• Home
  • Mail
  • Flickr
  • Tumblr
  • News
  • Sports
  • Finance
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Answers
  • Groups
  • More
Yahoo
    • Skip to Navigation
    • Skip to Main Content
    • Skip to Related Content
    Entertainment Home
    Follow Us
    • Stagecoach
    • TV
    • Movies
    • Celebrity
    • Music
    • Videos
    • Reviews
    • Movie Showtimes

    Ikea's Sexist TV Ad Tells Women They Are Nothing Without A Boyfriend

    HuffPost
    HuffPostOctober 26, 2017
    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share

    Ikea is catching heat for a sexist television commercial in mainland China that it has now pulled from the air.

    The Swedish furniture company’s ad shows a mother berating her 20-something daughter for not bringing a boyfriend home for dinner. She tells the young woman not to call her “mom” if she fails to bring someone back for the next meal, per the BBC.

    A man who the daughter claims is her partner then suddenly arrives at the door, and her parents react in delight ― surrounded by Ikea products.

    The implication that the woman is nothing to her mother unless she has a boyfriend riled some viewers. They labelled Ikea’s 30-second spot, above, “sexist” and “twisted,” reports Global News.

    Critics also accused Ikea of making light of the stigma surrounding single women in China, who are often scorned as “leftover women” if they don’t marry by age 27. 

    Ikea apologized for the tone-deaf ad over Weibo, China’s Twitter-like micro-blogging service, on Tuesday:

    (Weibo)
    (Weibo)

    “We understand the concern caused by this TV advertisement and sincerely apologize for giving the wrong perception,” the company wrote. Ikea “encourages people to live many different lifestyles” and sees gender equality as a “fundamental part” of its culture and values, the statement said.

    Linda Xu, Ikea’s China spokeswoman, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the ad had been “withdrawn from all channels.”

    The founder of Chinese retail consultancy Nofashion, Tang Xiaotang, told the South China Morning Post that foreign companies should be “very careful” when it came to topics “related to nationalism and women’s rights” in China because “both are areas of high sensitivity.”

    • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
    Reblog
    Share
    Tweet
    Share

    What to Read Next

    • Tom Brokaw Accused of Sexual Harassment By Former NBC Anchor

      Variety
    • Trump had a revealing meltdown on 'Fox & Friends' this morning

      Yahoo TV
    • Family of Avicii confirms death was a suicide: 'He wanted to find peace'

      AOL.com
    • Kanye West posts private texts with John Legend about Trump, says 'don't let peer pressure manipulate' your politics

      Yahoo Celebrity
    • Janelle Monae Comes Out as ‘A Queer Black Woman in America’

      Variety
    • Trump dug himself into a legal hole during 'Fox and Friends' interview, and Twitter loved it

      Yahoo Entertainment
    • Husband of woman sucked out of Southwest plane speaks out

      Yahoo View
    • Instagram Swoons Over New Dog Star Named 'Beaux Tox' Who Was Born with a Facial Deformity

      People
    • 'You raped women, Bill Cosby': How a bit in Hannibal Buress's standup led to the takedown of an icon

      Yahoo Celebrity
    • John Legend to Kanye West: 'So Many People Who Love You Feel So Betrayed Right Now'

      Complex
    • PEOPLE Explains: All About The Sex Trafficking Charges Against Smallville's Allison Mack

      People
    • Chris Hemsworth Says His Wife Fights With Him in Spanish, But He Doesn't Understand!

      Entertainment Tonight Videos
    • Chrissy Teigen doesn't approve of Kanye West tweeting John Legend's texts

      You Win Internet
    • What's the likelihood that Bill Cosby will actually go to jail? Legal experts weigh in.

      Yahoo Celebrity
    • Bill Cosby Found Guilty In Sexual Assault Retrial, Lashes Out In Court After Verdict; Defense Plans Appeal – Update

      Deadline
    • Kim Kardashian nearly shows her lady bits in racy pic for beauty line (updated)

      Yahoo Celebrity

    James Comey: I'm 'Embarrassed and Ashamed' by the Republican Party

    Fred: November Elections

    Join the Conversation
    1 / 5

    3k

    • Kim Kardashian reveals she and husband Kanye West have 'different feelings' about Donald Trump

      AOL.com
    • 'Oh! Susanna' songwriter's statue removed amid criticism

      Associated Press
    • Kym Johnson Shares Sweet Photo With Robert Herjavec Moments After Giving Birth to Twins

      Entertainment Tonight
    • Photos Of Meghan Markle's Style Transformation Since Her Royal Engagement

      HuffPost
    • Grandma Has Arrived! Carole Middleton Checks in on Kate and the Royal Baby at the Palace

      People
    • Avicii’s Family Issues Second Statement, Implies Suicide: ‘He Could Not Go On Any Longer’

      Variety
    • Katherine Heigl Steps In for Meghan Markle on 'Suits' -- Watch!

      Entertainment Tonight Videos
    • These Are the Golden State Killer's Murder Victims: Newlyweds, a Mom and More Lives Cut Short

      People
    • Kanye West spouts off on Trump and Obama as Kim Kardashian tells people to back off mental health speculation

      Yahoo Celebrity
    • Trump out of bounds with FBI attacks: GOP senator

      Yahoo View
    • Hot Mama! Kim Kardashian West's Sexiest Photos Since Welcoming Baby Chicago

      People
    • Patton Oswalt Fires Back at Police Saying Late Wife Help Catch Golden State Killer

      The Wrap
    • Bill Cosby Yells At Prosecutor After Guilty Verdict: 'You A**hole!'

      HuffPost
    • Trump Says Cohen Represented Him In 'Crazy Stormy Daniels Deal'

      Yahoo View
    • Meghan Markle gets married ahead of royal wedding on 'Suits'

      Yahoo TV
    • Leaked audio reveals NFL owners true feelings about Trump presidency

      Yahoo View