Guest Post: AXE APOLLO COMMERCIAL

This Axe Deodorant and Body Spray commercial is a blatant reference to the masculinity ideals that are embedded in our culture. The fact that a woman is just helpless against any force of nature, but the man overpowers and overcomes anything, even a deadly shark, is just the beginning.

The videographers of this commercial chose shots to present the main male in the commercial as tall and above the rest of the people at the beach. The main woman in the commercial is presented as helpless, and when the male pulls her out of the water after his valiant rescue, she is lifeless and unable to even get herself to shore while the male easily carries her there. The videographer places other females standing around awe inspired at the actions of their fearless male leader of the beach at the scene as the main woman awakes. The fact that all the secondary women are presented as just bystanders viewing the event places more of an emphasis that women cannot do anything, and the males of our society are the only people to act in critical situations.

The comments on the video show more males from our society believing their dominance above the women in the society by saying things like “I would just drown that bich [sic] if she tried to run away from me.” This person embodies what we have learned from “The Bro Code” because this person is clearly trained to womanize and is obeying the masculinity cops in the sense that he believes that man dominates women. The commenter believes that women should not be able to choose their own path or partner, which is also an example of the ideals initially held by the men in the book The Color Purple.

Another commenter on the video says “Guy saves girl, beats up shark, and pulls her to safety. Girl leaves him for a guy with a better job. Sounds about right.” This person, through his comment, assumes that women need to find a man for support in general. It also refers to the stereotype that women only go for men because of their economic status, and the comment basically calls women “gold-diggers” who only want to find men for their money and nothing else. This advertisement is a perfect example of the male dominant ideals placed on our society that are displayed in mainstream media today.


- Alex Nason