Comments on: Have the Ad men got it wrong or are we all just a bit gay?

By: bitheway

bitheway — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:17:30 +0000

That doesn”t explain why it was published in FHM though does it Ben?

By: ben mclellan

ben mclellan — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:59:00 +0000

Travis Fimmel modelling Calvin Klein underwear is indeed aimed toward the female audience. After all, a lot of women do buy underwear for the men in their lives.

By: bitheway

bitheway — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:36:32 +0000

I think its perfectly possible to appreciate the beauty of a tree without wanting to hump it, however a tree isn’t sending us sexual images, nor is a child or a vanilla ice cream. However, these adverts are. When we respond to these sexual images and discover an affinity or an attraction to them, then as men, we are responding to homo-eroticism.

By: sam_ovar

sam_ovar — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:29:44 +0000

“Because we recognise it as beautiful and realise that women will too. If we look like that, we’ll get more chicks – simple. But we have to be able to appreciate the beauty of the male form before can make that link. That is by definition homoeroticism.”

Hell no. Can’t you appreciate the beauty of a child, a landscape, a painting, a song, without being attracted to it? Can’t you find something ugly or plain but still learn to recognize when other people consider it beautiful or attractive? You like chocolate, your friend likes vanilla: do you have to like vanilla to comprehend the fact you’d better give your friend vanilla than chocolate?

There is homoeroticism there, but not because we have to demonstrate a capacity for empathy of the level found in crows. Because the male models are shown as female models are: naked and attractive. Not as clothed as possible and showing success, the kind you want to be.

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:44:26 +0000

Advertising to joe public –

Advertisers cleverly target their ads at segments of the population that they wish to sell to, and who they believe will buy their stuff. Generic blanket advertising is mostly a thing of the past, now that consumer psychology is so big with marketeers.

So, if they are using these ads, it’s because either the purchaser or purchase influencer will be won over by the message and imagery. They will trial them with target segments, and fine tune them to get them to work, when ad budgets run to $£millions.

But the post was more about why they work – men do know what good looking attractive men look like, which is why they mostly emulate them. The discerning eye may at some level find some attraction to the guys concerned, especially where they are bi or gay. I guess we need to remember the % of men who might try/have tried some form of sexual contact with men, which is quite high, but not quite as high as the % of men who have some potential for sex with guys. So, sex does sell, and many men appreciate looking at stunning bodies etc. And advertisers target rather than push out general messages to us all.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 04 May 2008 08:01:07 +0000

Of course everyone has a different idea of beauty, but Ad-men, particular when promoting products which have virtually universal appeal, eg: underwear and razors, have to appeal to Mr Joe Average.

Granted in the bear community there is little attraction to the metro-male, but equally the Gillette Ad-men don’t need to worry about hitting a mostly bearded community, where razor’s have little appeal.

What I find curious is that they successfully chose homoerotic imagery to pitch to Mr Joe Average.

For the advertising to work your average straight person must identify with these images and if its not because he can see the beauty in them, then what is it?

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 03 May 2008 14:09:10 +0000

Well, some men have a different view of what’s sexy in men, and some men like that gruff looking and/or middle aged and/or swollen beer belly look, the “bear” community comes to mind. Not all gay guys are the metro-gay (gay equivalent of the “metrosexual”) type. To me, metrosexuality is more about “metro” grooming, fashion, hair and is more akin to gender roles, than sexuality. However in our culture, gender role conformity and sexuality are often linked together. (Butch/Femme/Lipstick Lesbian/Bull Dyke/Tom Boy/Girly Man/ Metro/enough stereotypes to make your head spin). Women’s fashion advertising is much the same- I remember the line in “But I’m a Cheerleader” everyone looks, you just don’t realize that you look differently. The average heterosexual (Kinsey 0) doesn’t look at them the same way.