“Let Your Man Out” by Jaron Benjamin

Cross-posted on our MySpace Blog.

I recently saw a television advertisement for Coca Cola’s Full Throttle energy drink that featured different sorts of men chasing after a Full Throttle big rig. And by doing so, each individual mob member reclaimed something that they, apparently, did not have before—the right to be a real man.

At the commercial’s conclusion, the message was clear. The words “Let Your Man Out” remained on the screen, and I began to think. Instead of thinking about how ridiculous or annoying the whole premise was, I started to think about why Coca Cola decided to advertise this particular product this way. There is a growing trend among advertisers to market “masculine” products to men by going over the top, while citing the average American Man’s loss of manhood.

The definition of Masculinity is in flux right now, and advertisers are aware of this. Susan Faludi warned us that the same tricks that were (and still are, on many levels) used by society to force women into strict gender roles during Feminism’s various waves are now being used on men. In an age where few people agree on a clear-cut definition of Masculinity, boys and men can consume a product and be secure in their identity, and women (supposedly) will want these boys and men for their power and dominance. Passionate talk about these advertisements and our society’s push for more dominant manhood is relegated to two categories: people either feel that it’s ridiculous or that there really is a need for more dominant men.

What is almost never discussed in these conversations is what this push for a more dominant strain of manhood is supposed to do. “Letting Your Man Out” could reduce men to merely demonstrating their hyper-masculinity, a man with no real use to our society, a man who doesn’t really do anything. At best, this manliness is solely for decoration. At worst, this ornamental masculinity could produce more aggressive boys and men. In either case, our society does not seem to be concerned with producing men that can take care of themselves or constuctively contribute to our society in any way.

In the push to shed everything that is deemed “unmanly,” these characteristics parallel some aspects of fifties nostalgic feminine gender roles in an ironic twist; the only way to express your gender in the ornamental role is by purchasing accessories to remedy your insecurities. So what happens now?

Are men going to heed the advice of women who have seen and heard the pitfalls and anguish of those who have tried to force themselves into a convenient stereotype so members of the “opposite” sex will want them? Are we, as men, going to continue to sacrifice our creativity, individuality, and emotions to capitulate to a downsizing of our humanity to mindless corporate widget machines? Are you going to stand as a passive by-stander while a few people with power continue to perpetuate a culture that robs almost everyone involved?

What are you going to do about it?