Kruidvat under fire for advertising laundry detergent as Mother's Day gift idea

A faux pas for Kruidvat. The Dutch drugstore chain’s advertising brochure for Mother’s Day gifts includes laundry detergent. Stereotypical and sexist, according to responses on social media and women’s rights organizations.

“We’re stuck in 1953,” one woman wrote on LinkedIn in response to the flyer. It states: “Surprise mom wth the most beautiful gifts!” advertising fragrance, shower gel, jewelry, and laundry detergent.

Kruidvat is “completely missing the mark,” director Artemis Westenberg of the Dutch Women’s Council, an umbrella for organizations committed to strengthening women’s position in the Netherlands, told RTL Nieuws. “I actually hoped that this would be a parody. That Kruidvat would think: we’re making an advertisement about 75 years ago. But unfortunately not,” she told the broadcaster. “It’s sexist and they’re way off the mark with this advertisement.”

WOMEN Inc. is also critical. “Our research shows that women are often portrayed stereotypically in Dutch advertisements: for example, as the caring woman (for children and/or the household) or as the woman who is concerned with appearance,” a spokesperson told RTL. “We also see this reflected in this Kruidvat brochure, where cosmetic products and detergent are linked to Mother’s Day.” “

When groups are portrayed in a one-sided way, this can influence their opportunities. It is therefore important that everyone becomes aware of limiting stereotypes and actively counteracts them,” the WOMEN Inc. spokesperson stressed.

A spokesperson for Kruidvat told the broadcaster that the drugstore was not deliberately stereotyping women. “The only intent was to communicate a nice offer for detergent, but this offer specifically should not have been on this page, which is unfortunate. We are now looking into where the design went wrong and will take measures to prevent such situations in the future.”