Parker F. sent us a fun vintage ad that reminds us that chocolate wasn’t always seen as a woman’s indulgence. The ad below, for Fry’s Chocolate Cream (found at the BBC) features a man delightfully, and conspiriatorally, popping a chocolate, with the copy “Go on– spoil yourself!” The message (indulgence) is so familiar, but the subject (a man) less so.
I think, if the ad ran today, it’d likely feature a woman and, instead of reading “5 big pieces… for only 4¢,” it’d read “5 big pieces… for only 40 calories.”
Today, it seems that efforts to sell chocolate to men involve hypermasculinization, as in the recent Snickers advertisements featuring Mr. T., the linking of Easter candy with professional wrestling, and Yorkie’s “Not For Girls” candy bars.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 36
KarenS — January 26, 2010
Interesting that the man is in a prone position, with the piece of candy over him. Not sure, but I don't think we see that too often any more nowadays(prone men), at least outside of mattress commercials.
Kookaburra — January 26, 2010
One thing that jumped out at me with the Skinny Cow ad, is that they adroitly avoided heteronormativity and reinforcing traditional gender roles by using two birds (and not putting eyelashes or a bow on one).
Miss_Led — January 26, 2010
My sweetheart is a HUGE chocolate hound, preferring the dark variety, at 72%. He weekly bakes chocolate chocolate chip cookies, which I guess makes him a girly man. Or something.
James — January 26, 2010
I should probably point out that the price is 4d, not 4¢, as this is an English advert.
Caroline — January 26, 2010
I am appalled by that second ad. I don't even know where to begin.
less calories=more love/self-worth=unhealthy, to say the least.
Beth — January 26, 2010
Did anyone else notice that the Skinny Cow ice cream ad does nothing to try to avoid making the ice-cream bar look like a big fat pahllic symbol? A big chocolate penis shaped thing? Interesting. I do love the two little birds. Sweet.
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Steph — January 26, 2010
I don't understand why chocolate is a woman thing. I prefer vanilla over chocolate any day. Also, I know lots of guys who go crazy over chocolate! From my small non-scientific experience, there is a market there. I remember seeing commercials for chocolate, and it always seems like they feature either a woman eating chocolate alone, or eating chocolate with a friend. Why not show men and women eating chocolate together? I think Hershey bars have done this in the past, associating chocolate bars with various ages, races and genders in a single commercial with chocolate represented as a way to have fun. This is much more appealing to me than some women eating chocolate by herself, because in my experience, it is almost always more fun to enjoy eating things with someone else.
Sparrow — January 27, 2010
S'funny, I thought the chocolate ice cream bar looked like a penis too.
karinova — January 27, 2010
Only barely on-topic, but I have always found "Skinny Cow" to be just an AWFUL brand name. I mean, I get it: they make diet dairy products. But for me, the name works too well: I picture a starving cow. Bones sticking out everywhere. And I don't know, there's just something about starving livestock... *shudder.* Starving horses, too. I can't stand it. I must have some kind of ancestral memory/horror, because just reading the phrase "skinny cow" makes me think: FAMINE. DEATH.
Couldn't they have chosen "Slender Cow" or something? Why skinny? Yuck.
rachel — January 30, 2010
I think the person in charge of that Skinny Cow ad wanted it to fail. It's just too ridiculous.
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Margo — February 12, 2010
The mesoamerican civilizations who invented chocolate originally considered it a very masculine drink, suited for invigorating warriors. On the other hand, alcohol was regarded as more feminine.
n — February 15, 2010
The latter ad with the birds "Feel the love". I immediately saw a brown phallus with white emissions.
Definitely selling the ice cream on a stick as a little chocolatey sugary substitute for sex- the whole single women gorge on ice cream thing going.
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intellectualharlot — February 19, 2010
Actually, it's worth noting that there is a chocolate brand that caters to men, with similar "indulgence" rhetoric of chocolate ads for women - Riesen. I had the same reaction to Riesen tv ads that lisa had to the vintage ad - there is a weird dissonance in seeing a man framed in ways we expect women to be framed.