Is the advertising industry on our side?

Once in a while it looks like men are reaching out for the dustpan and brush as television adverts are increasingly using men to sell cleaning products. We can see it on the like of Flash and Cillit, grinning house husbands rolling up their sleeves and doing their part for the upkeep of their detached in the suburbs. How sweet.

However, there are some adverts that on the surface appear to bring men into the domestic sphere, but in reality they are a kick in the teeth. Take Mr Muscle as an example. The well known brand name that pops up between our favourite programmes every now and then see us watching a man struggle to clean the kitchen surfaces. Then hey presto, al is well with the help of his spraying counterpart. That’s all very well, except the fact that one factor which women are meant to have mastered has suddenly been given a male stronghold. Women can’t possibly manage to clean on their own without a little help from their muscle bound men. Once again they take the upper hand. Slightly infuriating? What stopped the marketing department from calling their product Mrs Muscle? Is the idea of a strong woman that distant in society? If it’s not a strong male essence, it’s a highly feminised one. Products like Vanish are coloured a shocking pink in the hope of attracting us, and toilet cleaners use talking rubber ducks to give that ‘cute’ effect which we will supposedly fall for. Despite such use of men in these adverts, it does mark a more positive step away from the days of Shake and Vac, where the ‘Mrs’ would smile, pose and vacuum at the same time. Well, we are renowned for multi-tasking! We even have Bounty giving us cross dressing hirsute men, letting us know that the advertising industry perhaps has a sense of humour in our favour. Do you really think that men will want to pick up a duster at the sight of these adverts though?

By Helen Pike