I saw this commercial for Applebee's and it got me thinking about eating healthy in relationship to gender. I know what the ad is trying to portray, that eating healthy isn’t considered “manly” and I realized this is a common belief in our culture. But why?
Or how about this radio ad for Bud Light. These commercials are about as manly as they come- “Real Men” of Genius. Why is an all you can eat buffet “manly”?
I find it interesting looking at the ads that are marketed towards men versus the ads marketed towards women. Foods that are considered “diet” foods are more often marketed toward women. Can you imagine a commercial, like either of the ones above, with women in them instead of men? Not likely because for a woman to like all you can eat buffets would be just plain wrong and for women to order anything OTHER than meals with less than 500 calories would be even more taboo in our culture. Right? At least that’s what advertising and media in general leads us to believe.
I can just imagine the kind of ridicule a man would get if he ordered a salad when he was out with the guys. I can just imagine the kind of looks a woman would get if she ordered a juicy steak when all of her friends ordered salads with no croutons or cheese and dressing on side. Men are to order steak, cheeseburgers and bacon, and women are to order fish, salads and nothing with cheese or butter.
My main point is that making healthy choices is not unmanly. It’s smart. It means that he is informed. It means he cares about himself and his health. It means he wants to be around to grow old with you. It means so many things, but it does not make him less of a man.
I could never see my husband ordering a salad as his main course when we dine out. Do men just like different food than women? Would a woman order whatever she wanted if she wasn’t looked down on for it? Would a man?
So why is there the double standard for men versus women? What are your thoughts on this?
