In Steve Craig’s “Men’s Men and Women’s Women”, four different
types of portrayals are presented, Men’s Men, Women’s Men, Men’s Women, and
Women’s Women. To showcase the typical Woman’s Men, Craig used a Secret
Deodorant commercial. As the advertisement opens, a woman is shown on the deck
of a boat. She descends into the cabin of the boat and calls for her partner to
“rise and shine”. After multiple attempts to get him up and moving, the woman
sits on the bed next to the man. She pulls him to a sitting position and
cradles him in her arms. The man is young, muscular, and unshaven. He then
continues to comment on the wonderful aroma of the young woman. She explains
that it is “her Secret, the new sporty clean”. The man claims that it is
something he could use, and the woman disagrees and gets up from the bed to put
the container away. The man follows and holds the woman from behind, making it
perfect for her to say comment on the “close quarters”. The man attempts to
kiss the woman, making him every girls dream. The advertisers attempt to make
this particular brand of deodorant appealing by implying that men will love the
new sporty aroma.
After reading the Women’s Men portion of Craig’s “Men’s Men
and Women’s Women”, I gained a better understanding of the aims that
advertisers and commercials make towards gender. By including a man that is
appealing to the average woman, women believe that the product being sold will
help that obtain a man of similar build. In most cases, these advertisements
are completely absurd by blowing things out of proportion. In this particular
case, the advertisers did a great job of keeping the commercial realistic,
making it seem as though by using this deodorant you too could have a
relationship as the one shown. In today’s day and age, media has a way of
convincing viewers by luring people in with scenarios that are tempting. Yes, this
advertisement I believe does a good job of making their product seem relatable
to women. It also doesn’t hurt to throw in a gorgeous man to make their product
a little more alluring.
