Amid an unsurprising bevy of fairly anti-female ads on the Super Bowl, the Dodge Charger commercial (above) from Wieden + Kennedy stood out as a particularly jibe-filled lady hate-on. Dodge’s litany of charges (some of which aren’t even women’s fault)—that men must sit through two-hour meetings at work, recycle according to city regulations, and walk the dog in the morning (isn’t he your best friend?)—were supposed to be funny, but came off as whiny. Dodge’s idea that if men don’t get what they want, when they want it, they somehow lose a little manhood seems overblown. They might lose some manchildhood, perhaps, but the rest of the adult world (male and female) does have to make compromises, go to work at 8 a.m., and be civil to everyone—even mothers-in-law. Of course, when you throw down the gender gauntlet, you’re sure to get a reaction, and Dodge certainly has. One of the more amusing responses vying to be the official female response, “Woman’s Last Stand” (above), was charging up the viral charts all last week, and here come the blogs. Don’t miss the hate trolling in the comments section; it’s worth a scroll. I’m sure Dodge is proud to have hit a nerve. For my part, I’m proud that Super Bowl advertising is still important enough for people to get angry at it.
—Posted by Rebecca Cullers