DirecTV commercial normalizes abuse

If you’ve examined my posts, you might know one of the things I care about is to speak out against bullying. I’m a survivor of childhood peer abuse — and as such, I’m concerned when society makes light of ANY kind of abuse.

Well, right now, there’s a DirecTV commercial that seems to air non-stop whenever I stream shows online. Maybe you’ve heard it? That “letting-go, sorry-not-sorry” thing. Accompanied by this voice-over, it shows a young woman in an upper-story residence throwing a man’s belongings out of a window.

She doesn’t just throw them, either; it appears as though she is actively trying to hit him with the heavier objects. If something like that occurred in real life, it could cause injury or death.

Put simply, this commercial is disgusting! It normalizes domestic violence and I find it reprehensible. Moreover, the intended tone of the commercial clearly seems to be that the viewer is expected to relate to this woman, to take her side and exult with her as she threatens to harm another living being.

The look on the actress’s face is utterly revolting when she prepares to chuck the man’s guitar out the window; I find it difficult to read facial expressions but in that moment whatever she is communicating non-verbally, I find the character she is portraying to be completely malevolent.

If DirecTV were hoping to appeal to a female demographic, it has instead thoroughly repulsed this member of its target audience. Every person who “greenlighted” this commercial should be thoroughly ashamed.