Men of Great Britain. It is Official.
Well, if it is depicted as the norm on TV then it must be official.
We, as a gender, have been sidelined for Christmas.
The supermarket giants and multiple wannabees are in an advertising war and in order to acheive that much coveted Number One trading position in foodstuffs and seasonal goods over the Festive period they have all targeted Mum as the planners, plotters and grafters.
I am not denying that this is the case because it invariably is. Perhaps the collective viewpoint, top of the wish list of the male population has come true, specifically, "just get on with and tell me when it's all over".The point is that we do not appreciate this being made common knowledge through the media for all to know.
We do have certain undisputed roles, these usually being when the turkey needs carving, batteries need sourcing for toys and games,lifts are required to the Boxing Day Sales or there are items to be returned.
What I find astounding by the food marketing war is the complete alienation of men. At least in the glossy adverts for perfume, clothing and even those very helpful products from JML there is a token male lurking about in the background, perhaps sniffing a swan-like neck, admiring a well dressed zero sized model or demonstrating the general usefulness of a non-stick pan.
Not so in the food fight. In the respective campaigns by Asda and Tesco the menfolk of the house are mere shadows, totally inept at any domestic chores and completely absent when it comes to helping out with the shopping, preparations and even the traditional once a year offer to do the washing up.
Instead they are found asleep in front of the TV, obviously drunk, snoring and with no intention to partake in any family activities such as Cluedo, games on the PS3 or baiting the in-laws. One enthusiastic token man of the household is seen to be eager to get to the shops but it turns out this is only because there is a sale on.
So, in the eyes of the marketing moguls we are not only idle but also mean and thrifty. Sainsbury's seem to strike a reasonable balance in that the family fits a recognisable model of convention and behaviour and at least the man appears to be showing a willingness in participating in Christmas.This is however a minority view.
I find the approach and spin by the advertisers to be cynical and manipulative in the extreme. They are really tugging at the heartstrings of mothers through their apron strings to imply that anything less than a totally materialistic and excessive celebration is a failure in the eyes of their family and loved ones.
There is the use of suggestion and blackmail to coax mums into the consumer trap in that they could, if they comply, find themselves the proud recipient of a washer-dryer, solid oak dining set, i-pod docking sofa, flat screen television or whatever Brad Pitt is involved in selling. I think it may be something to do with cosmetics.
I am fully expecting that the post-Christmas period has a high representation in the very frequent commercial breaks by an equal compliment of advertisements for strong pain killers and Divorce Lawyers.
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