StoryWorth: That Burger King Ad
Did you ever have a commercial you really liked?
One of my favorite commercials as a kid was the Bumblebee Tuna ad--somehow that jingle evokes deep happiness for me. If you've never heard the Mephiskapheles cover, I recommend it. I was also very fond of the Cheerio-o-o-o-os ads drawn like blackboard stick figures--that one I still think of every time I wear pantyho-o-o-o-ose, thanks to my sisters.
But the ad that sticks in my mind is the 1994 Burger King commercial for their Bacon Mega Double Cheeseburger. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ILSywk1pU.
Listen to the voiceover: "One of the guys found one new burger that eats like two." But look at the person bringing in lunch--it's a woman. A woman working in a very industrial setting with a bunch of men. A woman not wearing makeup, or a sexy dress, with a low-maintenance hairdo. A woman who eats bacon double cheeseburgers and thinks more food for less money is a good idea.
It's completely revolutionary. I have never before or since seen a woman in a commercial who looks like this one. Nor has it ever been suggested to me that what women want is more food. Women want yogurt. We laugh while eating salads. Lean Cuisine was designed especially for us. We are not "one of the guys."
And here's Burger King, in a completely unheralded, unremarked tv spot, presenting an entirely different picture of what women look like and what women want.
Mmm, bacon double cheeseburger.
This entry was originally posted at https://lillibet.dreamwidth.org/1309859.html. You can comment either place! There are
comments over there now.
One of my favorite commercials as a kid was the Bumblebee Tuna ad--somehow that jingle evokes deep happiness for me. If you've never heard the Mephiskapheles cover, I recommend it. I was also very fond of the Cheerio-o-o-o-os ads drawn like blackboard stick figures--that one I still think of every time I wear pantyho-o-o-o-ose, thanks to my sisters.
But the ad that sticks in my mind is the 1994 Burger King commercial for their Bacon Mega Double Cheeseburger. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-ILSywk1pU.
Listen to the voiceover: "One of the guys found one new burger that eats like two." But look at the person bringing in lunch--it's a woman. A woman working in a very industrial setting with a bunch of men. A woman not wearing makeup, or a sexy dress, with a low-maintenance hairdo. A woman who eats bacon double cheeseburgers and thinks more food for less money is a good idea.
It's completely revolutionary. I have never before or since seen a woman in a commercial who looks like this one. Nor has it ever been suggested to me that what women want is more food. Women want yogurt. We laugh while eating salads. Lean Cuisine was designed especially for us. We are not "one of the guys."
And here's Burger King, in a completely unheralded, unremarked tv spot, presenting an entirely different picture of what women look like and what women want.
Mmm, bacon double cheeseburger.
This entry was originally posted at https://lillibet.dreamwidth.org/1309859.html. You can comment either place! There are
comments over there now.