The “Pussy-Whipped” Husband

This commercial was targeted specifically to cater to women. With the exception of the main women unclothed in the bathtub, all of the women in the ad were fully clothed, working, or socializing in a respectable manner. The other men, however, showed envy of Alexa. Every time the woman gave Alexa a command, the husband would try to undo the command or tell Alexa to stop. According to Kilbourne, popular culture usually idealizes a template for relationships that “views sex as more important than anything else, that ridicules men that are not in control of their women (who are“pussy-whipped”), and that disparages fidelity and commitment” (Pg 491). After the woman tells Alexa to “turn on the sprinklers,” her disgruntled husband quickly responds by saying, “Honey, I just ran the sprinklers. Alexa stop, things are getting way to wet around here” because Alexa was standing in the yard getting soaked in the sprinklers and making sexy eye contact with his wife. In Figure 2, you see the husband standing outside the door listening in on the conversation between Alexa and his wife. He did not dare barge in or interrupt because he is seen as less dominant than the sexy male lead of the commercial. The husband was ridiculed throughout the entire commercial because he had no control over the relationship between Alexa and his wife, which made the commercial funny. The husband, who was an average looking man, could not compete with Alexa for his wife’s attention, making Jordan the sexy and dangerous man that could easily steal his wife.

Double Standards of Sexism

Throughout the commercial, I wondered if this would be acceptable if Alexa was played by a female actor, and the simple answer is that the gazing and gawking towards a female Alexa would make this commercial uncomfortable. In Killing Us Softly, Kilbourne describes that men are seen as bigger and stronger when they are objectified and are not judged as much as women. Since Alexa is a sexy Black male at the center of this commercial that is seen as powerful and romantic, the commercial is acceptable and at times funny. Men are also objectified in advertising, “however, there is a world of difference between the objectification of men and that of women. The most important difference is that there is no danger for most men, whereas objectified women are always at risk” (Kilbourne, Pg 501). In Figure 3, the bathtub scene, Jordan has on a visible Black shirt, whereas the woman in the tub with him appears to be naked. Although this scence alludes to sex with the both of them being in the tub together, romantic music in the background, and candles lit throughout the room, his shirt stays on for her apparent safety. There is never any danger for Jordan, even when the husband is around there is not any threat. However, the husband appears to stay around for the wife’s safety, even when she is in the bathroom the husband is outside the door letting her know that other people need to use the bathroom as well. The double standard makes it acceptable for men to be sexualized because they are seen as powerful and there is not a threat for them, whereas women who are sexualized are often powerless, do not have authority of their bodies, and are subjected to a threatening male gaze.