Bic pen company’s sexist advert sparks Twitter storm

SOMETIMES the mind just boggles. Pen company Bic has been slammed for running a sexist advert that completely missed the mark. Unsurprisingly, the reaction was fierce.

THE South African branch of pen company Bic has been lambasted after it released an undeniably sexist advert which completely missed the mark.

Below the image of an attractive woman in business attire, was the company’s logo and the message: #HappyWomensDay.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction was fierce. And online outrage quickly ensued. Here’s just a sample of the more mild Twitter reactions.

Bic please, that's not how we roll in 2015. #WomensDay

— Staedtler SA (@Staedtlersa) August 11, 2015

They made a Bic mistake.

— Mabine Seabe II (@Mabine_Seabe) August 11, 2015

WOW. What kind of advert is this?! I'm exhausted #everydaysexism http://t.co/Rh6vL1ZitK

— Ronke Lawal (@ronkelawal) August 11, 2015

Bic took to its Facebook page overnight to apologise and try to redeem itself.

“Hi everyone. Let’s start out by saying we’re incredibly sorry for offending everybody — that was never our intention, but we completely understand where we’ve gone wrong. This post should never have gone out. The feedback you have given us will help us ensure that something like this will never happen again, and we appreciate that,” the company wrote.

Customers responded by vowing never to buy Bic products again, with one posting this brilliant meme:

#HappyMensDay!

Others questioned why the company had not learned from its earlier gaffe.

In 2012, it was criticised after launching the Miss Bic ballpoint pen range, with pink pens marketed as “designed to fit comfortably in a woman’s hand”.

Men took to Bic’s Amazon page to mock the campaign, posting questions like: “I am a man. Is it safe to use this pen?” and “I have started the menopause, will I still be eligible to buy them?”

To which another reviewer responded: “No dear, these pens are meant for people who still have something to give. You should get a nice, safe, blue pen, or knitting.”

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres poked extensive fun at the range on her show a few years ago, concluding: “We’ve come a long way, baby.”

“I know you’re thinking: ‘it’s about damn time. Where have our pens been? Can you believe this — we’re been using man pens all these years,” Degeneres quipped.

Destroy the Joint co-founder Jenna Price told news.com.au it was time for advertising executives to be named and shamed for sexist campaigns.

“To be honest, I think we need to stop focusing on these ads. Instead we need ad-writer shaming, to find out exactly who thinks this stuff up,” Ms Price said.

“Then we need management shaming, to find out who signed off on this kind of work, which is so utterly out of touch with more than half the market. These brands deserve a girlcott. No, wait. Don’t waste your energy. Move to a tablet and a stylus.”

Originally published as Bic pen company’s sexist advert sparks Twitter storm