Commercial from Bic is predictably sexist, and more than a little creepy.

by Imran Siddiquee

The Huffington Post commented on this commercial earlier today:

“The commercial operates on the assumption that young women NEED pink pens. In fact, the tween girl featured in the spot is so desperate for a pink pen that she actually rejects an assortment of black and blue pens in her time of writing utensil need. And the Bic Man who finally hands her the pink pen she requires gets a chaste kiss on the cheek for his efforts. “With its fabulous styling and smooth writing, Bic For Her is the only choice,” says the voice-over.”

It’s also worth noting that the “Bic Boy” is kind of idolized by the other teenage boys once he hands over the “magical” pink pen. And then receives a kiss on the cheek. To me, the commercial is strangely being framed from the perspective of the boys rather than the girl – as in, “give girls pink pens and they will like you.”

Is this a big market of pen shoppers? Teenage boys looking to impress girls?

I’m guessing the pen company was already producing this ridiculous commercial long before the (hilarious) skewering “Bic for Her” received from Amazon.co.uk shoppers:

Nevertheless, the fact that this product continues to sell (and, apparently, at a higher price than “regular” pens), means we should continue to let them know that we’re #notbuyingit. We have yet to track down an official Twitter for the company, but in the meantime, post a message on their Facebook page.