Bombarding the Ego

Much of modern advertising is meant to instill a feeling of perceived obsolescence in the viewer. The most popular way to do this when marketing to men ages 18-35 is by perpetuating stereotypes of the role of men and women that are many decades outdated. This is illustrated in a Durex condom advertisement I found offensive on many levels. The ad is as follows:

Picture from: random-good-stuff.com

Lets start with the most obvious way this ad flaunts its political incorrectness: the issue of Women’s rights. The way this woman is portrayed, she is nothing more than a mouth. She has no identity; she is simply a sexual object that can be abused in the pursuit of male pleasure. In fact it seems as though Durex is encouraging it: they are implying that since you are a “real” man with your large “appendage” you have the right to. That brings me to my next point: they are playing on male inadequacy. They are telling men that if they are not in need of their product – i.e. they don’t have a ten-inch penis – they have less worth as a person. What this ad is basically trying to tell me as a man is that I need to abuse women with my “manly powers” or else I am not worthy of being called a man. What they are also telling me, thought this ad, is that I might attain that image if I buy their product. That is not the most disturbing part about this ad however: the most disturbing part is that we consider this message, as a society, acceptable. We allow ads like this to run all the time, in every aspect of the media we take in, without any comment other that: ‘that’s funny”. Not only that, but bringing up the negative messages in this ad is considered taboo. That somehow it is okay because t is meant as a joke. We are meant to passively sit back while we are bombarded with cleverly hidden prejudice. This is brainwashing, plan and simply. It desensitizes you to blatant bigotry, continually pushing the envelope further and further, until the day when they can run an ad that say: your cock will put her in her place, if you are a real man and real men buy Durex.” and when that day comes I will buy a boat, find a deserted island and weep for the potential the human race once showed. Think I am being to extreme? I am only sending my message on the same level as Durex and other advertisers. There is one difference: I am appealing to your reason, not your ego. Yes, your reason, and your ability to think critically about the world you are in. Everyone needs to start using his or hers in regards to media so we might finally do away with the stereotypical thinking. In fact that is one of they ways in which scientists define secant life: the awareness of their place in the world and their ability to adapt to it. What do you say: are you a secant human or an ameba.

Work cited
random-good-stuff.com/2007/07/23/durex-xxl-condoms/, Durex XXL Condoms, Chris Mendes, July 23rd, 2007, October 4, 2008