The Burger King “I Am Man” commercial uses gender to present the advertisement as anti-woman and strictly for men. The advertisement begins with a well dressed man in a fancy restaurant, eating a tiny meal with a beautiful woman. Like the narrator from Fight Club, the man here appears feminized, as he is surrounded by perfectly dressed individuals in an organized consumer space. Troubled by this, the man sings “I am man hear me roar…too hungry to settle for chick food”. From this moment, the advertisement is overtly structured for men.
First, in accordance with Gladwell’s notion that “a man can be too gorgeous, because then he’s not a man anymore”, the main character is strategically average looking so he appears relatable