![This Pilgrim’s Progress [Lorraine Yeung]](http://www.lorraineyeung.com/index/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/this-pilgrims-progress-white1.png)
The Dockers Manifesto
Secular and Marketed Manhood
I came by this ad campaign from Dockers, a Khaki Pants Company started by Levi & Strausse.
I somewhat marveled at this ad. Yes it’s an ad campaign which the aim is to cause discussion and stir. Nonetheless I was surprised that it had such an awareness on today’s postmodern climate surrounding gender and masculinity. In the declining society that we live it, where all boundaries are blurred, it was interesting to see a this movement in attempt defend masculinity to be set apart from femininity. After all, God created them male and female.
Unsurprisingly, there were many who were quick to call this sexist.
Dockers Manifesto
What I like about this ad
Some of it appears to be true. Male identity today is somewhat stranded between boyhood and androgyny. As one church put it, there are many boys who can shave out there. There are no clear cut boundaries of what it is to be a Man and what it is to be a Woman.
Many men have become complacent and no longer take responsibility. Many men are regressive to be like their first father Adam, a coward on the coach with an xbox in their hand grunting at their wife, or mother in some cases, for more meatloaf, doing nothing whilst the enemy lies and leads astray women.
Post-modern feminists would fight to break down the boundaries of gender a philosophical struggle of words and man-made constructs in hope to be like a man. Today men are pressured either to conform to a social/cultural idea of masculinity however media chooses to define it, or are mocked as being chauvinistic or sexist for being masculine, i.e. wanting to provide for their family, taking responsibility and leading their family. Instead you see the feminist fight for “equal” rights and a blurring of gender in hope of being the bread winner, wanting to lead their family, make decisions, being overbearing and bossy, wanting to wear the pants as it were, emasculating men, mocking men, disrespecting men, wanting to be men.
What’s missing in this picture
Dockers have ran this campaign with anemasculatingtruth.com which again points out to what the world thinks a man is. They almost define a real man to be someone who sleeps with lots of beautiful women, shoot deer, ride bulls, grill and eat steak.
Real masculinity isn’t tied up with what you do, but who you identify yourself with. It’s not John Wayne, it’s not Hugh Heffner, it’s Jesus.
Jesus identified Himself with the Father. Which means, although He probably did take care of His appearance, did not, would not get pec implants and botox to look more masculine. Jesus did not pick up as many ladies in a bar, nor did he stuff dollars in to knickers of strippers to prove His manliness. Jesus never not shout F-bombs around the marketplace when someone short
Jesus stepped up, took responsibility for things that weren’t even His fault, like our sin. He had a ton of female friends and never yet took advantage of them. He respected women, loved women, cared for them and honored them. Jesus worked hard, even with His hands. He lived an honest living providing for his home and family (His mother, father and brothers). Jesus answered the call on His life until death. He lived a sacrificial life.
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
There are some great articles on Biblical Womanhood and Biblical Manhood on the Mars Hill blog.
I completely disagree with most everything that you just said. However I am agnostic, and I just today finished reading Gerda Lerner’s “The Creation of Patriarchy”… so that’s to be expected.
I really would’ve appreciated some alternative perspective/viewpoints and some facts listed in this article. It doesn’t seem like you’ve actually spoken to any feminists or people whose interest is vested in getting rid of restrictive gender roles, because I’ve never met any that feel the way you denoted in your outline. Much like you, people question what it means to be a man, masculine, and who is allowed to be masculine. It is their right to express that as they see fit. Also, while sex is obviously fixed because it is what we’re biologically born with, the rest-gender, expression, masculinity and femininity-are social and cultural constructs, that’s it. Throughout history and in many different cultures there has been many forms and ideas of what makes us who we are and what constitutes as “man” or “female”, “manly” or “womanly”, etc. The ideas that a person in a Western nation in the past 100 or so years has most definitely don’t amount to any sort of truth, just a perspective. This is a very sexist ad campaign, and it is equally abhorrent that you’d dare use the bible to support this mindless derisive demeaning dribble.
A belieiving man’s perspective: what you’ve said about Christ is truth. A lot of what Dockers says is true, too. Kind of packaged in a lie, which makes it hard to swallow, but true nonetheless. It is time to wear the pants, but those pants do not have to be made by dockers, which they are implying with the “SHOP NOW” tag on the end there. The “SHOP NOW” tag makes me want to laugh and cry and puke at the same time.
I don’t really understand the mentality that this campaign is sexist. What exactly from the comments Lorraine or Dockers made do these people disagree with? Looking back, I can agree that the ad campaign could have done away with the “disco, non-fat latte” comment, but other than that, what is there to get upset about? Do we not want men to stand up and take responsibility for themselves and their families; to grow up? Is chivalry now a bad thing? Do you enjoy the “coward with the xbox,” or do you want to see men with confidence? Will it be Adam or Jesus?
Andrew. I think what xbox boys do to me is what James Blunt does to you. :)