Please or to access all these features

Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Men are suffering this Christmas!

79 replies

quencher · 14/11/2016 16:09

That's what three of this years biggest Christmas adverts say. Let's all grab a tissue and pity their suffering. Poor men, right?
marks and spencer, John Lewis and Sainsbury's are full of pity the men.

It was the Sainsbury's add that made it click for me. Year of the male pity. Great dads or men doing extra-ordinary jobs to make life better this Christmas.

JL
Dad surfers outside in the cold making the trampoline while the woman sits inside on the couch.

M&S
Father Christmas goes out on Christmas Eve to deliver presents. Mrs. Claus asked him to be careful. You can see the wind blowing to indicate it's dangerous out there.
He comes back home, mrs. C is all cosy with a cup of hot beverage pretending about her activities.
She also has better equipment for delivering presents compared to her husbands, a sledge with no roof or heating.
The dad is suffering and can't manage to control his kids.
The little boy is mean to his sister, he manages to get her a present and we are meant to feel sorry for little boys being boys.

Sainsbury's
The dad has a difficult job and can't cope with being there for everybody. No time for buying presents and spending time with his extended family.
He really, really tries very hard.
Everywhere you look, men, men, men! Hard at work.
One of the people that ruin his day is the old woman in the cue.
The only time you see his wife is in the house. That actually says a lot.

So what's going on here? Are they competing on who can be the best man this Christmas?
Is what they do at Christmas better and we should appreciate them more while what women do is just ordinary and mundane. They all seem to be a lover the place and if not then they are suffering in some way shape or form.

OP posts:
FeckinCrutches · 14/11/2016 16:38

Everyone moaned last year it showed all the women running around looking after everyone. Maybe next year will be different!

MilkTwoSugarsThanks · 14/11/2016 16:37

Dear bloody god..... if they feature men they're ripped apart because how dare anyone suggest that men take an active role in and get stressed at Christmas when they don't, and if they feature women they're ripped apart for perpetuating sexism and stereotypes!

Make your fucking minds up!

Scarydinosaurs · 14/11/2016 16:35

At least the narrative has shifted from women working to do it all, and the men being depicted as incompetent bafoons.

Next year maybe they'lol strike the balance right, and show two couples both working to have a lovely holiday with their family.

ChocChocPorridge · 14/11/2016 16:32

I'm abroad, so haven't seen much, and agree it's a crap message - but I'm going to guess that it's marketing. At risk of stereo typing, the women in my family tend to have things sorted in advance - no point marketing as much to them, they're already taking responsibility.

The blokes, they are the ones that are easy to encourage to spend - to do the Christmas Eve run to Boots in desperation. I reckon it's marketing to those men - trying to get them to overspend.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.