At the risk of getting pelted with seasoning cubes, I’d like to state that I like the Maggi ad. I say it up front so that all readers who hate the ad and have no interest in reading a contrary viewpoint can close this page and save their data & time. If you haven’t seen the ad. Here it is.
Second disclaimer: I have worked with the Maggi brand in the past but this post isn’t sponsored. As a millennial mother, I represent a demographic they’re interested in. They’ve engaged Nigerian bloggers and influencers, organising events that explore the intersection of food and lifestyle elements like art, music & fashion. They launched a Youtube series chronicling the lives of West African women. They want to win us like they won our mothers. In this age of choice, smashing glass ceilings and “having it all”, they give us an ad that shows a young mother outside the kitchen with a personality beyond “meal provider”. It was nice to see an iconic brand celebrate the working women who do extraordinary things and have lives outside their kitchens and the “other room”. Because why can’t she be many things?
But why does she look so perfect doing it all? Why can’t she look sweaty like we do, with mascara running down her face and her hair dishevelled? Why does she have to have it all? It’s not realistic (for me).
My question is: why do we seek reality in adverts? Wouldn’t it be a problem if television reflected with unquestionable accuracy the details of our everyday life? Does Red Bull give us wings?
But Maggi should know that gender stereotypes and roles are a hot button now. Why doesn’t the husband help her? This ad encourages young men to hold unrealistic expectations of their future wives.
But I would expect that couples have honest conversations with each other about all expectations. Is it reasonable for me to expect to my husband to wake me up every morning we’re apart to watch the sun rise together ? Will Lagos traffic even let me be great? And who remembers the Michael Power ad series Guinness used to market their stout to Africans? Michael Power was something of an African “James Bond” with extraordinary strength and wit, and a fondness for stout. Would a young woman use Michael Power to define standards by which to judge her future husband?
Any man who wants to marry a Maggi wife, will look for and woo a woman like the ad. If he expects Maggi standards, and woos a woman whose “all” does not involve the roles portrayed, he deserves whatever he gets. And if a woman knows that her suitor expects Maggi standards that she cannot or has no intention to meet, then she should turn down his advances. But this is not a discussion on how to run relationships.
It goes back to that question. Can women have it all? One answer endures, “Yes, but every woman must decide for herself what all means.” There’s a perception that no woman can have it all. It simply is not realistic for a woman to be pleasant to her children, look good, get applauded at work, pick out fresh ingredients in the market and still come home to cook by herself with a smile. But have you met my friend, Ozoz of kitchenbutterfly.com?
There’s a perception that women who try to live like the Maggi woman must be secretly unhappy and on the verge of a breakdown caused by shouldering such a great burden. We think we have to “help” them by dismantling these standards that we consider unreasonable. This is a noble goal. But I first ask that we consider for a second that there might be women who freely choose to do these things (all by themselves and with a smile).
We don’t get to decide for women what their “all” is . For some women, “all” is a six-pack, a rich husband, a thriving career and half a dozen children. For some women, “all” is an 8-figure salary, time to travel the world and a fit lifestyle. Our Maggi woman, for instance, cooked rice. And we all know it’s not fit-fam friendly, duh ?.
For the Maggi woman, all is “loving her family, looking good, getting accolades at work and cooking meals with ingredients she shops for.” Is that too much to ask?
I’d like to end with this clip showing a second ad with the same theme but a mother who doesn’t go to work. What do you think about this one?
