Bud Light commercial: some women are sitting around in a living room having a book club meeting. A man, presumably a husband or boyfriend, enters with beer. He sits down, starts handing out beer, and dominates the conversation, cutting off his presumed girlfriend/wife and telling one of the other participants that “I’d love to hear you read sometime.”
One: CREEPY. Two: why can’t boys read? Seriously, Budweiser. Making one of your dudes respond to the question “Do you like Little Women” with “I’m not picky” is just offensive to everyone. Three: the commercial says that Bud is a sure sign of a good time, as though a book club can’t actually be a good time? Four: why can’t boys read?
This commercial isn’t nice to anyone. It makes guys look bad, it makes girls look bad, and it pretty seriously makes me never want to drink Bud Light (not that I would anyway).
–Melissa
February 7th, 2010
At first, I thought this Bridgestone ad was insinuating that the people inside were having some sort of altercation when the woman emerged from the car, breathless and frightened. Then I realized that she was forced out of the car, handed over like a piece of property or a ransom.
I’ll back up. A black, tinted-window car sits on a rainy road. A bunch of white men with indeterminate villainous accents broadcast, “Your tires, or your life!” A tall blonde woman (of course) wearing a black, leather corset-y catsuit gets out of the car (it looks like she’s pushed out). The men say “Your life, not your wife!”
–Jennifer
February 7th, 2010
FloTV’s ad: Woman and man are walking through a store and she’s shopping for clothes. Announcer, who is in the picture, says “Jason’s spine has been removed by his girlfriend.” Then Jason and his girlfriend are shopping for “lavender candles”, which is “preventing him from watching the game.” The announcer guy then states that Jason really should have this floTV product that would let him watch the game and NOT spend time with his girlfriend at all. Awesome.
The ending quote, “Change out of that skirt, Jason.”
You know, they really are handing them to us this year, and I’m really learning a lot about how men are supposed to behave, what their lives are supposed to be, and how they should not, under any circumstances, let women control them. (See Dove, Dockers, and Dodge Charger ads for other examples.)
Because guys really should not forget how limited their behavior and their gender expression really is. That would threaten… what? Their watching of the Super Bowl? Beer sale?
–Jennifer
February 7th, 2010
THIS JUST IN: men need to drive Dodge Chargers because they are constantly emasculated in their daily lives by having to do the following things:
- cleaning up after themselves
- going to work
- talking to their girlfriends
- watching True Blood
- shaving
- putting their underwear in the hamper
Sorry, all men everywhere, I didn’t realize I was cramping your style by expecting you to be a reasonably neat person who helps with household duties and works a job and stuff. I know cleaning is for ladies and all but I don’t think it’s really killing you to have to clean out the sink after you shave. I can’t even imagine what driving a Hyundai might to do your manhood. Or worse…a Yaris. Good thing Dodge is there to help you figure out your sexual identity. I mean, thank god.
-Melissa
ps viva beards
February 7th, 2010
The new Dove ad for men’s products runs through all the various rites of passage in the white, heterosexual male world, including having a girlfriend, getting married, having a bunch of kids, succeeding in your career. And then the guy ends up washing himself with Dove body wash in the shower.
At first I started yelling at the screen about how it was reinforcing so strongly the masculine stereotype, but then the awesome Jason, our Education Into Action intern, said “I liked it. It acknowledges that it’s hard to be a guy, with so many pressures.” Melissa thinks that only if you fulfill all the other manly expectations of your life can you reward yourself by using Dove body wash. And Sara thinks that you should remember to use the body wash if you’re going to accomplish all the other typical male rites of passage. What did you think?
-Jennifer
February 7th, 2010
- beer
- chips
- candy bars
- white girls (and the tackling of white girls and women–euphemistic or not)
- not wearing pants
if you are not a white american, you might hope to become one by doing the following things:
- drinking beer
- eating chips
- eating candy
- tackling hot ladies (euphemistically or not)
pants are optional (unless you’re dockers, in which case you’re defining masculinity by pants and you’d better put them on).
-melissa
February 7th, 2010
Such a weird Monster.com ad… A beaver becomes a concert violinist and then drives off in his limo (complete with hot tub in back) with a blonde woman. Huh? I mean, really? he’s a beaver.
-Jennifer
February 7th, 2010
OK, so this Doritos commercial. A man knocks on a door holding a bouquet of flowers. A woman answers, graciously accepts them, and invites him in to wait while she finishes getting ready. As she’s walking toward the back of the house, her date very obviously checks out her behind and gives her a really creepy up-and-down without her knowledge. Little does he know, the woman’s young son is watching from the living room.
The man enters the living room and begins making small talk with the little boy, who is clearly upset with watching his mother being objectified. As the man reaches for a Dorito from a bowl on the coffee table, the boy drops his video game control and slaps the man in the face. “Keep your hands of my momma,” he says threateningly, “and keep your hands off my Doritos.”
This ad is an awesome departure from the usual Doritos fare of hot women eating chips. It’s not totally free of objectification–they seem to be winking at their typical commercial style even if they aren’t completely departing from it. There’s something problematic about the woman in the ad being compared directly to a bowl of food. But I’d like to think that this little boy would be just as mad at this guy and as protective of his mother even if the man hadn’t dared to eat his food. In fact, he drops his controller in anger before the man even enters the room.
-Melissa
February 7th, 2010
SNICKERS COMMERCIAL. Let’s not even discuss how weird it is that this commercial is apparently suggesting that a Snickers bar is going to get you up and running and ready to play some tackle football with your manly man friends. Because that’s weird. Let’s instead talk about the light of my life BETTY WHITE.
She gets knocked down and her teammates begin to yell at her: MIKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU’RE PLAYING LIKE BETTY WHITE OUT THERE.
And her response: “That’s not what your girlfriend said.”
SNAP IN A Z FORMATION, PLEASE.
Anyway, some kind girl (Mike’s girlfriend?) brings Betty White a Snickers bar and after a bite he transforms back into his reasonably attractive self and gets out there to play some football and assert himself as a real man.
Let’s be real: Betty White is fierce. So fierce that I don’t even care how absurd this commercial is or how much it doesn’t even make a little bit of sense.
So excited to see her on TV!
February 7th, 2010
Well, after all the hubbub about CBS going against their policy of allowing political ads, we sure thought the Focus on the Family ad during Super Bowl XLIV today was going to be the most vehemently anti-abortion piece we’ve ever seen. But no, it was just about Tim Tebow’s mom talking about how she “almost lost him” multiple times. That’s about little Timmy’s health … unless she almost aborted him multiple times.
Mom became the 2nd woman to be tackled in as many commercials. Women, getting tackled?! That’s just ridiculous! Everyone knows that’s called domestic violence… wait a minute…. We’re keeping a tally.
And back to the game. We’re live-blogging these ads all game long, so stay tuned!
-Jennifer
February 7th, 2010
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