In this Old Spice commercial there is a ruggedly handsome man talking to the audience about the man their man could smell like if he used Old Spice body wash instead of using "lady scented body wash". He goes on to describe the things he can do for a woman, such as take her on trips in his fancy boat and shower her with diamonds while giving her tickets to whatever she has always wanted to go to. This ad is basically telling men that they are nowhere near being the man women desire if they don't buy this product to at least smell like the perfect man.
Nowadays, men are expected to be the CEO of a major corporation or some other high rank position, formally dressed but somehow look attractively disheveled posses a stoic personality but sensitive at the same time and basically be a 6 ft muscular Adonis who is amazing in bed. this generalization of something so impossible appears countless times in videos, commercials, photos, and TV shows. The media's perspective of the perfect man is a 6" 2 male with piercing brown/blue eyes, short dark hair, wearing an expensive looking suit with a sexy smirk forever plastered on their face. While we are constantly looking at how the media affects women, we don't consider that men are affected just as much, if not more.
Take a look at this commercial. This is another Old Spice commercial featuring Neil Patrick Harris advertising Old Spice Pro Strength Antiperspirant. In the commercial he walks around a hospital into an operation room. He clearly states that he is a pretend doctor and obviously does not know what he is doing (who puts a stethoscope on someone's nose??), but the nurse in the room with him just swoons at him, distracted by his confidence and probably his smell. This IS an Old Spice commercial after all. But what is the message here? that it's ok for men to lie about themselves to be perceived as extremely masculine? Is this why there are so many young men saying they are from the ghettos living the "trap life" when they come from a classy neighborhood and have good, nurturing parents?
I'd like to think of the TV show Two and a half Men to be perfect example for our perception of men and how they affect our choices. In this show, Alan Harper (guy in the back) and his son Jake live with his older brother Charlie (guy in the red shirt) after his divorce. In almost every episode, Charlie is either bringing beautiful women home, teaching Jake how to be a womanizer, or working on jingles for commercials. Of course Alan tries to play the field a few times, but it almost always results in him saying something wrong or the woman leaving the wimpy, nurturing Alan for the rugged, slick, womanizing Charlie. But this has been a question for our society for decades; why do women dump good caring men to chase after the ones that don't care about them?
Why does society care so much about how men look and act? Do you think it's possible for men to hold a candle to the media's expectations?
The Old Spice ads are funny, but very misleading. This basically misinforms the women, that if your husband buys their body wash then anything is possible, from buying 2 tickets to "the thing you love" to diamonds. This also makes me question, what is a manly smell? That is the expectation in our society, that men have to smell a certain way that is considered manly, but if he decides not to then is it wrong? Of course not. I feel that many men and women would fall for this ad because they are curious to see what that smell is. There is definitely the dominant discourse surrounding men that they have to appear masculine, and smell the part as well. They are known as the protectors and the women are known as the people who need to be protected. I feel kind of offended that in the commercial, the man actually thinks that women would fall for that ad because they want diamonds and random tickets .
ReplyDeleteI agree Radhika, and I have also wondered about what a manly smell is. Some people say it is a man's scent without the use of colognes or sprays, but since that smell isn't the best any musky cologne will suffice. I also agree that this commercial generalises women under an unfavourable light. Women are seen as fragile creatures who are always looking for a sale and a man who can offer up his credit card for a Gucci handbag. Where did this idea come from? There are lots of men that I see nowadays who are always buying the latest trending clothes, so why aren't they portrayed as free-spenders as well?
DeleteI feel as though this idea appeared when back in history, the women's role were to stay at home and cook. The only thing that women could look forward too was shopping, which again can be considered a stereotype. Not all women love to shop.The whole idea that the man can provide for the women, and is responsible for her happiness is where this idea sort of came from. In today's society, I feel as though it is normal for both men and women to go and buy as much as they want, but still, women are portrayed as the shopping mania's who cannot control themselves (not true).
DeleteOld Spice commercials has always made me laugh (to attract views and have this ad stuck in their minds) but the message behind it is crystal clear. These ads make it sound like there is a perfect man out there, but in reality there is no such thing as perfect and anyone who believes perfection exists, needs a reality check. This ad is like saying "Hey, you have low self-esteem? Don't feel bad buy Old Spice and you can look just like me; tall, masculine, perfect teeth, clear skin, etc" Media advertises perfect men and women but in reality, they have a better chance convincing me Mermaids exist because perfection simply does not exist and purchasing this product isn't going to automatically change the man as a person and make them look "sexy" but rather just smell nice - personally I really think Old Spice doesn't smell so great.
ReplyDeleteThese old spice commercials are definitely amusing and I think are meant to be in some way. However, in saying that it's impossible to ignore the almost hysterical message of this ad that if your man smells manly he'll automatically become 100x more attractive and richer.However how should a man smell and why does his smell have such a big impact on his life. The media really victimizes men as they do women because there is simply no way that the average male will have or do any of the things this man is doing. We need to realize that exaggerating idea';s of entire genders is false advertising, wrong and sometimes the result will come as like this just plain stupid. I am not loving the notion that women fall in love with men because of the things they have and how they look instead of personality and genuine love.All in all the media needs to stop trying to put labels on everything because I feel as though the kind of man promoted in this ad doesn't exist and if they do I haven't seen them.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you. But unfortunately this is how companies sell their products. They need the public to feel as if their lives are unbearable without their product.So they don't care if what they say is unrealistic and exaggerated, your fantasies and dreams sell the product
DeleteMy issue with old spice commercials is that they feed the general assumption of what takes to be a man, physical wise. Did we forget that appearance isn't everything, its actually the least important thing, because even the most handsome man may be the dumbest guy. Its ads like the first one that may make a guy look at himself and question himself about his appearance. The black male (who I did not find attractive at all!) continued to say "look at me, now look at your man" for males watching this commercial who aren't muscular, this ad has the potential to take a toll on them individually. Ads like these may be more harmful than helpful. (plus Old spice smells disgusting!)
ReplyDeleteAdri-ann you asked why women dump good men for jerks? I don't think that's the idea, I just think that a lot of women like aggressive men, that aren't push overs and are able to put the women in her place in some extent. If the women can walk over the man that's just not healthy, so they go for jerks because they feed that desire that women have. Now if there was a good man who was a little aggressive and take control now, that would be perfect, wouldn't it? But settling for a jerk for this reason is beyond dumb, because why would you give up on a good guy?
I agree with the fact that media does it's best to push these ideals of what a man should be through commercials and advertising. But in my opinion these views of men don't just come from media, but also women's expectation of the roles they'll play within the relationship. Not many women look at a good looking man and think "I'd love to take him out to a restaurant, I'd love to buy him some flowers today, I'd love to protect him from feeling bullied by" etc. For this reason I believe women want a protector, someone who will guard them and treat them at the same time. This I believe is why society portrays men this way, because this type of man appeals the most to women.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to men being able to live up to the medias portrayal of them, I think only very few men could do it. Just like how women are grossly misrepresented, the same goes for men. And to be honest i'm glad that is so, I personally feel as though the men portrayed in media are non-trustworthy and too caught up in being "manly". I hope I speak for most women when I say I would like a man who is able to cry, to let me lead, and who seems genuine. Also I'm slowly beginning to see this types of men get more attention in the media. For example in the hit series Teen Wolf, there is a character by the name of Stiles. Stiles is one of the only male characters who is not a strong, brave wolf. He is best friends with one and seems to never be able to talk to a girl correctly, with out messing the words up. Although he's not smooth with the ladies, he's incredibly caring and constantly puts his life on the line to help his wolf friend. The reason I bring him up is because he is one of the most beloved characters within this show of burning testosterone, and I hope to see more of that.
Hah! This post is hilarious, i personally love old spice commercials and I do think that Old Spice commercials are good because they are encouraging a 'strong athletic classy man' which I agree men should be, but hey listen this does not apply to all men , some guys have different input on what a man is,like Tom Ford for example believes that you should at least play and be a fan of one sport. ill guarantee you this, almost no man is like those in the commercials nor the TV show 'Two and a Half Men' I would say a more slim dress shirt wearing shorts equiping man is the new thing these days. It's a great article though great job Adri Ann!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Radhika that the Old Spice Commercial is hilarious but misleading. The first Old Spice commercial indicates an attractive man who advertises the cologne. He mentions that if you wear the cologne, you will be able to take your partner on beautiful dates and buy expensive gifts. Frankly from what I have learned, a woman should not choose an ideal man based on what cologne they wear. I am pretty sure a man who wears Old Spice is no different from a man who wears regular cologne. Both men can take their partner in ideal dates. Also, I agree with you Adri-ann on your point that women are also having high expectations for men, just like men expect a lot from women. In a woman’s point of view, the ideal height for men should be 6”2 ft. If a man is shorter than 6 ft, they are usually not taken seriously. A reverse can be when a man rejects a plus size woman, for a thinner woman, because most men prefer a female who is thin. If this was the case, many women would be very emotional and make a big deal out of it. I think this ad should just be taken as a joke, because no women is going to choose a man because of their scent. Also, the expectations of men in the commercial is very high, considering the man is tall, very built and attractive.
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