Funny and Not So Funny

In this commercial for Manix condoms, a young man and woman are having sex while intense classical music plays in the background. You see nothing but clothes flying from under the sheets onto the floor and exaggerated gymnastic movements. It's all laughs till, cut to: her pregnant and giving birth. Next thing you know she's walking with a baby stroller down the streets of Paris and sits on a bench, looking stressed and rocks the stroller. Enter stage left, an attractive young man holding a cigarette comes to her and ask for a light. He points to the baby as if to say "is it yours", she motions yes. Uninterested in her now that she's a mom, he runs off at the speed of light, frightened. At first first view this commercial is hilarious and seemingly open minded, but the moment it gets to this part I flipped my point of view. I recognized something wrong. Why did he run off? Because she has a baby, she's no longer attractive? The girl starts freaking out and makes strong jesters toward the child, violent, and then the clip goes in fast speed reverse.

So now part two: The girl is back in bed before the original act. The man comes to her and eager to get it on, now pause. Waving her hand at him she motions to back off and says "do you have a condom?" End clip. The logo and "You'll need them more than you think" scrolls across the screen.

What this says to me personally is...it's not about STD's or AIDS it's solely about pregnancy. First, if the woman doesn't ask the man to wear a condom he might not take the initiative--even though it's a huge risk, that will end in a difficult choice for the woman if it's unintended. Second, choosing to have the baby is her responsibility for her irresponsibility and she pays for this by no longer being desirable to other men.

Why did they show her with the baby? Why not showing her with the pain of choosing to keep the baby or not? Or perhaps her standing in an abortion clinic mortified, frightened, and sad. And the man absent, a message directed more to the men that says "this is no joke". Instead it's about her desirability to men and ultimately she regrets having a baby for this reason. This commercial has a lot of messages but the one that stands out for me is the denial of the woman, period. Having a baby is a beautiful miraculous thing no matter what. It says the unwed mother is bad in some way, and she will be punished for this primarily because she losses her appeal to men. Another sexist male gaze. This also sends a message to men that it's OK to abandon women because he is clearly not in the picture anymore.


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