Save the Male!

Advertisers have long used sex and beautiful women to sell products. Women’s groups have been fighting against the stereotypes that are portrayed in advertising, and rightly so. We are confronted with the slutty, the deceiving, the weak and dumb blonde stereotypes in ads and television and movies. This does great harm to women. Young girls can do good in math and science. They don’t need to use their sexuality to get what they want. Women also have a valid choice to stay home and take care of their children if they desire. They are not less of a woman if they are awesome cooks and great mothers. Well, what about the stereotypes of men in the media? I have seen over the years a very disparaging view of men and fathers. We are shown as idiots, we only have one thing on our mind and fall for the seduction of beautiful women. Beer and television and sports are more important than our family. We are shown as lazy and disrespected by our wives and children or the stupid redneck etc.

an excerpt from an ADAGE.com article written by Glenn Sacks and Richard Smaglick provides 3 suggestions for advertisers:

1. Create more ads that are father-positive. Some recent examples include AT&T’s touching father-daughter ad “Monkey”; First Choice Holidays’ “Slow-Motion Hugs”; and Ford’s father-son ad “We Know.”
2. As we consider whether it’s wise to make men the butt of every joke, we should also consider the joke itself. Many see the 1960s as the golden age of advertising. Those who crafted the ads of that era created work of superb quality, seldom if ever resorting to the contempt, shame and aggressive ridicule of today’s ads.
3. When an ad does need to poke fun at somebody, stop automatically defaulting to men as fools.

I applaud the advertisers who portray men and fathers in a positive light. Another good example I have seen is the movie Game Plan. It showed a black football player as a good role model, a good father and husband. This is very different from other portrayals seen in the media.

So, we don’t need to resort to the lowest denominator for an ad to work. The public is smarter than that.