"IT'LL BLOW YOUR MIND AWAY. Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A1 Thick and Hearty Steak Sauce."
Feminists are all a-flutter. Social conservatives are all a-flutter. I'm just sort of confused.
What is Burger King's target market? Heterosexual men? But why would a heterosexual man want to eat a sandwich that supposedly resembles a large penis? Although the ad appears to try to appeal to the Maxim-magazine-reading set, it seems to suggest a curious homoeroticism. What tits-and-ass-lovin', porn-watchin' young buck yearns to put enormous phallic objects in his mouth?
Is Burger King targeting women as potential purchasers of this sandwich? That obviously doesn't seem to make much sense. The female in the ad appears to be either a blow-up doll or, at least, extremely doll-like. If BK was trying to capitalize on women's love of penises, surely it wouldn't have employed an image of a sex doll, right?
So, I'm more befuddled than offended. I feel like I can't even begin to address the cheap sensationalism or the supposed misogyny of the ad because I don't even understand it.
For the record--though I can't imagine who's keeping a record of this sort of thing--I enjoy oral sex as much as the next woman. Maybe more so. Hell, I like oral sex a whole lot more than I like Burger King sandwiches, that's for damned sure. But I can't say that this ad makes me especially more inclined to indulge in either.
7 comments:
Ummm, should I dare to mention the Quizno's Torpedo commercial? Can it get creeper?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQpRQh2KSQ
Wow. Yeah. I don't have a TV, so I hadn't seen that Quizno's ad before.
What is going on here?! I'm at ease with the notion that sexuality is plastic. Gay, straight, whatever idiosyncrasy--it's all a mix of biology and conditioning, as far as I can see. Generally, I'm pretty cool with that. But there's something funky going on.
It's almost as though our culture has become so saturated with cheap sexual imagery that we can't even keep the meanings of those images straight anymore. (No pun intended.) It's all knee-jerk reactions when we are confronted with ANYTHING IN ANY WAY SEXUAL. Not only have nuances been eliminated, but even basic categories have been reduced. Pop culture images are binary: either SEX or NON-SEX, end of list. No matter who you are or what you truly like, if the image you are presented is the former category, you are titillated.
I would say "what a sad day for popular culture," but fuck pop culture. What a sad day for human sexuality.
Fortunately (or, if you're into BDSM, unfortunately), penises don't usually come "flame-grilled," so it seems that BK has missed the mark in more ways than one.
Wow, Tamara, you're really good! This comment, and the post itself, is razor sharp. I can see the excellent lawyer!
This just really, really makes me want to barf. And it makes me mad at the MEN marketing dorks that came up with it. I guess it's safe to say that I find it gross and wrong.
Read this 2004 Slate article:
Ads That Make You Go Ew: Who buys hot dogs because they're "girthy"?
http://www.slate.com/id/2102940/
I remember seeing this girthy hotdog ad when it first came out and thinking "whoa!?!?" Later I came across this article and was delighted that someone took the time to address the girthy/hotdog/homoerotic vibe going on in this ad.
P.S. The University of Houston's Daily Cougar is mentioned in the article...
Lisa, the girthy hot dog ad campaign and the Slate article lend support to the idea that there certainly is a peculiar trend a-foot. Combine it with the Quizno's ad, the BK ad, etc. and I'm convinced.
Hell, I can't even say the word 'girthy' in my own head without thinking of penises . . . .
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