Since I was not feeling well, I spent more time than usual laying around and watching television. This brings me to the topic of this post. This is officially my first rant (kind of, it's gentle)! Have you seen the Stanley Steamer commercial? The one that says your house needs cleaning because of kids, teens, pets and husbands? What about the Hotels.com one where the husband gets so excited over having 2 bottles of shampoo that he starts pouring them on his head? And let's not forget the one for Pepto-Bismol where the husband is compared to the dog he ate so much, including dog biscuits. What is with all the "stupid husband" commercials? I have never noticed there being so many. I realize there are commercials that portray women as less than intelligent as well as those with respectable men in them. I'm just wondering how these "stupid husband" commercials affect the way we see our own husbands. So many of the sitcoms center around the "got-it-together" wife who tolerates the shenanigans of this clown she lives with. In a society where half of our marriages end in divorce, this cannot be good for us. I think it's easy to say we know better, but when we're inundated with these images I have to wonder how much seeps in. I don't know about you, but my husband is far from these stupid portrayals. Has he ever done anything dumb? Absolutely, who hasn't? But, he works hard for his family and supports me in everything I do. I just wish more male roles would reflect the kind of husband/father he is and strives to be. I want my boys to grow up with the sense of responsibility to care for their family and not to think it's ok to goof off and expect their wives to hold the family together.
Chill out, you say. Get a life. I know, I know. It may not be quite as big a deal as I make it sound, but at the risk of sounding like a stick in the mud, it does concern me a little. What say you?
This post is dedicated to my sweetie:
4 comments:
Ah, how sweet! He is a great guy! I agree with you. I've noticed for a long time how husbands are made to look dumb and ignorant on commercials while the wife smirks in the background. It's feminism at work! See all we've gained? Yeah right.
Personally, I think that the Stanley Steamer commercial is hilarious. And if people are getting divorced after seeing a commercial in which some guy is portrayed as dumb, I would say that they likely had much bigger issues to begin with...
Good post, Amanda. The other thing that really irks me is when parents are portrayed as idiots and the children/teenagers are victims to their parents who are clueless. And the "desperate housewife" thing. That is aggravating too. I am too tired to write anything deep or insightful or thought provoking but yes, I agree with you, and will leave it at that.
BTW, it was great to spend some time with you today. It was nice to catch up. We should do that again soon.
I agree, Amanda. I'm having to do some catch-up on your blogs b/c your tab got exited out of and when I don't see something I forget about it. Anyway, good post. I agree completely with you, and must say that DUH! commercials aren't CAUSING divorces DIRECTLY, but they are definitely having an affect on our attitudes. Example- our kids around Christmas when all the cartoon commercials are putting new toys in their faces CONSTANTLY. My kids, at least, turn into "I Want!" animals. Anyway.... And I can't remember my blogger password, so I'm being anonymous today. You know who I am.
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