Varney on Peloton ad controversy: What can a man buy his wife?
'Isn’t the husband showing generosity by buying such an expensive gift?'
FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on the controversy stirred by Peloton’s “sexist” commercial.
What is an acceptable present for a man to give his wife or girlfriend? Evidently not an exercise bike, FOX Business’ Stuart Varney argued in his latest “My Take.”
“This is a story about that Peloton ad—the one with the young woman gratefully accepting a bike from a supportive husband,” he said.
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“Surely most men would like a reaction like that,” Varney added.
Apparently this is not an acceptable gift, if acceptable means not being sexist or demeaning, Varney suggests.
He noted that a columnist in USA Today said of the commercial: “it is incomprehensible what’s happening in this relationship… It’s clear this woman doesn’t need a Peloton. She needs a good therapist and a divorce lawyer.”
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This theme, according to Varney, was taken up by social media which condemned the ad as sexist while the company’s share price fell about 10 percent and has not yet fully recovered.
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Despite being disappointed in how some have taken the commercial, Peloton continues to run the ad saying that it has received support, Varney noted.
“These bikes cost over $2,000 each. Isn’t the husband showing generosity by buying such an expensive gift? That’s the way I took it. Nah, he’s just being elitist,” Varney said.
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He suggests the husband might just be giving his wife the thing she wants, not being sexist. “The guy can’t win,” he added.
“How about jewelry? Dangerous ground. If it’s expensive, you’re an elitist and your taste may be questionable. Clothes? No. What size are you going to buy? That’s a minefield,” Varney said.
So what is Stuart Varney’s solution to this conundrum?
“I’m going to buy 100 shares for about $3,000 -- that’s my gift. I know it’s expensive but think about it; whosoever receives this gift can cash in the shares, buy a bike or anything else she wants, and walk away with a profit. What’s wrong with that?” Varney concluded.