Masculinity is a fragile thing. Even something as seemingly innocuous as foamed milk is capable of destroying it. At least, that’s what many companies and advertisers believe, which is why they appeal to men by tearing down women and anything associated with women (including men who relate to women). I’ve come across a few good (and by “good” I mean “terrible”) examples of this tactic recently, which I will now share with all of you.
The theme of Dockers’ new campaign is Put a Pair of Khakis on, You Pussy!
From the Dockers man-ifesto campaign
Dockers reminds men that their manhood is UNDER ATTACK! – by coffee shops trying to sell them girlie drinks, by women opening doors, and by food options that do not clog their arteries. “The world needs heroes!” – to save the planet from the threat of androgyny. There is so much pathology here it’s hard to know where to begin.
Men should be in charge (because that’s how it used to be). Cities “crumbled” once the world decided it no longer needed men. Now waitaminute. Male-bodied persons still make up about half the world population, no? But when Dockers says “men,” they do not mean male-bodied persons. They mean the role traditionally performed by male-bodied persons. If male-bodied persons do not distinguish themselves as The Opposite of Women, then what are they? Nothing, according to Dockers (and social conservatives and other folks who are anxious about the erosion of traditional gender roles). Their Pleated Patriarchy Pants are the antidote.
But wait! Anxious masculinity is not confined to the U.S. The Discovery Channel is running some really creepysexist ads in the Netherlands:
Women's eyes are... big and blue?
According to Sociological Images, the copy reads:
Not for women’s eyes. Discovery Channel has television men want to watch. Exciting, smart, interesting, adventurous, and most of all real. Watch for yourself.
As a woman, I prefer dull, stupid, boring, fake television. Which is why I don’t watch the Discovery Channel and why they don’t want me as a viewer anyway! Wait, what? Does Discovery think women’s eyes won’t be able to see these ads just because they are aimed at men? I truly cannot understand the “KEEP OUT!” message they are sending to half their potential audience here. Nor can I understand why men would find a television station more enjoyable based partly on the “fact” that women aren’t watching.
I just don’t know what to make of this shit. It’s obviously an attempt to capitalize on anti-feminist backlash and male insecurity. There is a perception that women “wear the pants” now. But if that were true, I’d expect advertisers to cater to us more than the allegedly powerless, “emasculated” men.
I am constantly shaking my head over the number of men who feel “personally attacked” by women wanting equal rights. Seen in that light, these ads look genius. Going right after that whiny and entitled market.
I mentioned on Feministing that my first reaction to the Dockers as was an impulse to get rid of my husband’s khakis. My second reaction was laughter that men would wear khakis to do anything “manly.” When my husband does traditionally “manly” tasks, he wears Carhartts. As do I.
Seriously, the attempts to rebrand khakis (the uniform of the office drone!) and Discovery Channel (geeky vicarious living! and geekier science shows!) as “manly” in the sense they mean are as pathetic as they are annoying.
@Av0gadro: totally. I mean, khaki pants are the epitome of manly manness now? what? I like khaki’s but come on, they’re the uniform of the dorky (in a good way).
I feel a foam specked rage coming on, but better still would be to try to answer this ques.: How do I raise a feminist boy?
Today’s agenda: discuss these ads with my lad.
I told my dad about the Dockers ad and he was like, “Wonderful, they happen to be the only pants I like, sadly”. Dockers, why would you cause my poor 55-year-old father such pain as to have to choose between another brand’s pleated trousers and your politically unsound pantaloons?
“Nor can I understand why men would find a television station more enjoyable based partly on the “fact” that women aren’t watching.”
Exhibit A: the Spike Network. Their ads just kept getting worse and worse, so I had to give up Ninja Warrior.
I see the He Man Woman Haters Club Ad Agency is giving Sterling Cooper a run for their money.
“We need grown-ups.” I thought I was an adult, but apparently I’m just a woman.
Hey, did you know that our society is genderless? According to Dockers, the revolution has succeeded!
For what it’s worth, my husband hates ads like this. He thinks they insult his intelligence. I’m pretty sure they annoy him more than the ones aimed at women that portray men as bumbling idiots who can’t put the top on a blender.
I was thinking about commercials like this last week. Remember those Bud Light Real Men of Genius commercials? I always thought that the taco salad one was hilarious, and when I put a vegan taco salad recipe on my blog last week, I linked back to it, then noted that my recipe actually was healthy, unlike the one in the commercial. After the recipe was up and I thought about those commercials some more, I’m pretty sure that we both quit drinking Bud and Coors Light and started drinking microbrewery beer because of those ads (and related ones). Also, two weeks ago for the first time ever, my husband mentioned that he wanted to shop for jeans that were specifically NOT Levi’s, so I wonder if he saw this ad and has decided that Levi’s jeans and Dockers are no longer cool.
Discovery Channel saddens me. I mean, I give Dockers a half a pass, because they are actually MEN’s pants. I think that if they took out the digs at women and the crumbling of society, and replaced it with maybe how much more empowered you can be and how you can carry more files or run faster to your meetings or something, that would be better. The pants are tailored for men’s bodies, so, in my opinion, targeting men is just fine.
But the Discovery Channel??? Geeky women exist, you know! I’m one of them. I subscribe to two science magazines that I read cover-to-cover every week. I watch many programs on the Discovery Channel. Or rather, I used to. I probably will have to stop, and confine myself to the Science channel instead. They don’t want me around? Fine. I’ll take my eyeballs over to some other channel’s ads.
If I thought that buying Dockers’ man-pants would actually keep our society from crumbling (read: bring forth the feminist revolution), I might do it. However, the Dude has always thought that Dockers = Trousers du Toolbag, so they wouldn’t get his business, anyway.
Wait! There’s a link to SHOP WOMENS!
How can women shop for Dockers if only the menz can wear the pants? My feeble feminine brain wasn’t supposed to see the LUNACY of that? Insult me and I will totally buy yer pantz!
@catnmus: Dockers makes women’s pants as well. In fact, at the bottom of this woman bashing ad it even says “shop men’s” “shop women’s” which seems to imply that all of us immature civilization destroying ladies are suppose to want to buy a pair of ugly pants too so we can match our super macho systems analyst boyfriends. It is mostly an ad for their potential male customers but adding the “shop women’s” at the bottom makes this whole thing even stranger and more offensive. They expect their female customers to be cool with this crap.
I’m with Av0gadro–the idea that Dockers are for manly men is a fucking howler. I always thought Dockers were the chosen uniform of Ned Flanders and Young Republicans (wait, that would be an awesome band name!)
It’s no wonder they think they can sell their product by shitting all over women and appealing to men’s insecurities–their target demographic is already on board with this crap.
I love/hate the question, If masculinity is under attack then why cater to it?
Because “everybody” wants to be masculine. Masculinity is valued in ways femininity is not. That’s why women will watch the Discovery Channel, even though we’re told to Keep Out!: because we want In so very, very much.
When will we value femininity?
And what happens when femininity and masculinity are no longer associated with women and men, but rather two complementary sets of roles that can be reconfigured in any number of ways — as is the case 75% of the time?
Oh, and here’s another example.
I can’t even wrap my head around this. They are trying to make khakis (the most conservative, country clubbish, suburban pants on earth?) manly? Doesn’t Dockers still make khakis for women as well? Eating salad leads to stranded little old ladies and misbehaving children? Khakis (worn by both men and women) will somehow correct a “genderless society”? My head hurts!
I’m actually amazed that the backlash “Stay out of our Treehouse” sentiment took this long to be openly expressed.
Thank you! I saw the Discovery ad when cycling, did a double take and turned right around to see if it was actually saying what I thought it was saying. It really did! Y’know, a part of me is glad Discovery just comes right out and says it, because it spares me the annoyment of having to point out that some channels are – “come on, you mean you never noticed before?” – Dude Channel Central. At least they’re honest. On the other hand… Yeah, I know we have a channel of our very own, because relationship drama’s and Sex & The City reruns are all we want. Nothing exciting smart and interesting for us. Discovery, I hate you.
By the way, in their press release Discovery (“intelligence and quality” was mentioned) noted that in spite of this move, there’s still something for women to like because they show Bear Grylls, Mike Rowe and the Deadliest Catch crew, “the only real men on tv”.
So Dockers thinks I’m a childish, old-lady stranding, disco-dancing, misbehavior-abetting, latte-sipping Snidely Whiplash? On the one hand, that ad is offensive as all get out, but on the other, I’m just confuzzled as to what they think “women” actually are. Just the opposite of anything good/cool at all?
yvanehtnioj:
Don’t forget, we are also, somehow, making cities crumble.
Dockers thinks we are mad powerful, like erosion or a super villian.
Um, Dockers? Who exactly do you think is buying those pants? That’s right, women, since there are tons of men like Mr MM, who never ever set foot in a clothing store.
Mr MM will now be wearing another brand of trousers, thank you.
Right MM, and in the unfortunate event that a man is dragged along to the mall with his pants-buying (but not pants-wearing) wife, he can always stream sports.
So much contempt for women, everywhere I look.
On the Dockers ad, I read this differently. Somewhere, when no-one was looking, men stopped becoming adults. I would willingly trade opening my own doors for a man that would manage his own schedule and buy his own pants (and underwear.)
(But I’m still going to fix my own car TYVM.)
But, SarahMC, everyone knows that women never use the internet. That’s why all the commenters on Digg and Reddit and such feel so free to say extremely misogynist things — there are no women around!
[...] Their biology. Well, whatever. Let’s go have a beer while they pick over that table of macho pants. Bookmark and share this [...]
They expect us to giggle at this ad. Either because we secretly, in our little bitty lady hearts of hearts, agree and long for the take-charge and apparently Dockers-sporting Real Men ™ of yore (I wish we could put this kind of smugly knowing assertion about What Women Really Want to bed, but that’s a different story, since this ad is manifestly not concerned with what women might want, or even with what we should want–for once), or because we are so inured to misogyny in far worse forms that the Docker’s ad may be permitted to slide as some kind of cute exaggerating joke. I am sure they’re having a good laugh at our expense either way. The “shop women’s” button cements that impression for me.
As for TV channels insultingly marketed to specific genders, some of the inane shit broadcast on Lifetime, especially their original movies, is pure unintentional comedy gold. I’m not entirely sure anyone ever watches it for any other reason.
“But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men.”
Oh lordy. 100% DEPENDENCE & SUBSERVIENCE OR BUST! Because if women don’t give men their undivided attention, the world no longer needs them. I *love* the insecurity here.
The sad thing is, these ads try to appeal to women, too– if they watch Discovery, then they’re chill, they’re one of the guys, and not like those “other women”.
I don’t think they’re trying to say that women have emasculated men with their evil non-fat girlypant conspiracies. I’m pretty sure what they’re trying to say is that men need to stop acting like selfish douchebags and/or eternal adolescents, and start being “manly” in an Art-of-Manliness-type-way by being gentlemen (opening doors, helping the elderly). At least, that’s how I took it. It’s also really sort of campy and over the top, so I don’t think it can be taken too seriously. I thought it was funny.
I received a call tonight from a survey company on behalf of Providian Financial. They wanted only to talk to Teh Man of House, not teh wimin folk. Unfortunately for them, my husband is traveling, and Hubby and I have a very nontraditional outlook on finances (in that, though married, we keep separate checking accounts – and, by extension Roth IRAs, etc).
Providian did not want Survey Guy to bother with me, being a woman. Survey Guy apparently felt this was somehow stupid (imagine, right?) and apologized profusely before admitting the name of the asinine company (Providian Financial) funding this ridiculously, unapologetically sexist survey.
Thing is, I’ve had a Roth IRA (on my own, not funded by Teh Man of teh House), for a few years, and it’s not only underperformed abysmally, it’s lost money every year I’ve had it, only I’ve been too damned lazy to move it. This, thank you dumbass marketing folks at Providian, finally convinced me to move the stupid thing to a traditional savings account – which won’t grow by any significant means, but which would at least be FDIC insured and wouldn’t *lose* money.
This Roth was so small, and so old, and such a bugger I hadn’t actively funded in years, I probably wouldn’t have bothered with it, except Providian had to go and have someone call to ask, who had very specific instructions to speak to Teh Man of teh House.
I know, it ain’t no Dockers ad, but – really? If I’m not Teh Man, you don’t want to know what I think, even though it’s *my* money you’re losing, you completely inept wankers?
Oh yeah..um,..hi folks!