"Hello Ladies... Swan Dive!"

Posted by: Catie Colliton in Feminizzle on Jul 01, 2010 Print PDF

Catie Colliton

This new Old Spice ad cannot be ignored any longer. Besides being hilarious, ridiculous, and featuring the eye-candy that is Isaiah Mustafa, there seems to be a change in tone for the better in terms of gender. Personally, I think it's more sensitive to gender roles, but still keeping with the sensitive manly-man ideal. We know that Old Spice is going for the ridiculous— "Swan dive!"... genius— and our favorite Old Spice Man gracefully lands in a hot tub which falls apart revealing him sitting on a manly motorcycle. But anyway, check out the video and selected dialogue below. The feminist in me smells something off, but Old Spice's overpowering musk of hilarity is shining through.

 

 

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"Does your man look like me? No. Can he smell like me? Yes. Should he use Old Spice body wash? I don't know... "

"Do you like the smell of adventure? Do you want a man who smells  like he can bake you a gourmet cake in the kitchen he built for you with his own hands? Of course you do." 

Old Spice is playing with gender norms here, acknowledging that men and women seek adventure and also that (Old Spice) men can make gourmet cakes. They re-enforce gender norms by having men characterized as building a kitchen for women, who would hypothetically be the primary users of said kitchen. But it seems as if the Old Spice Man is really just a nice guy trying to make his lady(ies) happy. 

"Swan dive! Into the best night of your life."

The "best night of your life" includes a hot tub by a waterfall, and, let's be honest, who wouldn't take a night in a romantic hot tub with their sexy-smelling significant other? However, the hot tub walls fall, releasing all the water and revealing the Old Spice Man's (hot) body and revealing him in different pants on a motorcycle that's actually revving to go. Old Spice is playing into the "sexy bad guy" image here for sure, and obviously we can't ignore how completely shirtless our Old Spice Man is. Are we objectifying him? Yes. Is it okay? I don't know... Swan dive!

That "swan dive" seems to be the new great escape from awkward questions, like the previous "I'm on a horse" line.  New awkward turtle or distracting from the off color jokes?

"So ladies, should your man smell like an old spice man? You tell me..."

What do you think? Is Old Spice just having some good clean fun or re-enforcing gender norms? It could always be worse... 

 

Original Old Spice Commercial

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Fun Fact: The hunk in question might even have his own TV show.

 

Image: Old Spice Man

Tagged in: old spice , new advertisement , isaiah mustafa   

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



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written by ErinQ, July 01, 2010
Meh. It's fun, it's fine. I think this commercial is appealing to both men and women. In light of "I wear no pants"-type commercials, this is downright refreshing and clever.
About the concerns raised-- well, where else are you going to bake a cake except in a kitchen? I think it could have easily said "in the bathroom I built for you", but that cake would be gross. I don't especially feel threatened by the "kitchen for you" reference because I love to cook!
I guess the commercial could have said "kitchen built for us", but that would detract from the Old Spice man's (somewhat satirical) image as a macho, shirtless pleasure-giver!
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written by Memoria, July 02, 2010
I personally don't like how he or the creators of the commercial assume that all women are attracted to men. Not all women are straight. I also don't like the kitchen reference either.
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written by sarahR., July 02, 2010
Give me a break, they're funny! They're a million times better than those axe commercials in which the girls all act like dogs getting a whiff of bacon or something.
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written by HannahBanana, July 02, 2010
First of all, mmmm...Isaiah Mustafa. Second, these commercials touch upon gender stereotypes of both sexes in a hilarious and lighthearted way. Also...Isaiah Mustafa.
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written by Ri, July 02, 2010
Memoria, get a sense of humor because trying to act like you speak for all feminist and everyone in the lesbian/bi community is the only bad thing here
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written by Bombshelter, July 08, 2010
I think the "kitchen" reference means more that he is manly enough to build you a kitchen AND not afraid to use that kitchen to bake you a cake. I think a lot of women like that a man can be both "manly" & "sensitive" because it is rare to find. So I'm giving it a thumbs up.
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written by Lauren Rubin, July 08, 2010
"I''m holding an oyster. Inside is to tickets to that thing you love. Now they are turning into diamonds. I'm on a horse"

so good!
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written by Liiiiaaaaa, July 08, 2010
I like this one more than the original for sure ... and DEFINETLY more than the obnoxious Axe commercials or I wear no pants bullshit. However I still hate Old Spice because they test on animals, and the product itself is awful for your skin :x
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written by Midge, July 08, 2010
hi-larious. i don't care if i'm attracted to what he's selling, or even if i think old spice smells good. they're just funny and pretty creative. with a good looking man that can really sell the comedy bit, if not the scent. if i was part of the market that's choosing between old spice and axe (i get my boyfriend top shelf man-beauty products), i would buy old spice because of these ads. yes, i would be that easily swayed girl.
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written by Enzie, July 08, 2010
A lot of the recent Old Spice campaigns are obviously a reaction to the aggressively chauvinistic Axe commercials. It seems to me that they looked at themselves as a company and said, "Hey, we've always been considered a masculine brand. We're secure in our masculinity, and don't need to be bro rapists about it. Let's show that!"

I mean, you saw that first ad they did with Bruce Campbell, right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1OxkFOK18

That's totally what that was saying. They were contrasting the image of a "mature" and secure masculinity against the wanking, juvenile image of Axe. They had a second commercial with Bruce singing "Hungry Like the Wolf" at a piano, and some sexy ladies fawning over him - I think what they've done here with the Isaiah commercials is discard even the "helplessly seduced bimbos" in favor of something even more confident. Isaiah doesn't need sexy ladies around him to prove to you that he's a sexy man. And at the same time, he's even poking fun at the very idea of what makes a sexy man. In my eyes, it's really very bold in light of what other companies are doing.
Colleen K
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written by Colleen K, July 09, 2010
I agree, it's a hysterical commerical. Even his delivery is great, "Look down, look up, you're on a boat"... his pace is so quick, that in itself is funny. It's appealing to everyone, and pokes fun at both camps too --men for falling short of the idealistic 'old spice man' and at women for what they'd want in this stereotypical dream guy. (Obviously it's a stereotype, I'm not saying that's what we do all want)
Colleen K
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written by Colleen K, July 09, 2010
Oh, I almost forgot about this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjAJB8gULZo

Nivea did it too, just in a different way. Still funny! Anything that highlights how utterly ridiculous the Axe cult is (it's getting to be a following anymore) is all right in my book.

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