Right. Okay. This Peloton commercial everyone keeps talking about. Here it is if you haven’t seen it yet (Peloton Commercial).
It’s rather sweet: A man gets a woman a gift that she is clearly excited about. She uses said gift, and apparently we’re all supposed to don our righteous indignation pants and save her from a good man getting her a nice, rather expensive present…because it is an exercise bike. Again, in case you missed it, it is an exercise bike that SHE’S EXCITED ABOUT.
Oh my! The horror! A woman wants to exercise, and we’re supposed to save her from an “evil” man who was just getting her a gift. RIIIIGHT! (insert eye roll)
To the nutters with their britches in a twist over this:
Believing that a woman needs you to “save” her from a man is the very definition of oppression you are so eager to fight. Believing a fictional woman needs your unnecessary help escaping her fictional husband who—shocker!—gives her gifts is the definition of insanity.
I routinely ask for “corded” gifts. I’m not oppressed by Andrew, my loving husband, who delights in granting my every whim. Seriously, Andrew has never said “no” to me. In 15 years of marriage, he has bent over backwards to give me anything and everything I have ever wanted or needed. Yes, he totally spoils me.
Rather, it’s a practicality thing. I don’t need a diamond necklace; probably will never wear one. However, I LOVE my hand vacuum and two Roombas. I am not “forced” to vacuum the house. I actually enjoy it because: 1) I love a clean house; and 2) they are just a darn cool machines that make my life easier and frees up a ton of time for me to pursue creative outlets (reading, writing, making CCD materials, etc.).
By the way, I also love the treadmill, hand weights, and gym membership he gifted me. Seriously, I ASKED for all that and I’m thrilled to have them.
Putting aside the fact my husband gives me gifts I have clearly asked for, I’m frankly tired of this new, pigheaded idea that we must be offended by anything we don’t like. Worse, we must be offended by someone’s life that doesn’t fit some wacked new ideal of feminism.
So what if my husband gives me gifts. Who are you to judge me and my zeal for a good vacuum? Why do you feel the need to “save” women for wanting a useful present? And, why vilify a man who is just trying to be generous?
No really, they’re vilifying a character in a commercial: “Peloton Husband” Speaks Out.
What I do find abhorrent is Aviation Gin’s follow up commercial. It is amusingly hypocritical that Ryan Reynolds and Aviation feel the need to swoop in and save a woman from a gift-giving husband by plying her with copious amounts of gin.
Intended to pick up a baloney narrative of abuse, it shows the wife dejected and downing gin in a bar. Clearly torn and sad, she is “consoled” by two friends who don’t even pretend to want to be there. They just keep plying her with liquor and making awkward faces at each other that show how desperate they are to just get away.
By the way, it ends with one of them telling the wife, “you look great!” Yes, because she asked for a Peloton and used it. #FacePalm
