The stupid thing is that all of this is true for me. The only one I'd have any trouble over is the strip club thing, and it's certainly not out of jealousy. What's lacking from this ad is the expectation that all the same privileges would be extended right back! And of course I don't look like her. :P

There's also more than a hint of the old "oh-aren't-women-controlling-bitches" sentiment, and no real acknowlegement that in a healthy relationship the people involved don't try to control what the other does.

Bleh, stupidity all round.

So it's about bourbon. Alright. But why is the woman represented as a complete airhead? Someone explain this to me.

Januaries- because smart women are threatening, of course.

Bleargh. This was not the thing to start my day with.

So it's about bourbon. Alright. But why is the woman represented as a complete airhead? Someone explain this to me.

Maybe I'm cynical, but if I were to meet this woman in real life, I'd wonder what she was trying to pull over on the guy. No airhead is that perfect, and if I were dating someone like that, I'd be miserable from staying awake all night wondering when they were finally going to kill me.

Any guy who falls for that act probably deserves what he gets :)

What is it that makes her seem protrayed as a airhead? Here's a good mirror check for you all. Are you jealous of her looks so you asiign stupidity to her? If she wasn't attractive and said the same things would you have used the word airhead to describe her? I see a woman struggling with English, not an airhead.

i'm sorry, but i was under the impression that the law was against selling/marketing bourbon to prepubescent boys?

because this young woman can't possibly be the perfect girlfriend for anyone past the age of 12...

i mean, if i were a man, i would think this ad was really insulting my intelligence.

I think it's kind of funny. Actually if any guy I know made this video, it would have said something along the lines of a perfect girlfriend is two girlfriends.

What a stereotype. "Oh, I don't mind if a man treats me as an accessory to his life, and not a real person -- I like it!"

Ick.

I hope male viewers don't think there's many women like that out there. Although they can always get a perfect "girlfriend experience" if they want to pay by the hour.

Uh oh, that sounded like an Aussie voiceover. Maybe it's a cultural thing? Except that my husband is Australian. And he married me. Oops. So much for that theory. It's just sexist.

Buffythewhite, it's not her looks or even what she's saying that gives the impression of "airhead". It's the way things are said (not struggling-with-english but the question intonation at the end of sentences and the sing-songiness which is very childlike), and the mannerisms. You know, tilt the head, shrug the shoulders, give the Bambi eyes and always smile, play with the hair, give a little shake.

I'm not at all a high-maintenance lady but "He can do whateeeeever he wants" seems to translate here to "I'm a doooormat." Which is of course, the "perfect girlfriend."

If you're an aaaaasshole.

Buffythewhite, it's not her looks or even what she's saying that gives the impression of "airhead". It's the way things are said (not struggling-with-english but the question intonation at the end of sentences and the sing-songiness which is very childlike), and the mannerisms. You know, tilt the head, shrug the shoulders, give the Bambi eyes and always smile, play with the hair, give a little shake.

I'm not at all a high-maintenance lady but "He can do whateeeeever he wants" seems to translate here to "I'm a doooormat." Which is of course, the "perfect girlfriend."

If you're an aaaaasshole.

What's obnoxious here is how it constructs normalcy: presumably the 'normal' imperfect girlfriend is disgusted by a little fat or back hair, is controlling to the point of refusing to let her boyfriend hang out with his friends, and is extremely jealous of strippers (note that her explanation isn't that she doesn't have any political or ethical problem with guys going to strip shows; it's that she's 'not jealous'). So in other words, the average woman is portrayed as selfish, judgmental, picky, and insecure.

Awesome ad. . .

Every time I see something like this, I'm incredibly happy to be involved with a REAL guy, not the construction of a misogynist ad team that seems to think men are terrified of actual women.

I like how they used the racist stereotype of "the foreigner" to present her complacency.

What bothers me is that the "perfect girlfriend" has a hard time with English and therefore probably does not offer her opinion as much as us crazy Western feminists. How would she answer if she was speaking in her own language (whatever that may be, considering the accent which oscillated between French, Spanish, Italian and Russian)? I think what the ad is saying is that the "perfect girlfriend" is voiceless, exotic, and yes, a doormat.

Susanaaa,
even though you may identify with what she says, its meant to be showing a woman who doesnt partake in the relationship equally, is agreeable, and complacent, and likes all his ugly faults. The fact that this commercial was so blatently marketed torwards men by advertising women in such an offensive manner shows they believe their company can do this and get away with it. Lastly if you agree with her statements, you must have issues.

Gopher, let whom among us who has not boinked a guy with a little back hair throw the first stone.

Because alot of us aren't going to fault a guy for a few physical imperfections or going to hang out with his friends. Of course, we expect that kind of superhuman understanding to be returned, and you don't get that vibe from Miss Exotic McForiegn in the commercial, which is I guess the point.

It's definitely the racist othering that disturbs me the most about this. If they'd left that out, or had her say she liked watching sports too, or just something to mitigate any one of the zillions of things wrong with that commercial, it'd be far less nauseating.

I'm so sick of this constant message.... this ever-present onslaught of information meant to cause rifts between men and women. I'm offended both as a woman and as someone who has a lot of great men in her life who act like human beings instead of the childlike monsters they want us to believe all men are. Even though instances of woman-hating in the media and ads are often more blatant and certainly more numerous and accepted, the appalling way that these same media outlets portray men is certainly a complementary puzzle piece that helps to make this sickening machine work.

On another note, does this mean that Jim Beam is a doormat too and just doesn't care if you go out cavorting with your buddies Jose Cuervo and Jack Daniels all night while he sits at home in a bottle...? hmm....

A friend and I were JUST talking about things like this the other night. The average guy, in our experience, wants a girl who is available when he wants to have sex and when he needs a cute accessory to show off to his friends. Other than that, he wants her to be close to non-existent, and certainly not to have any opinions, preferences, or demands on his time and energy. He wants to be the only one in the relationship who makes the demands and voices the complaints.

I am getting pissed off all over again just thinking about it, so I'll stop now.

And to Human Bean and Ayla: I hope that I have some luck in the "normal, non-stereotypical guy" department eventually... I am getting more and more cynical about an entire sex, and I hate that.

Gopher, let whom among us who has not boinked a guy with a little back hair throw the first stone.

*throws stone* :)

Who am I throwing this at again?

The commercial is stupid but if there are dude's out there who like that sort of thing (and if this website has taught us anything there are) then the stupid woman and her insecure guy belong with each other and I hope they're happy. Let's just say it keeps them out of the running for bothering the rest of us. (though yes, I get that the commercial is saying "if you were the perfect girlfriend you'd be this).

My boyfriend's major problem with all his previous serious relationships, the problem that made him end them, was exactly that the girl had no identity or ambitions of her own and clung to him like a leech. So either men who are looking for an equal are really rare, or ads like this are just really insulting to most men. I wonder which one it is.

So either men who are looking for an equal are really rare, or ads like this are just really insulting to most men. I wonder which one it is.

The answer is probably the first. "Looking for an equal" is pretty ambiguous, so perhaps you mean equal intelligence? I'm sure that you've heard of the studies showing that men tend to rate women of higher intellect as less attractive. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that women who have high-powered jobs (attorney, CEO, etc) experience difficulties dating men, perhaps because of perceived intelligence or earning-power differences. So in general, I would say most men if given the choice would prefer women of lower intelligence or earning power.

Perhaps you mean "equal" in terms of shared responsibilities and decision-making power in a relationship. This has probably improved with younger generations of men, but older generations certainly did not prefer equality in this sense. As you know, the husband was supposed to earn money to support his family, and the wife was supposed to be the "homemaker" and take care of the children and undervalued household work.

As for me, I am dating a woman in the same graduate field as me, but what attracted me in the first place was undoubtedly her looks. Her intelligence, which I learned of later, is definitely a plus, but I would say her assertiveness and stubbornness may occasionally be turnoffs (and she probably feels likewise about my own stubbornness). So I don't know if you'd stereotype me as a "typical male chauvinist pig" (as many of you do for most men), but that's how it works--looks usually rank first in the scheme of male attraction.

As for the commentor who said she was becoming cynical about males in general, understand that many men are cynical about women as well. Before my current girlfriend, I was starting to wonder if I could ever find a physically attractive woman who didn't possess an unhealthy obsession with conspicuous consumption, "The Hills", designer clothes, and shiny rocks. Furthermore, every woman I dated seemed to be constantly assessing my desire to get married and/or have children. This is a common complaint from many young men I know--we're not even close to being ready to "settle down", yet so many young women seem to have been taught that their greatest goal should be to marry a rich guy and have babies. So understand that the cynicism runs both ways.

This ad is disgusting, so where's the company site/number? We should really call them. And, to an extent, I agree that it's hard to find a man who truly respects equal intellect and ambition in a woman. In my short life, the boys and men I've come across (including my own father) have been nothing short of insecure and misogynistic deep down inside.

Um, where is this young lady supposed to be from, exactly? I think it's even more racist that they used a fake foreign woman.

Gopher,

What I mean is, as some folk have said, what's being presented here is the idea that real women are controlling and possessive and jealous and all of that, whereas most well-rounded individuals would not have a problem with a boyfriend doing what he enjoys, as long as she is free to do so also and there is discussion and mutual respect.

Obviously what's being shown here is a totally one-sided fantasy situation in which she gives him everything he wants without even mentioning her own part of the bargain. I wasn't in the least trying to defend the advert; I was trying to say that it's showing what should be one component of a healthy relationship as some unattainable fantasy that a man can only achieve by finding the "perfect", gorgeous, compliant, foreign woman rather than by discussion and compromise with a real person.

Which is just one facet of its hideousness.

badnfluence, rest assured that many women are also cynical about the type of money hungry, reality show addicted women you mention. Those qualities aren't something that I personally find to be positive in either a man or a woman.

Also, while getting married and having children are certainly top life goals for many people and I don't at all want to disparage those who desire those things, the social imperative surrounding them is pretty strong at times and women take the brunt of it from what I have seen. A married friend of mine, for example, is constantly harassed by family members and "friends" about when she is going to get pregnant (she doesn't even want to have children.) I am unmarried but in a long term relationship and my boyfriend's asshole father recently made a comment to him (right in front of me) that amounted to "when are you going to get a girlfriend who will give me a grandson?" This despite the fact that everyone who knows me knows I will never have children. I personally don't give a shit about whether other people think I should get married or have kids or whatever and I was never inculcated with the whole marriage/kids ideal as a child, but many people were.

As far as cynicism goes, I'm just cynical of people at this point. I meet shitty, terrible people of all genders and sexual orientations. This relentless drive to create a society full of "others" is so, so sad.

I was a bit confused by this ad until she got to the end - "I just don't care."

Then all the pieces fell together. She's a mail-order bride/girlfriend. Obviously, she's been brought to wherever by a wealthy guy who's chubby and graced with back hair and who hasn't quite kicked the habit of masturbating to strippers. Ofcourse she's happy to have him out of the house - all the less she has to see him.

The bourbon must be to dull the pain of realizing that no woman would choose to be naked with you unless you paid her.

This is your girlfriend and this is your bourbon.

See? It all makes perfect sense.

I was a bit confused by this ad until she got to the end - "I just don't care."

Then all the pieces fell together. She's a mail-order bride/girlfriend. Obviously, she's been brought to wherever by a wealthy guy who's chubby and graced with back hair and who hasn't quite kicked the habit of masturbating to strippers. Ofcourse she's happy to have him out of the house - all the less she has to see him.

The bourbon must be to dull the pain of realizing that no woman would choose to be naked with you unless you paid her.

This is your girlfriend and this is your bourbon.

See? It all makes perfect sense.

I was a bit confused by this ad until she got to the end - "I just don't care."

Then all the pieces fell together. She's a mail-order bride/girlfriend. Obviously, she's been brought to wherever by a wealthy guy who's chubby and graced with back hair and who hasn't quite kicked the habit of masturbating to strippers. Ofcourse she's happy to have him out of the house - all the less she has to see him.

The bourbon must be to dull the pain of realizing that no woman would choose to be naked with you unless you paid her.

This is your girlfriend and this is your bourbon.

See? It all makes perfect sense.

I was a bit confused by this ad until she got to the end - "I just don't care."

Then all the pieces fell together. She's a mail-order bride/girlfriend. Obviously, she's been brought to wherever by a wealthy guy who's chubby and graced with back hair and who hasn't quite kicked the habit of masturbating to strippers. Ofcourse she's happy to have him out of the house - all the less she has to see him.

The bourbon must be to dull the pain of realizing that no woman would choose to be naked with you unless you paid her.

This is your girlfriend and this is your bourbon.

See? It all makes perfect sense.

I was a bit confused by this ad until she got to the end - "I just don't care."

Then all the pieces fell together. She's a mail-order bride/girlfriend. Obviously, she's been brought to wherever by a wealthy guy who's chubby and graced with back hair and who hasn't quite kicked the habit of masturbating to strippers. Ofcourse she's happy to have him out of the house - all the less she has to see him.

The bourbon must be to dull the pain of realizing that no woman would choose to be naked with you unless you paid her.

This is your girlfriend and this is your bourbon.

See? It all makes perfect sense.

"So I don't know if you'd stereotype me as a "typical male chauvinist pig" (as many of you do for most men."

That's completely unfair. The implication of my (rhetorical) question was that the ad is insulting to men precisely because it insinuates that they are completely shallow and chauvinistic. I think that's an insulting and inaccurate stereotype. And by equal, I meant someone with their own life and passions and desires and thoughts and hobbies, not a blow-up doll or someone who wants to be completely absorbed into your identity to the point where they have nothing interesting to say about their own self.

>>"So I don't know if you'd stereotype me as a "typical male chauvinist pig" (as many of you do for most men."

>That's completely unfair.

As a male, non-chauvinist-type, who is a regular reader of both the articles and the threads that inevitably ensue, I'd posit that it is a completely fair and relatively accurate observation. Many, many of the posters here have a very "most men are misogynist" mentality, or at least come across that way.

Unfortunately, in dealing with feminists and feminism on a relatively routine basis, I've come to all but ignore that sort of person as being as inherently biased as any other racist or gender bias adherent, and write them off as not representative of the whole.

I understand the cycnicism towards the women and men who incorporate all the ideals that irritate us at our patriarchal corporate but I think we still all need to understand that many of them are victims of the society they we/they live in and have been raised. In our times, everyone must question what beliefs and attitudes are actually ours and which are forced on us by society. The same goes for finding men. I married a man that is better than most about feminist issues but still has many disadvantages from growing up male in this society. However, he is also willing to sit and talk with me about things such as men's silence being seen as acceptance to their friends sexual harassment and other such issues. Many men probably see this commerical and think...yes that's what I want or would just laugh while acknowledging in their head but never saying out loud that it's ridiculous. Men in our society are being treated more and more like boys in the media and in entertainment and i think many of them are internalizing that belief and so are many women. I agree with those that say this is insulting to women and men and hopefully men will soon see these advertisments for what they are insulting to both the intellect of men and women. Sorry for the stream of consciousness post. I'm feeling pretty tired still from the thanksgiving festivities

Come on, now. This is about persuading men to buy a particular brand of bourbon. If you don't like the advertising, don't buy the product.

The ad does, however, remind me of an old joke: After placing Adam in the Garden of Eden, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone. So He summoned Adam and told him, "Have I got a deal for you. I am going to make a woman for you. She will be everything you could ever want--gorgeous, intelligent, witty, wonderfully supportive of all that you do, sexually available whenever you desire--the complete package."

Adam replied, "That sounds wonderful, Lord. What's it going to cost me?"

God said, "Your left arm, your right ear, and two toes on each foot."

Adam thought for a moment and said, "In that case, Lord, what can I get for a rib?"

People, don't feed the antifeminist trolls, and PLEASE don't feel that you must defend feminism to them.

Interesting, so disagreement is antifeminist trolling?

John in Nashville has shown up before. He's a troll.

humanbean, i agree. the thing i hate about commercials like this the most is the way they make the "average" woman look. they set us up so if we actually have an issue with something a man is doing, we are automatically categorized as the bitchy girlfriend, despite our reasoning.

WOW!!! This is horrible. Everything about this is horrible...

That ad just made no sense to me.

Want to know the creepiest part of the ad? Search Google video for this video ("the perfect girlfriend" should suffice.)

Then read the comments.

I hope it's all immature 12-year-old boys going through a horrible misogyny phase that they'll emerge from once they mature. But somehow I think that's not the case... And even then, I fear for middle school girls. These comments are chilling all around.

EG> Sorry, I msunderstood.

The stupid thing is that the guys that cheer that commercial would probably go apeshit if their girlfriend had a habit of going out with her friends on her own all the time

It works both ways

and if that's the video of a perfect girlfriend

then I give you

the perfect boyfriend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbGkxcY7YFU

I'm a guy here... so uhmmm.... are you women going to protest against this? or do anything about it?

Anyway, I certainly would have brushed this 'perfect' girlfriend off fast.
She probably works in the striptease joint and cares only about money and affairs.

She does have a pretty voice and speech though.

"And why is the woman represented as a complete airhead?"

Maybe it's because the commercial is aimed at people who drink a little bit too much bourbon.

PS
Mail-order brides are not like that.

Racist? Because she has a (possibly) foreign accent? That's a stretch.

Ah, noname. I was wondering when you would crawl out of the woodwork to tell the feminists they're overreacting.

I was expecting worse when i first saw the title. I figured it'd be along the lines of "I love giving blow jobs" "After I leave my photo shoots I like to go out and drink beer and eat chicken wings with my boyfriend all night, and I don't gain an ounce of weight"

Though this certainly got my eyes rolling quite a few times.

Ah yes, the dreaded T word--the blogospheric equivalent of saying that someone has cooties.

No, John In Nashville, do not attempt to make yourself look better by insinuating as to our immaturity. You come, you tell us we're overreacting, you tell a sexist joke, same thing you've done before. I'm sorry if the notion of women having opinions about things (and a place to discuss said opinions) is threatening to you, but if you're going to come here and be an ass, then people are going to call you on it. If you don't want to be called a troll, make constructive comments, not annoying ones, okay?

Interesting. Actually, I find discussion of opinions that my challenge my own to be pleasing, not by any means threatening. What puzzles me is the evident distaste for differences of opinion that some posters and commenters here often demonstrate.
The unseemly focus on whether others' opinions are correct or incorrect is one that I find tiresome. Indeed, it reminds me uncomfortably of the prevailing mindset of the fundamentalists among whom I was reared.

A holiday puzzler!

Complete this sentence:

Don't feed the...

Sgzax--
Okay, I'm done feeding the troll.

John, the thing is - you don't make constructive comments or offer your different opinion in a respectful manner. It's obvious to all of us that you're not here to learn, and this is a feminist space.

DrkEyedCajn - I didn't "crawl out of the woodwork". I posted, just like anyone else. Do you have anything to say about the point I made, or did you just want to imply that I was some sort of bug for the hell of it? If you think about it for a moment, you should realize that since accents are not race specific, basing a claim of racism on this woman's foreign accent is definitely a stretch (to put it kindly).

Point well taken, SarahMC. I do sometimes enjoy being contrarian and/or provocative. There is more that I could offer this forum, however, and I shall henceforth attempt to do so more constructively.

The thing that I find interesting about this ad, is that it shows men and women stereotypes.

Why does this woman have to be an airhead? Do men who drink beer only want women such as this one? Sorry, but I know quite a few men who are not anything like what she describes and still drink beer.