Over the last decade, female empowerment has made significant strides. From the global #MeToo movement to the Aurat March in Pakistan, women are standing up for their rights and breaking through barriers of patriarchal domination. Women are taking on new roles, particularly in Pakistan, from becoming financially independent to pursuing goals and avenues that previously were untouched. In this endeavour of creating new mindsets, who better to do this than our advertising industry?

The latest Shan Foods campaign ‘Khushiyan Chakh Lo’ puts an interesting spin on gender roles, as they weave in and encourage male involvement in domestic duties through a series of ads, whilst simultaneously marketing the ease and utility of their products. The ad for Shahi Haleem Mix showcases a heart-warming exchange between a mother and son. As the mother frets about giving online classes in the wake of Covid-19, her son offers to explain the nitty-gritties of the laptop, helping her get started. Then, glancing at the Shan Masala packet, he quietly takes over the cooking. To his mother’s astonishment, the haleem is shortly cooked and we the audience are feeling warm and fuzzy about the whole thing.

Shan effortlessly and realistically portrays a real-life scenario, the best thing about which is the believability factor. It is natural for a child to be concerned about their parent and it is uplifting to see the reciprocity in this relationship. Shan also presents itself as a brand that clearly wants to communicate the idea (as with their previous ads) that men really can cook, and effectively nurtures the concept of supporting one another within the family, promoting positive steps in building relationships and in turn well-being. Along with this, the dialogue instils a deeper meaning. So, when the son says: “Multi-talented hoon. Aap ki tarha,” it puts a positive spin on both skills – cooking and IT, categorising each as a talent, legitimising them and in turn putting the roles of both men and women in an affirming light.

Shan’s main theme in their other ad series such as 'Khana banana ya ghar chalana- kisi aik ka kaam nahi hai’ was also positively received by audiences. Apart from being aesthetically crafted, with appealing visuals, it conveys the message succinctly, retaining the audiences’ attention throughout. It is a refreshing change to see a new attitude emerging, rather than promoting the typical and dated concept of women meeting family requirements and standards - men also have a role to play. These roles can be interchangeable in accordance with the different demands of life, particularly with working women. This is not an actively feminist perspective, rather a realistic one that the media could propagate more. Media being such a profound influence on societal trends, this advertisement elicits a unanimous thumbs up!

Sana Ahmad Safdar is a freelance writer.