Sunday, March 23, 2014

WHO KNEW BATHING WASN'T GENDER NEUTRAL



    Everyday I see ads on television, magazines, and through Facebook showing shower products for men and women. Most recently, for men, I have seen Dove's Men Care line, Axe, and Old Spice. These ads usually show men in the shower, lathering up their ripped bodies in what apparently has hardcore pheromones in it to attract women. 
    In comparison, women's shower care lines usually show leg shaving, and the same ritualistic hair and body sudsing. 
    However, these two have a main placement in common... the shower. 
    Not too many ads show men or women in the bathtub promoting bubble bath or bath pillows. I suppose this is because these items typically sell themselves, and aren't as frequently used as the normal care products. 
    So it was a surprise to me when I saw this ad appear in my Facebook feed the other night. Here you will see the screen shot that I took of what appears to be a man in the bathtub, with a martini, cigar, and the two small tubes of bath products on the sill next to him. 
    It wasn't the crazy stereotypical male model type of man that they used in the ad that I found so bizarre, but the title "Bath Like A Man". What does that even mean? How are baths that men take, and that women take any different? Hot water, maybe some bath salts, but the end goal is always the same - relaxation and release of tension (mental and/or physical). We need to step back from the constant slew of dichotomies that society gives us every second of the day and realize that for the most part - no matter your gender - we are all usually seeking the same end result. 
    I don't "take a bath like a woman", so why should someone "take a bath like a man"? Why don't we just... take a bath?

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