Gender Labels: Men v. Women

Article: A YouTube video has gone viral -- getting over 20 million hits. It's an advertisement put out by Panteen (hair products) in the Philippines. It shows how men and women in the exact same scenarios are labeled differently: a man in a position of power is seen as the boss, while a woman is seen as bossy, etc. Some say the video is horrible and reinforces gender stereotypes; others say the video brings to consciousness how men and women are treated differently and should not be. Panteen claims the video is to break down barriers. Click here for the video.

Discussion:

• Watch/explain the video with your kids. Ask what they think the message is.
• Talk about gender roles and how they can be broken down.