Dockers, the Levi Strauss brand that makes schleppy khakis worn by Everyman, has published a “Man-ifesto” in its latest ad that wistfully recalls a time when men were men and calls on them to “step away from the salad bar” and solve the world’s problems.
The man-ifesto goes like this, “Once upon a time, men wore the pants and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors and little old ladies never crossed the street alone.”
“But somewhere along the way the world decided it no longer needed men.”
“…today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave, and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first times since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grownups.”
”It’s time to answer the call of manhood. It’s time to wear the pants.”
Note to Dockers:
Women control 85 – 90 percent of all consumer purchasing power. Women represent 52 percent of the U.S. population. There are more women on the national payroll then men. Women are the sole or primary breadwinners in a third of American households.
There’s a damn good chance it is a woman buying your pants for the men in their life. But not me. Not anymore. I take offense to the idea that my problems would be solved if I didn’t have to open a door. I take offense to the idea that men can solve all of the world’s man-made problems. I take offense to the idea that heroes and grownups come in only one model – the one with the penis.
Note to Dockers: This skirt isn’t buying Levis anymore.
