Reconciling Venus and Mars

Did Mars need to moisturize? - Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
It’s the third day of June, and already a sweltering 100 degrees with heat factor. Am hoping that this ice coffee helps to cool me down and wake me up all at the same time.

I came back from Krogers yesterday and as I put away the groceries I noticed a seldom discussed cultural bias in the items I was putting away. As a diet-aware 54 year old male, I buy a lot of low-calorie foods. I noticed that with almost no exception, these items are marketed to women. Most men would shy from buying “Lean Cuisine” -- the name rhymes and it uses a French word. Might be a little too cute for self-conscious males. Low-fat Yoplait has a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness on the box. Virtually all of the low-cal cereals like Special K feature women slimming down in their box illustrations.

At the other extreme are commercials for Whataburger and Jack-in-the-Box. These ads are hawking double-meat cheese monstrosities that might clog your arteries in one meal. Invariably young men are shown chowing down, with grease dribbling down their chins. Beer commercials are much the same -- an adult beverage which might have equal appeal to both sexes is instead shown as a libation best-suited for frat-boy keg orgies. Women are featured as an after-effect, not sought as a customer base.

Entire categories of health care products are sold to women and men are somewhat excluded. Let me emphasize that men’s own sexist phobias play a major part in this situation. Moisturizer is a God-send for the skin -- it minimizes wrinkles and can even protect against skin cancer. Scientifically, what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander (and vice versa)... BUT … men and society at large seem to think that moisturizer is a girl thing. A Texas man would sooner buy L’eggs pantyhose than any kind of aloe moisturizer.

Thus we have it -- a grease dribbling lunkhead who eats Sugar Smacks at breakfast, chows on Quarter Pounders at lunch and then chugs Budweiser in the evening (possibly crushing the empty can against his head to impress his bro's). His wrinkles and skin tags are a manly badge of honor because “Real Men Don’t Moisturize”. In almost all things diet- or health-related -- it seems MEN R STOOPID.

Maybe the slanted expectations creep in because men are already more predisposed to danger in general -- wars, brawls, hunting, boxing and other forms of fisticuffs. Navy seals, first responders and bomb squad people are usually men. Maybe the “Fearless” approach applies with equal tenacity to food and medicine as it does to violent evil-doers at large. I would like to help dispel these stoopid notions with some new rules for Mars (and Venus can read along):

NEW RULES

1) Men should be as concerned with weight, cholesterol and carbs as women. Bad food is bad for both sexes.

2) Men should moisturize. Buy the off brand -- buy it late at night at the self-checkout if you must to maintain masculine credibility.

3) Extreme alcohol and substance abuse is bad for both sexes.  Mad Men loves to show Don Draper guzzling martinis -- don’t be fooled. All things in moderation.

4) In general, a man should not have to do anything that will cause 3^rd degree burns, concussions, blood poisoning or death to impress a friend. If your woman requires that, you’ve got the wrong woman. If your guy friends require it, find some new friends.

Don’t sacrifice common sense on the altar of machismo. Be a smart guy and do what’s right for you... be a man who is sensible and balanced. Live well and live to see tomorrow.  

© 2012 blogSpotter