Unshaven Men Are Everywhere on the Air
The Ubiquitous “3-Day Growth.”
I watch television commercials with a critical eye, as they often reveal different subconscious symbols derived from the psychological image pool from which they are spawned. While the idea of using archetypal field patterns and applying them to television commercials may seem a bit of overkill, there is one male image pattern that I have seen repeated over and over again for the past year or so. It is a peculiar pattern as it represents far more below the surface than it would seem to superficially.
The recurring unique characteristic I have observed on most every male in most every commercial (bordering on 90% or greater) which has crossed my flat screen TV for the past year or so is the ubiquitous “3 day growth” of the unshaven male.
This observation may seem like nothing at all, a mere aberration, perhaps a “style” trend, but it is actually more than that. Advertisers, with their tremendous in-depth motivational research and psychological insights are telling us something here, because the men sporting these 3 days of unshaven beards are seen in just about every setting and in every situation. Almost without exception, they are the focus of the advertising, but not the announcer, so they are the subject of our visual attention. They are the male models who are selling us the specific products, yet their ubiquity across all commercial boundaries becomes strikingly noticeable when you realize that they far outnumber clean shaven males in these commercial television ads as the focus of our attention.
Of course, you would almost expect to see a man with a 3 day growth in a commercial for football, or sports, or sports cars, or trucks, or anything associated with stereotypical “masculinity.” However, keep your eyes open and you will spot males with “3 day growth” beard patterns nearly everywhere — having a bear or vodka, getting married, changing the baby’s diapers, in dating commercials, in flower commercials, in cooking commercials, coffee commercials, drug commercials, and on and on.
Now why should this be? Look around your office, or go out in the street during the morning, afternoon or evening, and see how many men you can spot with “3 day growth” beard patterns. Hardly any at all. You will see clean shaven men, or men with beards or mustaches or “cultivated” facial hair — but very rarely will you see men with this specific and noticeable “3 day growth” beard pattern.
So let us try to analyze the deeper significance of what is going on here. What actually does a “3 day beard growth” represent? Well, to begin with, a man with a “3 day growth” of facial hair hasn’t shaved in 3 days. So exactly what does this fact tell us, and what does it, in turn, suggest to us subconsciously?
Perhaps, by its very nature, a “3 day growth” pattern suggests a virile man who is unafraid to flaunt convention and authority. He doesn’t have to “shave” to appear acceptable to his boss, his colleagues, or to his woman. In fact, more than likely, he is his own boss, and his friends and his woman accept him just as he is…. unconventional.
The “3 day growth” therefore, represents a male who is more of an individualist and over-achiever, a non-conformist who does not reside in a cubicle, but someone who is his own person. His “3 day growth” suggests virility, masculinity, independence, non-conformity and and a sort of ‘devil-may-care’ sexual attraction.
Therefore, we must conclude that the reason there is such an abundance of this “type” of male with a “3 day growth” beard pattern seen on television commercials for nearly every product or service one can imagine is for a very simple reason: this specific male “image” represents a specific “wish fulfillment” for the average male who is none of these things, and who can only aspire to attain these characteristics thru the purchase and association of the products that are advertised.
What a sad commentary on the frustrating pressures of conformity faced by today’s male in our society. And what a sad commentary on most men’s true self-image as reflected in their own mirror….
LCVincent
Copyright 2012 LCVincent, all rights reserved.
All articles are the copywritten property of LCVincent. Websites and individuals can post the written works of LCVIncent as long as they provide the name of LCVincent and a link to www.lcvincent.blogspot.com.
