In “Beauty (Re)discovers the Male Body” (1999) feminist, philosopher, and author Susan Bordo discusses the changes in American advertisements. If we look back to almost any period of time before the late 1980’s, early 1990’s, we would never have seen the half-naked, bulging penis advertisements that all people are familiar with today. This change comes about in the topic of masculinity within the ads, which can be related to the society that Bordo is writing in, and to the society we currently live in as well. Bordo describes two specific groups in her writing, and she names these groups “rocks” and “leaners”, and while these two categories are still very prevalent in the ads we see today, there is a group that is not mentioned by Bordo.
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The Dickies advertisement we see here is an excellent place to begin. The man in this advertisements is not some “bulging” mountain of man we see in “rocks”, nor is he the toned, slender man-child we see in “leaners”. When we see the man in this picture, I go back to my childhood, and think of my father fixing our broken toilet. This is most likely the image people think of when they see this add, and a good majority of males strive to be like their father, making them want to buy Dickies products. Ordinary males also relate to this advertisement as well. A fair amount of males are the “do it yourself” kind of man, and Dickies is trying to portray that their clothing will help you handle any household malfunction one may come across. His shirt and pants (obviously water proof) is unfazed by the excessive amount of water that is gushing on to it, acting like an armor against the water, giving the model a chance to possibly fix the toilet. We could even go as far to say that if the man was not wearing the Dickies gear that the problem would be much more difficult to stop. Bordo touches slightly on how some companies try to sell men “no nonsense” (Bordo 209) articles of clothing, and this advertisement is the epitome of that …show more content…
Carhartt is so well known amongst “working man” consumers that they do not even have to include a shot of the models face. This is significant because it is saying that no matter what you look like (black or white) Carhartt clothing and work gear will help you complete the job. Since any working person wants reliable gloves to prevent blisters, or boots with anti-slip bottoms to stay firm footed no matter the terrain, the advertisement is showing all they need in order to get their point across, and their products recognized. If we look to the background of the advertisement, we see a horse. Powerful and large, who could master this beast? A man who wears Carhartt, of course. If the man was not wearing Carhartt, the subordinate equine we see before us would be a wild and untamed
The Dickies advertisement we see here is an excellent place to begin. The man in this advertisements is not some “bulging” mountain of man we see in “rocks”, nor is he the toned, slender man-child we see in “leaners”. When we see the man in this picture, I go back to my childhood, and think of my father fixing our broken toilet. This is most likely the image people think of when they see this add, and a good majority of males strive to be like their father, making them want to buy Dickies products. Ordinary males also relate to this advertisement as well. A fair amount of males are the “do it yourself” kind of man, and Dickies is trying to portray that their clothing will help you handle any household malfunction one may come across. His shirt and pants (obviously water proof) is unfazed by the excessive amount of water that is gushing on to it, acting like an armor against the water, giving the model a chance to possibly fix the toilet. We could even go as far to say that if the man was not wearing the Dickies gear that the problem would be much more difficult to stop. Bordo touches slightly on how some companies try to sell men “no nonsense” (Bordo 209) articles of clothing, and this advertisement is the epitome of that …show more content…
Carhartt is so well known amongst “working man” consumers that they do not even have to include a shot of the models face. This is significant because it is saying that no matter what you look like (black or white) Carhartt clothing and work gear will help you complete the job. Since any working person wants reliable gloves to prevent blisters, or boots with anti-slip bottoms to stay firm footed no matter the terrain, the advertisement is showing all they need in order to get their point across, and their products recognized. If we look to the background of the advertisement, we see a horse. Powerful and large, who could master this beast? A man who wears Carhartt, of course. If the man was not wearing Carhartt, the subordinate equine we see before us would be a wild and untamed