Kendall Jenner set the world ablaze with her infamous Pepsi ad where she cured racism, Islamophobia and police brutality – all with a can of the drink.
Well, there’s a new ad in town that people are debating over.
Recently, Coca-Cola released an ad that shows a Saudi father teaching his young daughter how to drive. Before we dissect the ad, let’s recap a bit as to why it’s a big deal in the first place.
Saudi Arabia’s notorious ban on female drivers was every individual’s argument who wanted to argue that the state is oppressive towards women.
The fact that women were legally not permitted to drive was absurd to many and seemed ridiculous to all.
Recently, in a landmark ruling, the ban on female drivers was lifted.
Saudi Arabia Lifts Ban On Female Drivers #SaudiArabia #FemaleDrivers #Ban #MiddleEast https://t.co/t5ZvU43THD
— Art of Gears (@ArtofGears) October 18, 2017
Soon, transport companies started approaching women to be a part of their workforce.
Uber targets female drivers in Saudi Arabia after ban lifts https://t.co/5duth2aXT0 pic.twitter.com/WksWgqV3CR
— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) October 4, 2017
And, of course, the news was celebrated as well.
https://twitter.com/Ahmed_raaa/status/913075289328152576
https://twitter.com/Kemet2MkMert/status/912978580929466368
Keeping that in mind, let’s get back to the Coca-Cola ad. It begins with the father and daughter trading places.
Next, the father hands over the car keys.
Obviously, there are a few issues while learning in the beginning…
…a few unexpected bumps here and there…
…throughout which, the father remains supportive…
…but the daughter soon proves to be successful in her efforts to learn. The ad ends with its focus on the young daughter, completely absorbed by the thrill of the rush.
The ad seems fine on the surface. Some would even say it’s kinda sweet. It embraces the lifting of the driving ban, which is great. However, the ad’s received a lot of mixed reactions on social media.
While some have stated that it’s about time…
It's about time. Thank you.
— Sherry (@Sherry31008767) November 5, 2017
…and the ad is a starting point for the upliftment of female Saudi drivers…
https://twitter.com/Vafiori/status/926833792286937088
…not everyone felt the same way. Some people pointed out how Kendall could finally take a step back from the spotlight.
If you listen closely, you can hear Kylie Jenner breathing a huge sigh of relief.
"Phew, at last, people will stop talking about my video.."— Stein Bagger (@stein_bagger) November 4, 2017
Flaws in the concept were highlighted.
https://twitter.com/adnanfadil/status/926873071947956225
And some people were extremely morbid with their insight.
they don't show when she gets stoned to death for driving without a male companion though
— (((Da Jew))) (@bo4all) November 4, 2017
What do you have to say about the ad? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
