Becoming an Object

Michael B. Jordan is quite literally objectified in this ad. Being that he is supposed to be a virtual assistant come to life, he is shown in various ways how he can be used around the house. In each way, there is a sexual undertone. When the wife asks him to dim the lights as seen in Figure 1, he takes off his shirt to accomplish the task, much to the delight of the women around him. Later, he is asked to read to the wife and does this while sitting in the bath alongside her (Figure 2). The words he reads are very erotic. As Jean Kilbourne wrote in her article Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt, decisions like these “dehumanizes and objectifies people...fetishizes products, imbues them with an erotic charge…” (489). It breaks down the person behind the portrayal in the commercial. It reduces them to being a figure for sex to sell the product. It shows those that are seeking women that they should aim to become something similar. Being emotionless is good as long as you are attractive, right?

How this harms Women

This ad may portray only men as an object for sex, but it is not only damaging to men. In fact, there are ways in which this ad could be seen as more damaging for women. While all of the men are outside around a fire, the women are inside fawning over Michael B. Jordan while he is shirtless. It portrays women as only a spectator to men, that it is normal to be swooning after a man. As Kilbourne states, this is a “recipe for disaster: a template that views sex as more important than anything else” (491). The conventionally sexy man is shown as important, and that an attractive man is the goal for a woman.

The wife is constantly caught up in the gaze and attraction to her new assistant throughout the commercial. She completely ignores her husband’s questions and cooks food when there is already some ordered just so she can interact with Alexa. Later she runs the sprinklers just to see Alexa get wet. This sets a dangerous idea for young women. That an attractive man can become the main focus of a woman. That a man can convince a married woman to forget her husband and the world around her.

By the end of the ad we are shown our leading woman back at her job rubbing herself against the window, thinking of Michael B. Jordan, while her coworkers gaze upon her puzzledly. This is a ridiculous and insulting display. The director believes that a woman at work would be so caught up in the idea of being with a man that they would forget about their job. It is absolutely unrealistic and shows how our culture is deeply patriarch-centered.

What this says about a marriage

Kilbourne said it best, that “popular culture usually...mocks men who have real intimacy with women” and “it is almost always married men in ads and cartoons who are jerks” (491). The husband in this ad is seen as the comedic relief. He is shown as concerned and always comes to interrupt the shenanigans with the new Alexa. The audience is intended to laugh at the expense of his insecurity. It is obvious that the wife’s fidelity is in question, that the various scenarios throughout the video are damaging to the relationship. As is visible in Figure 3, while the wife is bathing with Alexa, the husband has his ear to the door listening. He is clearly uncomfortable, why would he not be?