Is Kmart's 'Show Your Joe' Ad Funny or Offensive?

Submitted by ThomasI on Wed, 2013-11-20 08:45

If this had been a video of women shaking their labias to make a sale, there would be outrage. Boycott Kmart. Story here. Excerpt:

'From the retailer that brought " Big Gas" and " Ship Your Pants" to the advertising lexicon comes what will surely not be the last controversial ad of the holiday season, a new Kmart ad showing hunks in boxers strutting their stuff to "Jingle Bells."
The ad, which made its debut this week, begins innocently enough, showing six men dressed in tuxedo jackets playing "Jingle Bells" with hand bells behind a table.

The six hunks then ditch the hand bells, come out from behind the table and continue to play "Jingle Bells," this time with their hips.
...
"The commercial I saw last night with the men in tuxes ringing their … was disgusting and in poor taste. I couldn't believe this was allowed on air!! I won't be shopping at K Mart this Christmas," Jerry Carr wrote.

Other Facebook users, particularly women, thanked the company for ringing some holiday joy, literally, into their lives.

"Thank you! from the ladies in my office. I think we all are interested in getting joe boxers for the special guy in our lives now," Regina Barwick wrote.
...
Do you think Kmart's "Show Your Joe" ad is funny or too much? Tell us in the comments.'

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Comments

I'd be okay with ads like this,. . . if their existence ensured we didn't have to constantly here about how women and only women are objectified in ads and how it's so wrong.

For me, it's either admit they're both objectified and let it go, or be outraged when either gender is objectified. Isn't it strange how society's general attitude is "let it go when men are objectified" and "be outraged when women are"? People really are strange creatures.

BTW, I noticed most of the comments upset about the ad are only because of the sexual connotations, not really because of males being objectified. This ad doesn't offend me so much as the double standard which allows it, and would refuse to portray women the same way.

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Submitted by xtrnl on Thu, 2013-11-21 01:10

Ultimately because, it is always male sexuality that is vilified. When men act sexually, it's bad, when women act sexually, men's reaction is bad.

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Submitted by Kratch on Thu, 2013-11-21 02:08