Where Are All the Strong Men?

A commercial featuring a strong female soldier filmed at a military camp — what’s not to like?

A better question: Why do commercials featuring strong women feel the need to denigrate men?

In this commercial for Navy Federal Credit Union, the group is literally up the creek without a paddle:

 

Apparently, this woman had to save the day because of the imbecilic shenanigans of “Campbell,” who, the woman says, will be the one left in the garage next time. Whether Campbell is this strong woman’s weak, dumpy husband or not, he still ends up looking sheepishly at his feet as she exclaims “Seriously?”

Wow! This “strong woman/weak man” model (found in countless other recent sit-coms and TV commercials) STILL hasn’t run its course. Oh boy…

I’ve written extensively about this modern trend in advertising (for example, here and here), so what else can I say? Well, answer this question:

What would happen if the same ad aired with the roles reversed?

Imagine Campbell, looking fit in his sharp military gear talking about the failings of some inept, dumpy woman. Guess who’d get left in the garage after that commercial… Feminist outrage? You better believe it.

As I see it, most men have become so afraid of feminist backlash that they would rather ignore this issue than risk saying anything “controversial.” But I have no problem speaking up.

Let me be clear: Kudos to strong women everywhere, including those in uniform — but can women only succeed when men fail? I don’t think so.

Unfortunately, I have to admit that the fault for this trend lies squarely on men’s shoulders, since television and movies tend to mirror society rather than map out its future. In their rush to support women’s rights, men have stepped away from the masculine roles that enhance a true partnership. I believe these types of ads exist because more and more of these kinds of men have become the norm.

And believe me when I tell you that getting left behind in the garage is the least of modern men’s worries. It’s high time modern men woke up and smelled the coffee…because women have already had a cup and are on their way to work. 

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Dr. John Alexander is relationship expert and the author of The Sigma Male: What Women Really Want. To learn more about Sigma Coaching, visit his website, subscribe to his blog, “like” his page on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.