There are some institutions in our society you just should not mess with. Which is why it’s pretty darn surprising and disappointing to many out there that Swiffer chose to call up the image of Rosie the Riveter ( she of the We Can Do It! message that empowered women to head outside the home to work in WWII) in a new ad campaign devoted to doing something else — getting in the kitchen and cleaning.

BoingBoing posted the Instagram image a Twitter user posted over the weekend with the caption: “We can do it! Because cleaning kitchens is a woman’s work. #swiffer #sexist” and the image has now gone pretty darn close to viral.

While some might see the ad as simply a cheery attitude toward cleaning, be you a man or a woman, the undeniable likeness to Rosie has caused quite a stir on the Interwebs.

As such, a Swiffer spokesperson has apologized via a statement to the Huffington Post:

We are aware of the concerns regarding an image in a Swiffer ad. Our core purpose is to make cleaning easier for all consumers, regardless of who is behind the handle of our products. It was not our intention to offend any group with the image, and we are working to make changes to where it is used as quickly as possible.

Swiffer Ad Uses Rosie The Riveter To Encourage Women To Clean The Kitchen (PHOTO) [Huffington Post]
You Can Do It! Clean the kitchen, that is. [BoingBoing]

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