Kent’s Classist Ad Reflected Everything Wrong With Us As A Society

An Indian Healthcare company, Kent RO, well known for its water purifiers, has recently launched a new poster as a symbol of a safety measure during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. This, however, attracted strong criticism after the screenshots of the same were published on popular social media platforms.

As a part of their Instagram campaign, the posters read, “Are you allowing your maid to knead atta dough by hand? Her hands may be infected. Don’t compromise on health and purity. Choose Kent atta and bread maker for hands-free kneading of dough. Let automation take care of hygiene this time.”

What made social media users react was the usage of utterly insensitive words by the ad-makers and the company, wherein they ended up reflected the menace of social inequality, and seemed to blame the workers as the ‘infected class’.

Undoubtedly, this entire episode is absolutely cringeworthy. It represents the mindset of the society. On the one hand, while this has drawn a great deal of criticism, this might also go well with the pretentious consciousness of the middle and upper-class consumers.

It is absolutely shameful, that companies are blatantly commercialising such sentiments and kind of encouraging the same. They are seemingly even insensitive towards the pandemic, and putting out wrong information that may even cost domestic helps their jobs and dignity.

Fairness cream brands, like Fair and Lovely, and Fair and Handsome, have already been doing the same ages by degrading people on the basis of skin colour and promoting it as an important parameter for achieving success. However, something that is evident from the immense popularity of such products, is that it is all about social construction and mindset.

So, Kent must be questioned, on what scientific basis they went on to make this claim, because there has been no such data released that people from a certain category are prone to transmit the disease more.

Although there has been strong criticism, that does not seem to be enough in my opinion. There must be strong action taken by the media, that such obnoxious ways of selling products end up being banned.

Note: Mahesh Gupta, chairman of Kent RO Systems Ltd, apologised for the ad, and it has been withdrawn.