What Is the Advertisement “Men Will Be Men” All About?

Source-Youtube.com

                                                             

The tagline of the alcohol brand Imperial Blue has gone a step further from the idea of 'Boys will be Boys' by remodeling it as 'Men will be Men', always followed by that musical ghazal  'Pyaar ki raah main' in the background which most of us can easily recognize as it has been up for quite some time now.

But the harsh truth that lurks beneath this seemingly innocent ad is difficult to grasp in the first impressions. 

Whether it is a guy trying desperately to impress a girl in the gym (considered by many misogynistic elements as men's spaces where women are viewed as intruders) by flaunting his machismo while lifting weights greater than his capacity or another fellow pretending to own a branded four-wheeler when two ladies pass by or the clear depiction of the male gaze lewdly eyeing the professional working woman on a lift. 

These ads not only unapologetically display such problematic acts but also end up justifying them in a bold man's voice using the tagline 'Men will be Men'. They subtly reflect the glaring stereotype that women are by their innate nature materialistic beings who get highly impressed by male ownership of expensive cars and can be easily swayed by a 15-carat diamond ring. 

They are given no agency of self-expression as their bodies are sufficient enough to serve the ad's lucrative agenda.

These play directly into the rooted highly misogynistic concept that the obligation to compromise on their subjectivity and to adjust and be more flexible unfailingly falls on women and further celebrates an apparent “greatness” in being a man, while at the same time rendering them incapable of embracing change, which is indeed quite paradoxical. 

A recent study by UNICEF and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (GDI) of Indian ads in 2019 confirms that this string of Imperial Blue advertisements is on a mission to deeply strengthen gender stereotypes. These commercials also strengthen the notion of male privilege existing in a patriarchal human society where it's perfectly normalized to view any working woman as a would-be wife in traditional attire. 

The flip side of the coin is that in this process of objectification and sexualization of women, these commercials end up targeting men as stereotypical who just can't afford to be themselves and stop batting their eyelids when women are around.

Subtly it serves as a reminder of why the bar or pub for that matter is not a women-friendly space, with relentless attempts often resulting in uncomfortable and harrowing sexual harassment experiences. The ad gained prominence with the supposed humor stemming from the awkward socialization tactics adopted by men around women who are ideal models in the myopic lens of patriarchy.

 

For a considerable period now, the firms dealing with alcoholic drinks like Imperial Blue, have always depicted their consumer products which primarily cater to a large male population, using heavy-laden sexist advertising. 

Sexualization of feminine bodies has become a norm to such an extent that no ad on Imperial Blue can appease the highly saturated and demanding marketplace unless a slim trim young woman with a perfectly sculpted body as per preconceived patriarchal notions is subjected to the pernicious male gaze in the public domain. 

These ads depict femininity as being marked by emotional instability and negative personality traits, like bitterness and jealousy resulting in hen-pecked husbands. Contrastingly, masculinity is associated with strength and dominance which in itself is highly problematic.

All this points out the fact that such stereotypes continue to perpetuate unchecked and women's role in society continues to be represented in a skewed and discriminatory manner as stated by reputed organizations like GenderNext and ASCI which stands for ‘Advertising Standards Council of India’

 It's high time that Imperial Blue sheds its indifferent attitude, comes around to accepting the fact that its advertising tropes are still stuck in prejudiced stereotypes and gets out of its cloistered shell of cliched expression and outdated sense of humour. After all, what it simply requires is a small change in perspective for Men to be so much more than just being Men!! 

 Written By: Aishwarya Neeraj