BIC sure does offend a lot of people for a pen company. Perhaps trying to undo the damage from their 2012 "Bic for her" fiasco, BIC South Africa came out with a "Think Like a Man" ad -- celebrating Women's Day, obviously.
How hard was it for them to get this so, so wrong? Here's the ad, which was posted on BIC South Africa's Facebook page but has since been removed.
I mean, doesn't that say it all? This is workplace sexism in a snapshot. Thanks for pointing it out, BIC! What do they even mean by "look like a girl" -- ??? Do they mean show up in head-to-toe pink and wear your hair in pigtails? Or do they mean -- oh dear God, please tell me that's not supposed to mean don't show your age. "Look forever 18!"
And what's "think like a man" about? The original Think Like a Man was a dating book by comic Steve Harvey. It was about understanding how men think within the context of dating -- not the workplace. I mean, do I really have to unpack this?
Hey, can we please have this ad next time?
Anyway, the backlash slapped BIC SA so hard they issued an apology via Facebook pronto.
We would like to apologise to all our fans who took offense to our recent Women’s Day Post. We can assure you that we meant it in the most empowering way possible and in no way derogatory towards women. We took the quote from a 'Women in Business' blog site. The blog site explains the quote and what its intentions were when it was written. BIC believe in celebrating women and the powerful contribution women make to our society.
Oh sure, BIC. Blame a woman for your mistake! The blog site they're referring to, the Sunday Times discovered, is Spicy Broccoli, and the post itself has also since been removed (there's a lot of removing in this story). But they quote the author, Sarah Taylor.
Thinking like a man aids you to achieve a professional standard in the business world. This is because women who know how to position themselves are more successful. Sheer nerve and real guts will get your further than talent, which is sad because those with real talent go unnoticed; but let’s face it, it is the truth.
If you dress like a lady, but think like a man it's safe to say that you will not be mistaken in your field, it will show you are confident and know what you are doing, which is fantastic in running a business.
Okay ... there's a little more nuance here that the Bic ad was missing, though I think Taylor could have been clearer about what she means by "thinking like a man." We're hoping it's some reference to the practice of gender-based code switching within male-dominated industries in order to subvert certain biases. You totally meant that, right Sarah Taylor? Note that there's no mention of girls, who use markers and crayons, FYI.
More from The Stir: Hilarious BIC 'For Her' Pen Reviews
Meanwhile, the Internet wasted no time in spoofing the ad like you knew they would.
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Sexist Bic pen ad intended to celebrate women backfires, inspires funny spoofs http://t.co/g4YrKxdnJBpic.twitter.com/NUuooX2xgX
— TAXI (@designtaxi) August 12, 2015Is this what a pen for men would look like?
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Love my new Bic pen for Men pic.twitter.com/7wpRuyMxVF
— AtheistEqualistGamer (@tauriqmoosa) August 11, 2015Rival pen company Stabilo wants us to consider our options.
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Sorry to highlight your mistake #Bic, but we thought this was more appropriate... #HappyWomensDaypic.twitter.com/NvSzDWknUJ
— STABILOUK (@STABILOUK) August 12, 2015I saved the best one for last.
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That sexist Bic ad is applicable to the career of Christopher Biggins and literally nobody else. pic.twitter.com/nuSkvgkZap
— Ms Slide (@sliderulesyou) August 11, 2015There you go! There's you're Happy Women's Day Here's a Pen ad. Love it.
Images via bikeriderlondon/shutterstock; BIC SA; Dean Drobot/shutterstock