Some cultural themes are universal. A commercial filmed in Britain for an expensive Swiss mattress cannot resist the men-as-oafs-and-losers theme that permeates American commercials and sitcoms. It’s not so much the man’s clumsiness with chopsticks, as he’s clearly Alpha and the whole scene is full of sexual anticipation. There could just as easily have been a reversal of sex roles, with the woman struggling with the chopsticks, and it’s doubtful anyone would notice. No, what makes this pseudo-sophisticated commercial yet another example of male bashing is the fact that it is a fat man who rolls onto the table and wreaks havoc. It would be nearly unthinkable to have a fat woman do that.
On a separate note, I thought that the actress was surprisingly non-hot for the role.
It now occurs to me that there may be a reason for the woman’s relative lack of hotness. I linked the video on Subchat, and one of the people there suggested that it may be supposed to be a fantasy or dream in the woman’s mind (which would fit in with the ad’s tagline). If so, it makes sense that the man’s sexual market value (as a Well-Known Sex Blogger would say) is so much higher than the woman’s.
Yeah, that was what I was going to say. The ad is meant to portray an older woman with a hot young stud in a dream interrupted by her ill-sleeping spouse.
I don’t see it as anti-male. It’s a middle-aged married woman fantasizing about a hot young stud (the same as middle-aged married men also fantasize about a hot young babe).
Some cultural themes are universal. A commercial filmed in Britain for an expensive Swiss mattress cannot resist the men-as-oafs-and-losers theme that permeates American commercials and sitcoms. It’s not so much the man’s clumsiness with chopsticks, as he’s clearly Alpha and the whole scene is full of sexual anticipation. There could just as easily have been a reversal of sex roles, with the woman struggling with the chopsticks, and it’s doubtful anyone would notice. No, what makes this pseudo-sophisticated commercial yet another example of male bashing is the fact that it is a fat man who rolls onto the table and wreaks havoc. It would be nearly unthinkable to have a fat woman do that.
On a separate note, I thought that the actress was surprisingly non-hot for the role.
It now occurs to me that there may be a reason for the woman’s relative lack of hotness. I linked the video on Subchat, and one of the people there suggested that it may be supposed to be a fantasy or dream in the woman’s mind (which would fit in with the ad’s tagline). If so, it makes sense that the man’s sexual market value (as a Well-Known Sex Blogger would say) is so much higher than the woman’s.
Yeah, that was what I was going to say. The ad is meant to portray an older woman with a hot young stud in a dream interrupted by her ill-sleeping spouse.
I think it’s funny.
I agree, Maria. I hadn’t even considered an anti-male angle when I saw it.
That’s because you’ve internalized the matriarchy, Will. It just shows how insidious our culture’s misandry is.
I don’t see it as anti-male. It’s a middle-aged married woman fantasizing about a hot young stud (the same as middle-aged married men also fantasize about a hot young babe).
Like this doesn’t happen in real life?