Sexy Men (and butts) in Advertising: Going Downy

There are two aesthetics of male beauty at work in these ads. You see, the print ad with the butt hugging jeans would have been more appropriate in the 70s, when that was really the style (at least for gay men in NYC). Now jeans have a boxy fit that doesn't really flatter the butt. Of course, Levi's, even when you sat in a wet pair in the bathtub, never quite delivered the spray on quality of the photo below. Campaign message: Downy makes clothing feel as comfortable as your own skin. 

The print ad below focuses on biceps, triceps, pecs and abs -- which is more a reflection of today's imagery, sold to the gay community by the Madison Avenue/HX complex. Where is a campaign to gay men from Dove about real beauty? Not that this man below isn't a real beauty. I am certainly not knocking muscles or sexy men — just the consumerist objectification by advertisers.

Naturally soft? I am sure we'd all like to feel for ourselves.

Comments

[Crys]

um, yum.