MUMBAI: Are we teaching our sons what we are teaching our daughters? Ariel reignited conversation on domestic inequality in January and raised this pertinent question, with their latest campaign Sons #ShareTheLoad. The brand believes that one of the prime factors for the existing household inequality is that the sons of today are not equipped to share the load at home. Today, on World Laundry Day, Ariel hosted a unique mother-son fashion show at Hotel Taj, Chandigarh, to propagate the idea of teaching sons’ household tasks. The brand revealed a new concept, whereby they appeal to the sons of India, to convert Sundays into SON-Days! Sundays are often meant for the family to relax, but often the mother ends up working twice as hard on that day, catching up on the week’s pending chores. Sons can take the task of lightening the load for the mothers, and pledge to participate equally in household chores. To enable this, the brand will come up with unique tutorials, tasks and challenges for the next 1 month, where every Sunday they will teach the sons 1 new task.
Participating in the fashion show were real-life mother-son duos chosen through an online contest. Joining them were also top influencers from Chandigarh with their mothers. It was a fashion show with a difference. Just as how designers display their unique designs at fashion show, Ariel Son-Day Fashion show had mums dressed in outfits washed by their sons, with a little help from Ariel. They had son-washed badges that affirmed the task undertaken by their sons as they confidently walked the ramp and took pride in raising a son who knows how to #ShareTheLoad.
The event’s highlight were the showstoppers - the very popular Siddhant Chaturvedi aka MC Sher of ‘Gully Boy’ fame and his mother – Meenal Chaturvedy who was also donning a Son-washed attire. Together they lauded Son-Day and emphasized on the need to teach sons to #ShareTheLoad so that they grow up to be equal partners to their spouse. Siddhant also unveiled the #ShareTheLoad rap song, which not just tells you why it is important to learn to share the load, but also how to do the laundry – all in an easy, fun song. Now, the young boys won’t have any excuse of not sharing the load.
Acclaimed actor Siddhant Chaturvedi said, “I loved the concept of Son-Day. It’s such a simple yet effective idea to drive equality at home. It’s not a huge ask either. If you love your mom so much, it’s only natural that you extend all your support to her at home. Every Sunday can become Son-Day, if every son contributes in sharing the load. I promise to do it as a practice as it is a great way to bond with my mom. Look out for the interesting lessons from Ariel for the next 4 Sundays. The first one is a special one – a rap song on how to do laundry! With such interesting concepts, Ariel is ensuring that they bring everyone aboard the journey towards a more equal tomorrow. So, let’s get rolling by doing laundry as it’s the easiest task to get started with.”
Meenal Chaturvedy, mother of Siddhant Chaturvedi added, “It’s so empowering and overwhelming at the same time to walk the ramp wearing outfit washed by my son. Inculcating simple values in your child can have a great impact in their life. While at a subconscious level, all moms realize that they should have taught their sons basic life skills when they see them struggling with basic household chores. However, it’s never too late, start it this Sunday with Son-Day. I am glad that a brand like Ariel has taken up the onus to drive change. The onus is also on us as mothers to be the changemakers and raise generation equal sons.”
Sonali Dhawan, Marketing Director, P&G India, and Fabric Care said, “Share The Load has always sought to address the inequality within the household, by raising questions that make the viewer think, introspect and act. With Son-Day, we are focusing on the younger generation, who if raised in a balanced manner, will grow up to be a generation of equals - the responsibility lies on our generation of parents. We want to equip the younger generation to be able to shoulder responsibilities and do it in a manner that is interesting and engaging for them. A rap song that teaches laundry is just the start, we have more such ways coming up in the following weeks. If a simple idea of converting Sunday to Son-Day can bring about some change, Ariel will continue to be the face of the change. Because with Ariel, it’s so simple to do laundry that there’s no reason for anyone to not share the load!”
Ariel has been unearthing the reality of inequality within households since 2015 with their award-winning movement #ShareTheLoad. While more men today are sharing the load than ever before, we are still many steps further from the ideal state of an equal future. The newly-released edition of #ShareTheLoad that urges mothers of today’s generation to raise a generation of equals has resonated with many parents, newly married couples, influencers and has already received tremendous support and commendation from audiences across India. The film that released on January 24th, 2019 garnered 35MM views in 2 months!
Watch Ariel’s Sons #ShareTheLoad campaign video here-
So, don’t just be Mamma’s Boy, be Mamma’s real SON. ShareTheLoad every Sunday.
