Most people in the UK will have seen the above advert, or another one in the series. I’ll boil it down for you anyway: Wall’s are trying to sell women sausages. They’re doing this by saying that they’re one of man’s favourite foods. The only thing is, he’ll never be able to thank you properly for buying him the aforementioned cylindrical meat product because he lacks the ability to appropriately contextualise, articulate and express his emotions. In other words, he’s ‘just a man’.
I’m so angry at contemporary advertising still relying on anachronistic stereotypes of the bumbling, emotionally articulate man to sell things. Some people try to dismiss my attitude towards these adverts, saying that they’re merely reflecting real life with a comical twist. I say they reinforce and perpetuate negative male stereotypes. Some men will watch these and believe that, because they’re ‘just a man’, they don’t need to make an effort to express themselves. They’ll expect others to believe them too. That women (and presumably other men, too) will take it as given that they’re unable to tell them how they feel, and why they feel as they do. As they say, if you hear something enough times, you’ll start to believe it. In my opinion, these adverts serve to sell us three things – and none of them pork-based:
• The idea that a man is unable to effectively express his emotions.
• The idea that no man should have to try and effectively express his emotions.
• The idea that no one should expect a man to be able to effectively express his emotions.
Also, if a man considers himself unable to express his emotions, this type of advert validates his belief, and provides him with something he can use to justify never attempting to learn how to do. Where are the adverts that portray men as emotionally strong, adept communicators? Are there any that feature men as caring, considerate spouses or fathers in their own right? I certainly can’t think of any off the top of my head. I refuse to believe that portraying men in a more positive light wouldn’t be an effective marketing tool – and something that actually contributes to society’s development, in stark contrast to what much of current advertising does. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a good tool to sell sausages, though. I’m keen to see adverts that portray men and women as emotionally capable as each other, and with an equal involvement in family life – something that really promotes an egalitarian and progressive attitude between the sexes.
I know that these adverts don’t deny that these men have emotions – indeed, in some, the man’s emotions are quite obvious. It’s sad and unfair that he’s portrayed as not being able to bring these to the surface. Also, some people I’ve spoken with about this say that I don’t give enough credit to my fellow men, that there are many who ignore these adverts altogether and think similarly to me. Oh, I’m aware that there are those who dismiss these adverts and their ilk, but I can’t help but acknowledge that they’re most likely a minority who’ll never question either their behaviour or sexism in sausage adverts.
And, aside from anything else, this advert also strikes me as being anti-feminist. Essentially, no woman in a relationship should expect adequate thanks for the work she puts into feeding her man. Why isn’t he cooking for himself? I guess no man cooks sausages for his woman, either. Oh, and what if it’s a lesbian or gay couple? Who cooks the sausages for whom then? What happens if someone doesn’t like sausages or doesn’t eat meat? What about if the woman buys the sausages but doesn’t cook them or vice-versa? I can’t cope.
What do you think about this advert and other like it? Do you think there would be a reaction if advertising portrayed women in this manner? Why do you think we’ve become so used to having this tired male stereotype paraded around in front of us? Do you even notice it anymore? Do you think advertising will ever change – should advertising ever change?
