Jamie Doak

Okay.  I love this commercial.  I've watched it a million times and still laugh every time he says, "I'm on a horse."  And then it ends, and I feel like a bad feminist because there's no getting around the fact that the entire thing is based on gender stereotypes. Ahem:

"Sadly, your man isn't me- but if he stopped using lady scented body wash he could smell like me." 

"It's an oyster with two tickets to that THING you love."

"Look again, the tickets are now DIAMONDS!"

"Anything is possible when your man smells like a man and not a lady."

"I'm on a horse." (Okay, that's not sexist, I just wanted to say it again.)

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But somehow even though I know there's some crazy gender stereotyping in it- it doesn't feel as sinister or harmful as say the Dockers "Wear the Pants" commercials which give a very clear message about reclaiming masculinity: 

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The Old Spice commercial seems much more light-hearted and fun.  It seems that because it doesn't take itself seriously, we shouldn't take it's gender stereotyping seriously either.  In fact, maybe because it IS so over-the-top and playful with its sexism,  it actually draws attention to how ridiculous that stereotyping is and makes a semi-feminist statement (without intending to, of course.)  

It's tricky territory though when you label sexist jokes as feminist satire- because a lot of really sexist things get said as "jokes" when really they're just sexist things being said.  It's hard for me to draw the line here because I DO think humor is a great way to introduce feminist ideals to a broader audience but I also don't believe that humor is an excuse for sexism. 

I'm willing to count the Old Spice commercial as satiric.  But mostly because he's on a horse. 

 

Tagged in: General   

The opinions expressed on the BUST blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of BUST Magazine or its staff.


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written by Karrie Davis, February 21, 2010
I completely agree. I think the Old Spice commercial is funny and lighthearted and I didn't find it offensive. It made me giggle and look at my boyfriend, in fact it even made me feel cute and empowered my feminity. But yeah, not the same reaction to dockers, eh who really likes dockers anyways? lol
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written by Libby Rowe, February 21, 2010
I'm right there with you! I absolutely fell in love with the commercials when I first saw them. Then I felt torn. In the end, I came down on the side of Old Spice. They're too clever not to love.
Liza
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written by Liza, February 21, 2010
I agree. I think the Old Spice one is more making fun of the gender stereotypes than enforcing them, which is probs why it's funnier than the Dockers one.
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written by coffeeboss, February 21, 2010
I cackle every time I see the Old Spice commercial! Not so much with the Dockers. Plus, did you notice that during the Super Bowl, the Dockers commercial debuted back-to-back with another pantsless-men ad? One commercial w/ men in their saggy drawers was *vaguely* amusing. Two in a row? Not so much, thanks. But heck, "I'm on a horse" makes me laugh every time I see it... and I'm a gay woman!
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written by Jukebox Heroine, February 21, 2010
I agree as well, there is a fine line, but I think Old Spice is trying to be funny. Way better than the Axe commercials that is for sure!
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written by J.D. Papillon, February 21, 2010
I actually felt the guy was far from stereotypically masculine... maybe it's my queer sensibility, maybe his somewhat camp delivery, but I felt he was far from the typical macho-grunting we often see on tv when talking about men. I have a tendency to react badly when commercials tell me how I should act as a man, but I didn't feel that way with the Old Spice commercial.
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written by Jelly, February 21, 2010
One thing that always trips me up as a feminist is desire. What if your desires -- the things you secretly want -- go against your political leanings? The Dockers ad is easy to hate because it is making a "logical" and semantic argument: that men should "wear the pants" and assert dominance.
The Old Spice and Axe ads try to tap into sense of smell, which has a direct line to memory, desire, emotion, all that. Those feelings do not play by our political logic. On one hand, it's funny, and on the other hand, playing with smells is playing with FIRE. Ex: I went all goo-goo in a meeting because my coworker wears the same deodorant as my high school boyfriend. At first I was really turned on...and then I was like, "Ew. BF was a total dick, and why is this grown man wearing teenager deodorant?" Also, I really like that my current boyfriend frequently smells like grapefruit, cranberry, apricot, etc. Fine line is right!
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written by Shisha, February 22, 2010
Actually, my boyfriend (who's serving time in county jail) called me from jail and told me all about this hilarious commercial (because he now watches more television than I do). So, I asked him if he wanted Old Spice now, he said no. He thinks it smells too much. He'd rather stick to my cherry almond Dove. Haha, gotta love 'em.

I do think this commercial is hilarious. It's not overly sexualized like those awful Axe commercials. I basically hold this on par with the "Porn for Women" books.
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written by april pressley, February 22, 2010
haha, love the old spice advert. I agree about the Dockers one....a bit creepy. It is also slightly ridiculous to a brit....because they are all, of course, to a British ear----visibly wearing pants!(just no trousers).
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written by Peaches, February 22, 2010
Also would have been hilarious if he had gone off into the "On a Boat" song/sketch. I've watched the commercial about five times in a row now... But I do feel it perpetuates the idea that men must be manly men in order to attract women, and that women should prefer manly men. But it does seem to concede that these non-manly men still have a girlfriend/wife.

I don't have a particular preference for the way my guy smells, as long as it's pleasant.
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written by debbies, February 22, 2010
even my mom likes this ad, and she's in her 70s. What is it that is so appealing about it? it's really different than anything i've seen before. the appeal is complex. i can't quite sort it out. I'm very curious about whether men like it, though. I think it would possibly be a bit threatening to them, even though it's funny.
Laurie
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written by Laurie, February 22, 2010
the old spice ad is great, I've never seen it. I esp like it since my shnozz is very sensitive and I am usually shocked by the colognes some dudes put on, not to say I love old spice, it's stinky too, but this commercial is funny. I wont even watch the dockers one, can't stand khaki's on anyone, no need to assault my eyes on a monday morning.
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written by angeloola, February 22, 2010
lol. It is funny and it doesn't hurt that the guy in the Old Spice commercial is really goodlookin.
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written by Beauregard, February 22, 2010
I have to say, even the description on the YouTube video is hilarious:
"We're not saying this body wash will make your man smell into a romantic millionaire jet fighter pilot, but we are insinuating it."
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written by Jodio, February 23, 2010
I don't know - those guys in the docker's ad seem pretty proud of not wearing pants. I don't see anything apologetic about their behavior. It's not like they're weeping on folding chairs in a therapy circle about it. I think the ad itself contradicts the message on the voice-over.
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written by Zak, February 24, 2010
I thought the feminist movement was supposed to give women the freedom to do as they choose. Raging against conforming ideals of what a woman should be, and all that. And yet, the way you talk about it here, it seems it has only redefined the parameters of what it is to be a woman, not eliminated them. You laugh at something that is funny, and then feel like you're not supposed to because it doesn't conform to a feminist ideal. Some movement. But then again, it is certainly consistent with the narrow and stultifying nature of this magazine. It's basically Cosmo, with less famous celebrities on the cover. Good job, ladies. You won!
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written by AmandaBrooks, February 25, 2010
I'm not being feminist at all when I say that the Dockers commercial was a hideous assualt on my senses. I much prefer a commercial with a handsome half-naked male model who speaks well, has a sense of humor and tickets/diamonds and a horse.

XX
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written by wendy flynn, February 25, 2010
This is a genius ad, really funny. I am in Britain so i hadn't seen it, but will be sharing it on the old FB. i think it is making fun of all the sexy half naked women ads out there and it's great. plus he's is hilarious, wouldn't mind the handful of diamonds either!
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written by Jesse O, February 25, 2010
I think these commercials are hilarious, because they're so tongue in cheek. However, i saw a commercial for the Dodge Charger (i think that was it anyway) that annoyed me- it showed a bunch of sad, stoic looking menfolk, with voiceovers saying "I will shave my face in the morning. I will clean out the sink." "I will listen to you criticize my friends." "I will watch your vampire tv shows." And so on, ending with "Because I get to drive this:" and then they show the big beefy mancar, with "Man's Last Stand" on the screen in huge letters.
Anyone else find this mildly irritating and offensive?
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written by Becky H., February 25, 2010
I told my husband about this commercial just this morning...how funny it is. Just like Jesse O. I found it tongue in cheek, not offensive. Maybe they realized that the "manly" schtick won't cut it and just decided to lay everything out in the open. I think Old Spice definitely needed a boost out of the 70's if they want to compete with all the other scented crap out there. Old Spice reminds me of my father, so my husband wouldn't use it (even if he liked stinky aftershave).
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written by Annie O, February 25, 2010
I am so with you on the Dodge commercial, Jesse O. When my boyfriend and I were watching The Super Bowl, even he was surprised by how anti-woman A LOT of the ads were, that one in particular. I'm pretty sensitive to that sort of thing but he's more lenient/doesn't really pay attention so it must've been pretty bad for him to notice and be offended. I don't find Dodge's new commercial much better. It's the one with a narrator describing how George Washington used to drive a Charger until Martha and the kids came along at which point he was forced to drive a minivan or something. It implies that men can't have fun if they have a wife and/or kids. It offends me as a feminist AND as a historian.
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written by mararagophotography, February 25, 2010
love the old spice commercial.
love old spice.
i wear it when i run out of my lady scented body wash!
...really i do.
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written by Tiana, February 25, 2010
@ AmandaBrooks.. I actually couldn't agree more with what you said regarding the restrictions of the feminist movement. I've dabbled in Women/Gender Studies classes, reading various magazines, etc. and always ended up feeling guilty if I felt 'differently' from what a 'woman is now supposed to be'. Almost feels as though we've taken this whole women's movement to the other extreme. smilies/sad.gif
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written by Jordan LaRousse, February 25, 2010
The Old Spice commercial cracks me up every time I see it. Great comparison to the Dockers bit that falls flat and stupid. It's important to be able to poke fun at feminism and whatever other isms we've got out there. The trick though is to do it with grace, levity and not a drop of malice. Also a little self poking helps too. Old Spice did all of that.
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written by ashayne, February 25, 2010
Love the ad, see absolutely nothing but comic brilliance and toying with our expectations. Great YouTube interview with the two guys who wrote the ad here: http://bit.ly/atcoS3 They explain how the heck the made the thing, which is so cool.
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written by AlyssaW, February 25, 2010
Honestly, I found them both amusing. I wasn't even seeing the Dockers ad as a "wearing the pants in the relationship" way, so much as a "I'm a lazy ass and as soon as I get home I take off my pants and turn on the tv". Because that's what my man does! But I guess if that was the only meaning behind it, they would have said "these" pants, or just pants...instead of THE pants. Either way, I thought it was funny. The old spice ad rings of truth! We're never gonna GET these things in a man or from a man, but we can pretend!
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written by AlyssaW, February 25, 2010
@Tiana: I know what you mean. Feminism seems to have gone to the extreme of being anti-feminine! We're not supposed to allow our man to spoil us, or show strength. We're not allowed to even WANT a man unless it's just to satisfy our basic needs. We're not supposed to cook or clean or craft...but that's what I like about Bust! They are REAL feminism. EMBRACING your femininity. We can cook and clean and bear children and be creative and strong and sexy and loved and cherished. Embracing all aspects of our femininity is much more fulfilling than trying to deny them for a misunderstood cause.
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written by Miss Construe, February 25, 2010
Look, we can say it's because it's camp and clever and he's charming and maybe gay... but the real message is "sexism ain't sexism if it's funny."
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written by Matthew W., February 25, 2010
I'm a 29year old dude, and I love the commercials. Especially, the "look at your man, now back to me" schtick, just awesome. Sure it plays on some gender roles, so it leaves out the gay women, but I'm sure a gay dude would like this... So over the top, it's like they are making fun of the 70s version of themselves...

I'm riding a horse, backwards,

Matthew
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written by Elizabeth55, February 25, 2010
I actually found both the Old Spice one and the Dockers one refreshing in a way beacause I'm SO fed up with ads that celebrate grunting overweight slobby men while other ads constantly criticise women for being unperfect in every way. Finally two ads where men are presented with perfection to live up to like we have always had. The Old Spice one was so nice because I felt I could finally sit back and revel in a beautiful man for a change without even ONE beautiful woman in sight.
I can see why people don't like the Dockers one so much though.
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written by Jeannette108, February 25, 2010
I really liked the Old Spice Commercial, I laughed my butt off too when he said he was on a horse. I think that commercial mocks gender stereotypes much more than it enforces them. The Dockers commercial just didnt do it for me. A bunch of men strutting around in their super hero underwear- yuck. I guess the Dockers commercial was trying to make fun of male sterotypes- but as a woman they missed it on me. And I also like Bust because it celebrates TRUE feminism- the fact that we are woman and can do all those womanly things and remain feminine while living out our feminist ideals. smilies/cheesy.gif
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written by dancing, February 25, 2010
I loved the Dockers one- right up to the last second, of course. It made me want to go frolic in the feilds with realistically cute, liberated and pantless men.
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written by F-ing Things Up, February 25, 2010
Although it's funny in its overt recognition of stereotypes, I have a problem with masculinity being defined as the opposite of femininity. Making jokes about stereotypes doesn't exactly change them; sometimes it only drives the wedge further into the separation between what is considered appropriate expressions of "manhood" and "womanhood". We can come up with something better.
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written by bee_w, February 25, 2010
Oh for God's sake. Did you SEE the men in the Dockers commercial? Hardly anti-feminist alpha males. They were half-naked and singing. And the macho male voice over and graphic are so over-the top that it highlights the disparity between Masculinity with a capital M and actual men. No one really thinks buying Dockers is going to change that, not even Dockers themselves. That's the joke. The Dockers ad is functioning in the exact same way as the Old Spice ad. It's just not as good at what it does.
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written by organicgal, February 25, 2010
Old Spice is toxic nastiness like most smelly things purchased (even natural scents can be problematic http://www.safecosmetics.org/) so the commercial is just silliness and doesn't do a thing for my shopping addiction or raise my feminist hackles. And the Dockers? Ahhh, the pants wearing thing. Any couple of any configuration will have the alpha-dog issue so men feeling like they don't wear pants and then they can/should wear them? No big...but Dockers? Meh.
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written by thivai, February 25, 2010
the old spice is way more offensive, take off your blinders... simply reverse the roles/characterization in both ads and cast them with women (esp. the old spice one)... hmmmm, not quite as funny is it smilies/cry.gif
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written by jennafur, February 25, 2010
I agree with this review in the sense that I am a feminist and I laughed hard at the Old Spice commercial and I felt it would be great to show in classes about gender stereotypes, not just for women, but for men and what we as a culture are really being sold.... and of course it is overall cheesy and stupid, which is why I hope no one actually digested this as overall truth... *fingers crossed* And I agree why can't I want many things and still be a feminist? Why place us in boxes... sounds like what the patriarchy does and sadly we feminists are doing it to each other... among other things.
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written by The Discerning Brute, February 25, 2010
Thanks Jamie Doak! You rock. I a take a deeper look into the Dockers campaign and their history of abusive labor practices towards women over here:
http://www.thediscerningbrute....the-pants/
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written by Les C. Kressy, February 26, 2010
Maybe someone should establish a field called "Cute Studies". Sure, the ad is clever, but that's only an immediate reaction, one that shouldn't disable our other faculties. The commercial is a mix of rapid-fire commands, absurdist humor, and stage magic tricks--all in the name of distinguishing "real" men from men who "smell like a lady". Cute persuasion techniques still need to be called out, especially because they're more effective than traditional stereotyping techniques.
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written by aznemesis, February 26, 2010
"Feminism seems to have gone to the extreme of being anti-feminine"
Oh, those nasty, man-hating, dykey feminists are so nasty, aren't they? You "real feminists" can go craft and give you guy head and talk about how you're just not oppressed anymore, who needs to worry about rape and pay equity? Craft, everybody! Gross. Am I glad my husband (who better not smell like Old Spice, because it makes me want to puke) and I raised a daughter with more sense than the fools on this site.
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written by Christine Walsh, February 26, 2010
Horses can symbolize fertility, virility, and divine authority. The old spice add is a little disturbing to me. Yes, he's a handsome man. Objectifying men doesn't make me feel better about objectifying women.
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written by Lucy M, February 26, 2010
Mm, I've seen both ads on tv before, and I thought they were both funny. I mean, they're just ads, aren't they? The pantsless one, I don't think they were trying to use pants as a metaphor or symbol for masculinity. It's a 30-second bit, honestly, not literature. I think it was just saying, "You know, people who don't wear pants are funny looking. You should buy our pants so you don't look like them." Seriously, most people look better in pants, both genders.
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written by Jp, March 01, 2010
@Aznemesis "more sense than the fools on this site" Way to go- someone has a different opinion than you and they're a fool. Nice insulting of most of the people who commented here none of whom seemed to feel the need to stoop to insults to express themselves. You completely discredited yourself with unnecessary agresssion and slurs all because your opinion was in the minority?
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written by dullflame, March 02, 2010
I haven't seen the Dockers ad, but I giggle every time I see the Old Spice commercial because it's ridiculous and campy and poking fun at stereotypes, I think.

At least it's better than those awful Yoplait commercials that were trying to get more women to buy yogurt. "It's, like, 'buying a new pair of shoes' good!"
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written by Alyssa W, March 04, 2010
@Aznemesis: who ever said anything about my stances on rape or pay equity? That was my point. We should focus on the REAL issues involved in feminism INSTEAD of getting all wrapped up in anything that might make us appear feminine (keep in mind that my comment was directed to another comment, and not to the videos). When you tell me I HAVE to be a certain way to be a good woman, you are no better than the male advertisers who tell me to be cute and sexy and submissive. You have no right to dictate how any woman - or man - should be. You are allowed your views and opinions on what a "worthy" person is. Assuming that because I do not share ALL of your ideals makes me somehow less of a woman is disgusting. You are stereotyping me and all women, much more so than either of these ads, and in a much more dangerous manner.
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written by Alyssa W, March 04, 2010
@JP: Thank you. I don't see any reason to repress my womanhood in the name of womens rights. It seems contradictory to me. Whoever that person is, she completely missed my point. Feminism is not about being masculine, it's about focusing on womens rights - bigger issues, LIKE pay equity and rape. Somehow, in her eyes, you have to completely deny any traditional idea of femininity in order to do this. Is it wrong of me to dream big, and think we can have it all? I guess so. It would seem that in her world, women can only be one or the other: become a man and be equal, or stay feminine and be inferior.

Luckily for all women, most of us have bigger goals than that.
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written by Michelle Parsneau, March 08, 2010
I've loved the way Old Spice has changed it up and embraced their camp. They started this a couple of years ago with Bruce Campbell (one of my favorite actors). I love the tongue in cheek nature of the new ad, and I love the "I'm obviously trying really hard to sell something to you" vibe that it gives off.

The Dockers "Wear the pants" ads annoy me a lot, with their passive-aggressive backhanded slap toward women. (If we're going to get beyond judging by looks, which I think is a part of feminism, why all the talk judging the misogynistic/chauvinistic look, or lack thereof, of the men in the Dockers ad?) Of course, I felt that a large majority of Superbowl ads this year were all about taking swipes at women, many of them in a manner a lot less passive-aggressively than the Dockers ad.
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written by Michael air Jordan, April 13, 2010
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written by MamaMary, May 06, 2010
Seeing this on the "Most Read" reminded me of a conversation I had just last night about commercials. I really laughed (out loud!) when I first saw the Old Spice commercial. My husband thought is was mildly funny. On the other hand, every time the new Kotex commercial comes on, he laughs at the line "so that's what's supposed to happen."
I think the commercial is cute, and I love the cat, but it makes me wonder who writes these things and who they're really aimed at. I'm 95% sure that the Old Spice commercial is is aimed at women buying for men.
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