(Not much about language, but about gender and sexuality — and phallic symbols.)
In my recent mail, an image from Chris Ambidge of an ad for Kraft’s Zesty Italian salad dressing:
(#1)
Handsome, naked Anderson Davis in a classic porn pose (which I’ve called “pits ‘n tits”), with a half-smile on his face and his privates just barely covered — and with a phallic wine bottle paired with testicular grapes, to ramp up the sexual message. Such images appeal to almost everyone: straight guys would like to be that guy, straight women would like to do him, and gay men would like both.
Another image from the ad campaign:
(#2)
Mouth play in this one, and this time phallic carrots and testicular tomatoes. (The bottle of salad dressing is of course prominently displayed in both photos.)
And then, this entertaining tv commercial:
A USA Today story from the 20th about the campaign:
Anderson Davis, better known as “The Zesty Guy,” has received marriage proposals, widespread media attention and criticism for his seductive approach to selling salad dressing.
“I was just hoping that it didn’t come off as corny,” Davis says in an interview with USA TODAY about the Kraft ad campaign for “Zesty Italian” salad dressing, in which he portrays a mostly undressed chef.
“I really wanted to make sure that it kind of stuck that you can have a guy without his shirt on, and he can look like more than just a guy without his shirt on. He can be appealing, he can be attractive and he can be funny.”
Not everyone is laughing. On Tuesday, One Million Moms, a Christian advocacy group, condemned Kraft for Davis’ near-naked appearance in a magazine spread. “It is easy to see what the ad is really selling,” the group says.
… Davis also starred in a suggestive commercial for Sauza Tequila for a campaign that launched in mid-April. He plays a lifeguard who seductively mixes a glass of tequila and takes a shower on the beach.
Davis says the Kraft ad gave him an opportunity to create a character, which is unusual in a commercial. He enjoyed being able to add funny moments to the scripts. One ad begins with Davis slowly rubbing dough, saying “when it comes to pizza crust, I like to do things.” Then he slaps the dough. He makes his pizza and stirs salad in the salad spinner, when the bar of the spinner rips his shirt off. Slapping the dough was his idea.
The criticism from One Million Moms has sparked debate about whether or not Kraft went too far by featuring Davis shirtless and nearly nude in the ads.
Kraft “will push away loyal, conservative customers with this new ad campaign,” the group says. “The consumers they are attempting to attract — women and mothers — are the very ones they are driving away.”
The statement spurred an outpouring of support on Twitter from fans of the ads. Some mothers defended the zesty gimmick, including one who who tweeted: “I’m a mom and loving the ads. It’s about time women had some eye candy and some comedy.”
Kraft said the “Let’s Get Zesty” campaign is supposed to appeal to consumers, especially women, in a new way.
“We want to recognize our consumers as more than just moms but also as women and give her a campaign that has her view Kraft Salad Dressings in a whole new way,” a Kraft statement says.
Davis would not comment on the controversy. The campaign, he says, is “supposed to be lighthearted, more than anything.”
On Davis, from his website:
Anderson Davis. Born and raised in Northern California. Actor and lifelong competitive athlete.
Anderson spent his childhood years through college participating in all sports, from football, basketball, track & field and baseball. In college he was offered a contract by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball organization. An injury sent him on his path to Los Angeles in 2008, initially he had no intent on acting or modeling, but shortly after arriving to LA was cast in his first national commercial as a baseball player for Sharp Aquos, has since competitively attacked the LA acting market, starring in over 25 National Commercials, Katy Perry’s music video “Thinking of you”.
He has appeared in various magazines, and worked with many of the top clients in the modeling and commercial world, along with co star roles in CSI, Days of our Lives, among others.
(Davis could use a writing coach.)
As a man who’s proud of his body, Davis has done some underwear modeling, as in this steamy shot:
(#3)
This would be a good time to post another inventory of underwear postings, on this blog and AZBlogX. Previous inventories:
10/19/10: Underwear gods (link): with an inventory of underwear postings
2/3/11: More underwear links (link): second inventory of underwear postings
And since then (with AZBlogX postings asterisked):
2/6/11: Basket case (link): Valentino in skin-tight swim trunks
2/10/11: A Swedish basket case (link): boxer shorts declared sexist
*2/15/11: More lacing up (link)
*2/21/11: Slubwear (link)
*3/9/11: Titanic exposure (link)
3/16/11: Underwear puns (link)
3/27/11: Underwear linguistics: shapewear (link)
3/29/11: Male vanity (link): Andrew Christian Shock Jocks
4/7/11: Underwear models and superheroes (link)
4/17/11: Bulges (link)
*5/3/11: Moose-knuckle days at Undergear (link)
*5/6/11: Seven from Jockstrap Central (link)
5/6/11: Jockstraps (link)
*5/17/11: The lure of lace (link)
*6/1/11: Pouchwear (link)
*6/14/11: Today’s remarkable underwear (link)
6/18/11: Arts and crafts in the mail (link)
*7/3/11: BFF Tibor Wolfe (link)
*8/12/11: Extreme® Python wear (link)
*9/2/11: More dickholewear (link)
11/30/11: Puma in pink (link)
12/5/11: Rudy the Christmas elf (link)
12/21/11: Christmas greetings (link)
*12/25/11: Titanic pornwear (link)
12/25/11: pornwear (link)
*1/14/12: Mien men (link)
1/14/12: Wrapping it up (link)
1/29/12: Mario Lopez stripped (link)
2/7/12: The big reveal (link)
2/13/12: ish and masculinity (link): David Beckham
2/27/12: Ben Cohen (link)
3/17/12: St. Patrick (link): Undergear
3/25/12: Jon Bon Jovi (link)
*4/13/12: Time to expose it all (link): Undergear
5/14/12: T-bars (link)
6/10/12: Piety (link): Good Devil from DUGG
6/28/12: For Stonewall Day (link): puppy pile of boyz
7/21/12: Artists in underwear (link): spray paint and briefs
7/21/12: More Alain Delon (link): Delon in swim trunks
7/22/12: Sporno again (link): sporno
7/23/12: Today’s entertaining underwear (link): Andres Velasco Jungle Trunk
10/29/12: Halloween Giants (link): Undergear for Halloween, Papi for the SF Giants
11/6/12: Ay papi! (link): Beemer Boy in briefs
*11/8/12: Slutty loungewear (link)
11/8/12: Toga toga toga! (link)
11/12/12: Velasco strikes again, trochaically (link)
12/9/12: The underwear elves of 2012 (link)
12/16/12: The gay underwear anthem (link)
12/21/12: Vestigial design elements (link): on functional and vestigial flies
1/16/13: The H fly (link)
1/17/13: Accent on Santa skivvies (link)
*1/25/13: Bruce Weber (link)
1/30/13: Male models as jocks (link)
3/3/13: Going against nature (link): 2 Styx ads
*3/15/13: Sexy St. Patrick’s (link): Undergear ad
*3/15/13: Underwear poses (link)
*3/15/13: Remarkable underwear update (link)
3/15/13: Three underwear postings (link): links to three postings on AZBlogX
3/21/13: NuttyBuddies and Nutty Buddies (link): NuttyBuddy protective cups
3/22/13: Dance belts (link): dance belts, ballet tights
4/4/13: Calendars: Boy Next Door, Philip Fusco (link): Boy Next Door calendars, underwear model Philip Fusco
*4/5/13: Maximum exposure: Good Devil (link)
*4/5/13: Maximum exposure: Male Power (link)
4/9/13: pinnies (link)
*5/5/13: The UnderGear sale (link)
5/19/13: X or not? (link): on the line between X -rated and not
