Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | 9th April 2020: The unequal division of domestic chores has been a reality for generations. Even today, 71% women sleep less than their husbands due to this inequality. On this International ASMR Day, Ariel India is giving men yet another reason to #ShareTheLoad of domestic tasks, and giving women a way to relax, stay calm and sleep better!
Ariel’s latest ShareTheLoad movement – #ShareTheLoad for Equal Sleep is all about impact and action. Uneven division of household chores like laundry is coming in the way of women getting enough sleep and rest. Taking the conversation further and in context of the current times, today on International ASMR Day, Ariel collaborated with American ASMR youtuber and artist GIBI ASMR to curate a #ShareTheLoad ASMR. This ASMR video is a depiction of a husband doing the laundry, the sound of which is calming for the women! Nothing is more blissful for women than the sound of some household chores being done by men and being done well! When women are assured that the household chores are being taken care of, they can relax and sleep better.
The video is of 6-minute duration and teaches men to take up task like laundry as it is the easiest task to get started with. The Ariel #ShareTheLoad ASMR video teaches men the simple step of laundry. It serves two purposes- Men learning how to do laundry and the therapeutic and soothing sound of the chore when partners take up laundry that can help women relax or sleep better.
ASMR stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response”. It is the term for the strange, tingly sensation people get when they watch stimulating videos that could help them relax and can even cause them to fall asleep. Such videos are very popular globally and are deemed very helpful in calming down anxiety. Gibi, who has around 2.53 million subscribers on YouTube, is globally renowned for her variety of ASMR videos.
In today’s times when people are all staying indoors, they are not just working from home but also working for home. It is heartening to see more and more men come forward and take pride in doing household chores to be equal partners to their spouse. If the load is not shared, there is undue burden on one member of the family. It is not just about family’s well-being, but also about managing all tasks for the house, caring for the children, their own work, etc. Women around us are often the first to wake up and last to sleep. When men don’t share the load, what ends up getting impacted is a basic and everyday phenomenon – sleep and rest! Lack of sleep is thus almost an indicator, of the inequality within the household. Ariel’s ASMR video in partnership with Gibi is calming and relaxing. Working from Home is enabling families to bond better and spend quality time together. Ariel’s ShareTheLoad campaign has an uncanny resemblance to the current scenario and harps on the need for Equal Household for Happier Homes.
Talking about the Ariel #ShareTheLoad ASMR, GIBI said, “Sleep can continuously be pushed down the list of people’s priorities, even when it’s so important to let your body rest and recover. When we compromise sleep, rest, and relaxation because of such a societal pressure to get everything done on our own, it can wear down on us not only physically, but mentally as well. I was touched by the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign because it’s a message that I believe doesn’t get looked at enough. I know how important it is in my own household that my partner and I share the load for our own mental health, and I hope this message reaches families and partnerships in India and beyond! There truly is nothing more relaxing than knowing that your partner or your family has your back – that even though there’s work to be done, you can get it done together; it doesn’t always have to be JUST YOU. So, my beautiful ladies in India, this one’s for you! Let’s sit back, relax, and let your partners take up the laundry for a change while you enjoy this ASMR video!“
Elated with the first of its kind Laundry ASMR, Sharat Verma, CMO, P&G India and Head, Fabric Care Indian Subcontinent, said, “Ariel’s ShareTheLoad movement, which started five years back, has been sparking conversations to promote gender equality in the household by propagating the equal distribution of household chores. The message is more relevant now than ever when the home is also an office, school and playground. Research tells us that households where partners share the load, make happier homes. It’s important that women get equal rest and sleep. Gibi’s ASMR video aims to help more and more women unwind using relaxing sounds and sights while inspiring more men to #ShareTheLoad.”
Link to the video – youtu.be/J01nO_rYpMw
Ariel Share The Load for Equal Sleep, conceptualised by BBDO, is depicted from the eyes of a little girl devoid of any conditioning, who notices her mom is missing at night while she is asleep and continues to notice her running around doing multiple things, tired and sleepy. The father’s moment of realization is also in a way, driven by the daughter missing her mom at night.
Link to film: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAxm23SjHDo&t=3s
Ariel India launched the #ShareTheLoad movement in India to address the inequality that exists within Indian households. In 2015, we raised a triggering question ‘Is laundry only a woman’s job’ drawing attention to the uneven distribution of domestic chores. With ‘Dads Share The Load’ in 2016, the conversation was aimed at helping to address the root cause – the cycle of prejudice passed down from one generation to the next. In 2019, we started to drive action, urging parents to raise their sons like they have been raising their daughters, so that the future generation is more equal!
