Random Gender Rant

Please pardon the interruption and, if you will be so kind, humor my brief indulgence in a small gender rant.

I'm sure by now many of you have seen this Chevy Silverado commercial, in which Chevy spokesman (and all-around man's man) Howie Long mocks the "man step" on another guy's Ford F-150:





I get it. It's supposed to be funny and make me laugh. Ford "man steps" are girly, but Chevys are manly! Ha ha!

But you'll excuse me if it doesn't make me laugh. Instead, it strikes me as one of the best (or worst) advertising examples of hegemonic masculinity I've ever seen. As a refresher, hegemonic masculinity refers to the idea that there is one "ideal" or culturally vaunted type of masculinity by which men who deviate from this standard (and women, of course) are subordinated. So, for example, in the U.S. the hegemonic masculine ideal is a man who is white, straight, Christian, tall, strong, physically able, handsome, adventurous, etc. Men who fit this ideal have the most social power, while men who do not (men of color, gay men, etc.) are relegated to less dominant social positions.

Watching this commercial, I was struck by the manner in which the Ford "man step" is derided. The not-so-subtle subtext is, "What kind of [wimp/girly-man/even worse epithet] would actually need a step on his tailgate? Not a manly Ford man, that's for sure!" And yet, when you think about people who might actually benefit from having a tailgate step, the list reads like a who's-who of people who deviate from the hegemonic masculine ideal:

• women
  
• short-statured men
  
• older men
• men with physical disabilities, injuries, or other limitations

Notice especially the exaggerated manner in which the Ford owner in the commercial methodically dismounts his truck bed using the "man step"... as opposed to a Chevy man who, given his superior physical prowess, would have just hopped right down. This segment of the ad serves to underscore how not manly the Ford owner is -- and, by contrast, how very manly Chevy owners (who do not require ridiculous "man steps") therefore must be.

As you can tell, I do not find this commercial funny at all. I also understand that my not laughing hysterically at it only supports the stereotype of the humorless feminist who can't just relax a little bit and laugh at a harmless commercial. But I just can't find the humor when, in 30 seconds flat, this commercial degrades the many people who would find a tailgate step useful in, or perhaps necessary for, owning/driving a pick-up truck.

OK, I'm done ranting now. To bring this back 'round to crime issues, check out Jana Bufkin's fabulous Social Justice article on hate crimes and hegemonic masculinity.

P.S. Scoob: I borrowed your "studs" and "men in chaps" tags. See, I'm not humorless, I swear!