This lovely advert about laundry makes a surprising and potent point about feminism

A new ad from Ariel about gender stereotyping is making waves in India.

It opens with a woman getting home from work, carrying shopping bags, still on the phone to a colleague and then rushing to prepare food for her family and get on with household chores.

While all this is going on, her elderly father plays with her son, and her husband watches TV.

Her father accepts the ticket home his daughter hands to him. And before he goes, he writes her a letter:

My baby girl,

You used to play house. Now you manage your own house and your office. I am so proud of you. And I am so sorry.

I never told you that it's your job alone, but your husband's too. But how can I say it... when I never helped your mom either?

And what you saw, you learnt.

Your husband must have learnt the same from his dad, the grandfather goes on.

I'm sorry on behalf of his dad. Sorry on behalf of every dad who set the wrong example.

But it's never too late for change, he realises.

I will make a conscious effort to help your mother with the household chores. I may not become king of the kitchen, but I can at least help out.

The video ends by asking:

Why is laundry only a mother's job?

Dads #ShareTheLoad

The ad has won awards for its creativity, and was recently shared by Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg, who called it "one of the most powerful videos I have ever seen... showing how stereotypes hurt all of us and are passed from generation to generation."

The real win, Sandberg said, is how it shows men and boys that leaning in with little things can make such a big difference.

... the way they are changing stereotypes and showing that a more equal world would be a better world for all of us.

Check it out below:

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