The Weekly Whims Of HatManJim: Sexually Predatory Soap Bubbles
December 5, 2009 No Comments
A weather-beaten eye cast over the media: HatManJim looks at a story in the headlines and as a feminist with a penis (Menimist? Femi-meni-mist? I just believe i n women’s rights, I’m not having gender-reassignment. OK?), attempts to map the sexism inherent in the press, without inadvertently saying anything lecherous about breasts.
This advert is very close to being clever. The accurately irritating cleaning product advert showing an attractive housewife (I’m presuming that but it’s born out by the fact that she says “breakfast in 20” to an unseen family later) grinning inanely at the bouncing smiling cartoon bubbles has the ring of authenticity. Then it turns out the bubbles, that are actually toxic chemical residue, are jerks, completely undermining their “cuteness” in the earlier “shinetastic” part of the advert.
The whole thing works. Until you make them perverted jerks who are scrutinising a naked woman against her will and ordering her to expose herself in front of them. Really, which one of the “creatives” at the marketing agency thought that was a good idea? Seriously guys, come on?
The video was supposed to be a quirky bit of viral marketing. But, according to this iMediaConnections article, has since been pulled from the website of cleaning product firm, Method, and (officially at least) from YouTube.
This came after Melissa McEwan of feminist blog Shakesville posted an embed of the video under the title “Today in rape culture”. McEwan did not actually comment on the video other than providing a transcript of dialogue and the word “wow”. Perhaps she felt no comment was needed.
Her entry prompted a number of complaints about the advert as well as a number of talk back comments on the blog post, including:
holy fuck.
And:
what. the. fuck.
As well as:
Jesus. What the fuck
Which all seem completely reasonable responses. The big question is, why did no one at Method or Droga 5, the advertising company that created it, say that when the idea was first suggested?
HatManJim’s column will appear every Saturday.
