The other thing I'm struck by is how much more flattering the comparison illustrations are for the guy. He's got a slight gut, and the product fixes it. With the woman, the "before" illustration is just this side of grotesque.

Women's bodies are exposed and presented in a way that men's aren't. For example, there's a series of sewing books called "Fit for Real People." Except the "people" are all women, at least in the books I've seen. There are several photos of middle-aged women half-dressed; yes, the point of the illustrations is to demonstrate fitting points, but the women are left with no dignity and you can't imagine similar photographs of men in a fitting book. There would be flattering schematics.

Search for "Dorothy."

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Real-People-Clothes-Pattern/dp/0935278435#reader_0935278435

I think it's also really interesting that the woman's makes you look "20 pounds thinner" and the man's has no mention of weight. Perhaps because it's so ingrained that for women less weight always = prettier while men are still body-shamed for being scrawny, so the value of losing pounds isnt as definite. Because for women losing weight already means looking better, they don't have to say you'll "look and feel younger" because its implied.

I also think it's probably just a good marketing trick. I know from my years of dieting and fixation on losing weight that *anything* that mentioned how many pounds you could lose (or appear to lose) would catch my eye.

Of course, you could also read the health/posture language in the men's ad as a consumer's alibi: we know many of you would be embarrassed to buy our product just to hide your squidgy bits - you worry that such attention to your appearance would seem unmanly - so here are some other rationales you can use to justify your purchase.

"and the one primary thing that women’s bodies are supposedly for (being looked at)."

And poppin' out babies.

You forget the instinctual reasons why men like curvy women with large hips and a healthy bosom is to carry on their genes successfully.

And men are supposed to be the big strong providers. That's why the men are always portrayed as a big strong guy oozing with confidence.

Makes us tubby and confident lacking guys feel terrible about ourselves.

And FSM help you if you're wearing the female one and have to pee!

I always find it interesting that the 'look younger' and 'look thinner' products are always demonstrated by people who look young and thin without the products already. I've seen a similar product demonstrated by those who actually wanted it's results before (bad posture, visible ab rolls under tight shirts), and that was a much more interesting commercial than 'watch this supermodel demonstrate how our products make the skinny look skinny!'

women clearly need much more control than men... clearly!!!! sheesh

I’ve never seen a study which showed any correlation between large breasts and fertility.

Lassek and Gaulin.

I was shopping at Macy's the other day, and aside from being a person of 'grotesque' proportions and the horror that is shopping for said gruesomeness, I found in the lingerie department a garment that purports to do much the same as this product. Oddly enough, the garment was made by a company calling themselves "Hope on a Hanger".

Hope on a Hanger.

And here I thought hope was generally perceived as something that would, um, I don't know, better the quality of someone's life, not specialize in providing the relief so many overweight, 'older' women must desperately desire.

I did not proceed with any purchases that day.