Media
Men and the Media - II
As I mentioned in my last entry, I have become increasingly incensed with the manner in which men are portrayed in the media - especially in advertising. My latest beef is with a Coors Light commercial ostensibly promoting their new “ventilating can”.
It starts with a guy sitting with his female significant other getting a cell phone call. He turns to his lady and says that his friend needs to vent. She, quite sympathetically, tells him he should immediately go over to his buddy and allow him to vent. The next scene is the guy arriving at a friend’s house with a six-pack and a big grin on his face telling his host that he has brought the new “venting” can. He then is shown sitting with several guys, drinking beer out of the new can, watching sports and calling his lady to tell her that he needs to be there longer because his friend must vent some more.
Let me explain my outrage. First message - men must get permission from their female companions to be playful with other men. Translation, “Mommy, can I go out to play.” Furthermore, since permission will probably not be granted unless you are a good boy and done your homework a guy has to come up with a ruse to escape. Second message – venting is a female behavior and by using this word he can con her by appealing to her feminine sensibilities. We all know that women support each other by creating a space for sharing concerns but men don’t do this. They just hang out in front of the tube drinking beer.
Thank you Coor’s and your ad agency for trivializing masculine energy. You are shaping a cultural view of masculinity that diminishes us and promotes stereotypical thinking about masculinity. Men need to learn how to honestly communicate their needs to their female partners in a respectful manner that does not marginalize those needs just because they are not always shared or understood by their companions. Being playful in the company of other men is part of who we are and we do not need to apologize for that desire. In addition, men need to embrace that fact that they can come together and share some of their frustrations and concerns in a non-shaming environment and not consider themselves less of a man. By denying this opportunity, men become further isolated and resort to destructive behaviors that negatively affect themselves and those closest to them.
I would hope that advertisers targeting men would learn to appreciate the best of masculinity rather than crude misperceptions. Let me know what YOU think about men in the media.
Richard Horowitz Past-President, Men Mentoring Men