French car manufacturer Renault has raised the ire of French feminists with the launch of a new nail polish range that can also touch up minor scratches on its cars.
The Twingo collection of nail colours is made up of four colours – Dragée Blue, Flamme Red, Etoilé Black and Eclair Yellow – that perfectly match the duco of the marque’s Twingo model.
In the ad a woman paints her nails to match her light blue Twingo and then uses the same polish to cover up a scratch on the car – the ad ends with the tagline ‘Make both your nails and your car shine’.
Launching the polish range “for lady drivers on the move”, Renault said the Twingo car is the ideal choice for active lady drivers who need to get about town but who are also attentive to fashion and looks.
“With them in mind, Renault has taken inspiration from the Twingo spirit to produce an everyday accessory that combines Renault’s hallmark style with making life easier for vehicle owners.
“This nail polish [produced with cosmetics specialist De Blangy] allows proud owners to coordinate their nails with the colour of their car… but Twingo Nail Polish does more than simply embellish finger nails…
“In a world where motoring in built-up areas can entail the risk of picking up small scratches and scrapes, it is sometimes hard to keep pristine vehicle paintworks free of marks. Happily, this clever new nail polish doubles up as a handy solution for touching up body finishes with a single brush stroke.”
However French feminist group Chiennes de Garde is far from impressed with the ad, complaining that it reinforces the stereotype that woman are bad drivers.
Chiennes de Garde head Marie-Noelle Bas told Bloomberg.com that the campaign“reduces women to their beauty concerns and their inability to drive”.
“This insidious, ordinary, daily sexism lays the groundwork for the worst as ads confine women to a constructed role.”
The Twingo nail polish can be purchased from the Atelier Renault eShop for €8.90.
The ad can be viewed here: