Ms Naughty Porn for Women Blog

SMH says: A report in the Australian journal Body Image has found that consumers respond positively to depictions of average-sized men in advertising. The survey asked over 600 students in their late teens to look at mock-up advertisements for products, some using muscle-bound men and others using thinner or chubbier male models. The results showed that the “buffed” models didn’t rate any higher than average guys.

Neither sex responded more positively to the musclebound bodies, and the males even found ads that showed just the item – with no accompanying model – more effective than those posed by classic hunks.

Some participants in the University of Queensland study ”may have attributed the models’ muscularity to vanity or homosexuality, characteristics which they may have found unpleasant or discomforting”, [study leader] Ms Diedrichs wrote.

It’s not surprising that male respondents preferred not to see a male model at all. This is not news; it’s why the guy’s heads are always cut off in porn films and why we never see naked men in mainstream film. To even look at another man carries hints of homosexuality for some people and therefore must not be tolerated.

It think it’s an interesting and useful study that also reveals a lot about gay stereotypes and how we allow men a lot more leeway in their appearance than women.

On a personal level, I don’t mind a nice six pack or well-defined muscles, although if the guy looks like a boofhead, I’m not so interested. I think a man’s smile and his eyes are very important factors in whether he is attractive or not.

Meet the latest successful viral marketing campaign. It’s from Old Spice who have created a collection of odd yet very amusing commercials for their products. This one made me giggle… and then I had to re-watch it to try and spot the joins between each special effect (I couldn’t).

So one could analyse this commercial and critique what it has to say about being male, “lady smells” and the whole stereotypical notion of what women desire. But it feels like that’s taking it all too seriously. I suspect that the advertising company is taking a cheeky and ironic jab at notions of what makes a MAN (that’s MAN in capitals, of course). Essentially, it’s taking the piss out of other commercials that try to speak to macho notions of masculinity. Thus, this ad:

I think if you’re taking it seriously you probably need to get out and practice smiling a bit more.

In the end, these ads are funny, plain and simple. And that guy in the first ad is so sexy he doesn’t require any kind of diamonds (or artificial smells).

And I could even be tempted to buy this stuff and use it on myself. I want to smell like a MAN too. Now that’s a successful ad campaign.

Update 18th Feb: The commercial is up to 1.7 million views and I’ve found a video about how the ad was made. Unfortunately it’s 20 minutes long so here’s the quick version: the whole thing was done in one shot. The only computer graphics used were those with the tickets, diamonds and bottle rising up out of his hand. The shower was a set lifted by a huge crane and the boat was also a set. When he says “What’s in your hand?” he’s sitting down on a specially designed rig that moves him away from the boat and onto the horse. You can see the sky move in the background. They did have to digitally remove a few bits of that rig from under the horse’s neck.

Apparently the shoot took 3 days and this is the 53rd take. The actor’s name is Isiah Mustafa and apparently his phone has rung off the hook after this ad. He’s also on Twitter; his location is “on a horse”.

Update 19th Feb: The LA Times has an interview with the lovely Isiah here. Turns out he’s got a girlfriend.

This is an ad for Diet Coke from the 90s. Now, I abhor Diet Coke but this ad almost makes me forgive it for all its sins. That’s because this ad is a showcase for the female gaze – the idea of shooting from a woman’s point of view. Yes, it’s only advertising, but think about how often ads assume the viewer is male and trot out the standard bikini girls.

And the guy is kind of hot.

I’ve created a new site called The Female Gaze where I’m hoping to look at ads, photos and films that give priority to a female perspective. It’s still in its early stages but it will grow, I’m sure.

I found this on the FAILBlog and just had to post it. Love the facial expressions. Some commenters said that the advertiser may have intentionally created the ad this way.

I have no idea how this ad got a green light, but I’m eternally grateful for it. And a warning: you will probably end up with the rather dirty song stuck in your head.

I sometimes muse about the way that the nude male body is hidden from public view, but the female form is considered to be public property.

Apparently this is not the case in the gay community. MCV has a piece discussing the fact that advertisers targeting gay men almost always resort to using beefcake to sell their wares. Doesn’t matter what the product is, chances are it will be accompanied by images of naked men.

The author ponders what this says about the gay community and how it is perceived by advertisers. She also questions whether gay men are being conditioned to accept it. Are they being “dumbed down” by advertising?

It’s hard for a lesbian to imagine being targeted in this way. The mainstream may consider us ugly, but never dumb.

In fact, I have a gay travel book which pictorially depicts lesbians at art galleries, restaurants and places of historical interest, but the boys are always beachside, resplendent in their Speedos.

Advertising always seems to be about stereotypes, doesn’t it?

I did a little search on “gay advertising” and found the Commercial Closet Association which aims to help advertisers be a little less obvious in their messages.

If nothing else, this story has given me an excuse to post that hilarious gay hot dog ad. I got it from this page which features a number of amusing gay ads. I also like the “We’re just as excited as you are” Volvo ad.

From this selection of spoof ads. Via Scanner.

The Daily Mail has a great selection of old print ads from when women knew their place and advertising was happy to say so.

They’re from the book You Mean A Woman Can Open It?: The Woman’s Place In The Classic Age Of Advertising.

The ad above was from 1952 and accompanied by the text: “Is your coffee pressure packed for extra freshness? If hubby can tell you’re not making Chase & Sanborn coffee for him, well, you’ve been warned…”