Ad of the Day: Pantene twists notion of strong women by enlisting its first celeb in a hijab
Pantene has launched an ad in Malaysia that spins off the term ‘WanitaBesi – a Bahasa Malaysia term meaning ‘Iron Lady’ that is traditionally used as an insult to ‘unfeminine’ women.
The ad is the latest in the hair care brand’s ‘Strong is Beautiful’ platform, this time enlisting its first hijab-wearing celebrity, Malaysian singer and songwriter Yuna. She stars in the main creative of the campaign, a film that debuted in cinemas, alongside health and fitness star Linora Low and former Malaysian national diver Adeline Chin.
May Teoh, general manager Procter & Gamble Malaysia, said: “Pantene has always championed the inner strength of women across the world and I am proud to unveil #Wanitabesi a uniquely Malaysian expression of our belief of “Strong Is Beautiful” that every woman has the strength inside to be the very best that they can be.”
The idea behind the film is to show that the phrase has a new meaning and that strength can be found in triumphing over adversity, the main adversity often simply being a woman. The song in the background of the film is a nursery rhyme called ‘Bangun Pagi’. It is given a spin too, being sung by an all-girl choir. The last part of the lyrics have been changed to be about inner strength.
Yuna said of the campaign: “It is a fact that every year thousands of girls cast aside their passions under the weight of peer pressure. Phrases such as ‘Wanita Besi’ are used negatively in the schools, sports fields and across social media, forcing us to doubt ourselves and give up on our dreams.
"It’s time to flip the script. I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of strong women in my life, or as I now call them ‘WanitaBesi’, together we can all inspire each other to chase after our dreams.”
The campaign was created by Grey Group in Malasyia, with the film being shot by Think Tank.
Earlier this year, Pantene enlisted the help of actress Priyanka Chopra to spread the message of #GoGentle.
