Lipstick and gender discrimination

I read the interview of Jacques Catherine in Friday 19th of march l?express with much interest. I agree with him that humour is a rare commodity in Mauritius and we should not be hysterical about certain issues. But when so many stereotypes are still perpetuating more on women than men, there is indeed need for great concern. Publicity is very often part of the problem rather than the solution.

I wrote the following paper soon after the ?BA Lady? ad campaign started. I even interviewed Sanjiv Nuckchady of BAI as you can see from the article.

Does lipstick tell a tale on you?

?It?s my right?? These words come like a leitmotif whenever we want to defend ourselves. Words that are always on our lips. Whether we are a woman, a man or a child, we all have rights. It is indeed the right of any woman to ?Be a (BA) lady? but when ?it?s my right? is written with a lipstick in a well-publicised advertisement, some women are not prepared to button their lips.

The British American Insurance (BAI) must be congratulated for this groundbreaking insurance plan designed exclusively for women. ?Women too have rights,? said Sanjiv Nuckchady, Director General of British American Insurance. ?This is why we have decided to focus on women. This insurance is the first of its kind. We believe in women. Traditional roles are changing and traditional insurance plans must also change. Women have different needs,? Nuckchady added.

But why do so many women and men find a lipstick writing the words ?It?s my right!? to advertise this groundbreaking insurance to be discriminatory? For some women, the visual language of the advertisement does not create and nurture diversity. ?I do not wear lipstick,? said a lady while her friend said, ?look if you can find a lipstick in my bag.? Women feel that the image of this advertisement, which is being extensively covered by the electronic media, the print media and billboards, is implicit gender discrimination. ?Not all women colour their lips and in certain culture this is not accepted,? said a female journalist of the electronic media.

On the other hand quite a few men too believe that this particular insurance plan is explicit gender discrimination, as it does not cover men. ?Why an insurance for women only? This insurance is discriminating men,? said a journalist from the print media.

?I am sorry to hear that the image of a lipstick is being taken as gender stereotype,? replied Sanjiv Nuckchady who assured Media Watch that ?we did lots of ground work before deciding on what image to use. It is not our intention to hurt any feelings. A panel of fifteen women of different ages, cultural groups and ethnicity met to discuss the project, the best image to use and to probe further into the best market strategy. We wanted to hear the voices of the women themselves on what they want on something that concerns them. Some decided on a pair of stiletto heels while others went for a large shopping bag. But the final and unanimous decision was a lipstick.?

Both the high heel shoes and the shopping bag would have perpetuated gender stereotypes even more meaning women in general wear high heel shoes while the shopping bag would have meant that shopping is associated with women and not men. But unfortunately, some women find the lipstick not appropriate for an insurance which covers them. It is indeed difficult to strike the right balance although as Sanjiv Nuckchady said, ?our aim is to target all women irrespective of class, religion or culture. From homemakers to the top professionals.?

?BA Lady? is indeed and innovative package and quite a few journalists have put ?pen? and not ?lipstick? to paper to give all the details that this insurance offers to women. (?) It is a fact that the needs of women for an insurance coverage are different from that of men. This insurance goes in line with positive discrimination (or ?affirmative action? or ?positive action? as some may call it) by giving a preferential treatment to women who have been disadvantaged by a certain type of insurance which does not cover illnesses specific to women. Main beneficiaries of positive discrimination are normally women and BAI has been shrewd in its planning of the ?BA Lady? marketing and advertising strategy.

?This is both affirmative action and positive discrimination. Women are no longer homemakers like in the times of our grandparents. We are seeing the emergence of a new type of women with very challenging roles. There are women in all sectors of life. We are even seeing women as engineers and pilots. Their needs are different from men. We must also bear in mind that women have cancers that men do not have. Men do not get pregnant and sometimes there are complications related to pregnancy. Women sometimes have to do lumpectomy, hysterectomy or mastectomy which men don?t. Apart from contributing to the economic life of the country, women are very often the sole breadwinners in a family. We must protect them.? According to Sanjiv Nuckchady BAI wants to bring its share of contribution in bringing a gender balance in insurances as well. Some illnesses are not covered by traditional insurance and it is the ?right of every woman? to have a ?BA Lady? with or without lipstick.