The Man Your Man Isn’t Buying

The Old Spice Guy is burning up the internet.

Women want him and men want to be him — on a yacht, or a horse… with diamonds.

But the ad campaign has failed and sales are down.

Let me explain why this is a wonderful thing.

The ad premiered during the manliest of events, Superbowl XLIV, this February.

Sexy Isaiah Mustafa is the man our men could smell like. Not only is he ridiculously good looking and and athletic, but he is also rich beyond all comprehension (yachts! diamonds!).

Many commentators have put together all these facts and concluded that the ad campaign was aimed at women, to convince them to buy a difference body wash for their man.

Looking at the ads campaign as a whole though, it is clear that it was aimed at men. The tagline is “Smell like a man, man.”

Even the ads that address women, like the one below, are designed to make men insecure.

Mustaches have seen a revival in popularity among men who appreciate the retro appeal. Women who like them tend to like them for only one thing — and it’s not their stylishness.

The character is ironically attractive and suave, but underlying that is the fact that is he actually much better looking than most men. That ad says to men, “Your woman wants me. I could take her if I wanted. Now buy bodywash.”

So why am I so happy that sales are down?

Ads for women’s beauty products almost always have the same theme — you are not good enough. They are not about improving our lives but about making us painfully aware how we compare with some of the most beautiful women in the world.

Sure all products are marketed in a way to make us feel insecure without it, but beauty is the only area in which the ideal is held up and we are judged against it (in our own minds).

It is effective, but insidious. It is probably a large part of the reason that most women hate their bodies and many would give up years of their life to lose 5kgs.

So as the Old Spice Guy rides his jet-ski lion off into the sunset, I thank him for bringing a little more male beauty into my life, and wish him well.

Bon Voyage!