasion of Karva Chauth. The commercial, depicting same-sex couples, is getting mixed reactions from netizens.

 The Advertisement

The commercial starts by showing two young women, one applying the Fem Creme Gold bleach on the other. Then they tell each other as to why they were having "such a difficult fast."Meanwhile, another woman joins and gives both of them sarees for their "first Karva Chauth."

Then in the night, the women are seen facing each other with a sieve and a decorated plate with water in front of them, signaling that they are partners after which Fem's logo appears on the screen and the voiceover says, "glow with pride".

 Mixed Reactions

The advertisement is being seen as supporting same-sex marriage along with promoting its bleach product Fem Creme Gold.

The theme of the commercial has brought mixed reactions on social media. While some are praising it for being inclusive and progressive, others are criticizing it for hurting Hindu sentiments.

Some others have pointed out the contradiction in the "progressive tone" of the advertisement, saying it also promotes a skin whitening product, which is a kind of racism against dark-skinned people.

 "Inclusive And Progressive"

"Well done, Fem/Dabur! A nice film for a traditional, often-criticized festival by an otherwise conservative brand," wrote a social media user appreciating the advertisement.

"It is great to see that inclusive ads can be made only with Hindu festivals and traditions as Hinduism doesn't discriminate and accepts all," another said.

 "Attack On Hindu Ethos"

Shefali Vaidya, a freelance writer and newspaper columnist, tweeted, "The Fem bleach ad about Lesbians doing Karwachauth is another calculated and systematic attack on Hindu sensibilities any ethos. Would the owner @SunitaRamnathk3 dare to show two women lovers feeding each other Iftar dishes to break their Ramzan fast?"

Another user angry with the commercial said, "Why doesn't Dabur or whoever come up with similar ads for Xmas or E!D or any other festival? Why target Hindu festivals every time? My religion and my festivals are not a platform for social issues. Please leave them alone..."

 "Ironic"

Some others raised questions over the promotion of a skin whitening product. A user on YouTube said, "What I find offensive is that these women are using a skin whitening product as part of their beauty preparations. Brown women, your skin is BEAUTIFUL the way it is. PLEASE don't engage in these unhealthy practices. Yes, I am all for supporting our LGBTQ community. However, isn't it ironic that this so-called "progressive" is for skin whitening?"

 A Season Of Festivals And Controversies

Earlier to it, a commercial of the handmade garments company Fabindia had drawn fierce criticism for calling the festival of Diwali "Jashn-e-Riwaz" and faced allegations of trying to "Abrahamise the Hindu culture". The company had to take the commercial back and apologize "for hurting sentiments".

Then, a Ceat tires commercial got into a controversy in which actor Aamir Khan was seen advising people not to burst crackers on the streets. To this, BJP MP Anant Kumar Hegde had written a letter to the company's MD and CEO Anant Vardhan Goenka. In the letter, the MP had advised the tire major to also address the "problem blocking roads in the name of Namaz and noise emitted from mosques during Azan."