… and it looks like Selleys doesn’t want my business.
I saw this ad on television this evening:
Transcript:
[A conventionally good-looking mid-thirtiesish apparently white man with no apparent disability is putting sealing around a sink in a kitchen. A conventionally good-looking mid-thirtieshish apparently white woman with no apparent disability walks up behind him.]
Woman: Oh, that’s great.
Man: Yeah, it’s all sealed. [He turns to face her.]
Woman: Sealed! [embarrassed laughter, which continues into the next scene, where the man is gluing a skirting board onto a wall in what seems to be a living room; the woman is standing and watching him]
[Cut to the next scene, where the man is putting sealant around a door frame. The woman walks through the doorway. The camera pans out; we see that she is holding two cups of tea and the door has the name “Thomas” in wooden cartoon lettering – it appears to be a child’s room.]
Woman: Hi. Tea?
Man: For me?
[crosstalk] Woman: Here. Man: Great, thanks. [The woman hands him a mug]
[crosstalk] Man: So what should we – Woman: What time –
[embarrassed laughter]
Woman: I’ll let you get back to it. [She turns and walks out of the room. The man cranes his head around the door frame and watches as she, presumably, walks down the hallway then turns to the camera and speaks in a confidential manner] Do you really want me hanging out at your house when you’re at work? [with eyebrows raised]
Off-camera voice: Do it yourself, before someone does it for you. [Ad cuts to product name, which the off-camera voice reads out]
I actually didn’t notice the ad when I saw it on TV – until close to the end. You can probably guess which bit I tuned in on.
When I looked for it on YouTube, I found a second ad, involving the same two people:
Transcript:
[The ad starts with a black shiny ute outside a large house. The ad cuts to a bathroom, where the man is putting sealant around the glass door on a shower. The woman comes in.]
Woman: You have no idea how long it’s been. [small embarrassed laugh] I’ve been asking my husband to do it for ages, so …
Man: Well, it’s all done now.
Woman: Great!
Man: You’ll be able to use the shower in a couple of hours.
Woman: Oh, couple of hours?
Man: Yeah, yeah [not looking at her].
Woman: I’ll get you some lunch then. [she turns around and walks out of frame]
Man: [quietly, as the woman turns around, watching her walk out] Oh thanks a lot, I brought some lunch… [he looks after her for a couple more moments, with an “I’m in” look on his face, then turns to the camera] Do you really want me hanging out at your house when you’re at work? [with eyebrows raised]
Off-camera voice: Do it yourself, before someone does it for you. [Ad cuts to product name, which the off-camera voice reads out]
The implication is clear. According to Selleys:
(1) Only men do handy-person jobs around the house (and therefore only men will buy Selleys products).
(2) A man who doesn’t do handy-person jobs around the house is not a real man.
(3) Women are wives are objects to be “done” who, if their owner is not a real man, will fall into (be “done” by) the hands of the first real man who comes along.
As I said, I don’t think Selleys wants my business.
Ugh :-( It’s very irritating when a company that makes useful stuff then makes it impossible for me to buy said useful stuff.
Yes, isn’t it?
Especially as I actually am due to buy one of the products that is advertised in one of those ads. Or, rather, something that does the job. It sure as hell won’t be one of those products!
Weirdly enough, I just sealed the sink before I read this.
Must be the season for it; that’s one of the jobs I have to do :)