Of emasculation and Colt 45 Beer

“Men should act like men”. “Strong beer should really be strong”.

Stupid ads should really be stupid.

The recent Colt 45 Ad series is a joke. It looks like a desperate attempt at valorizing masculinity, to render toughness as an essential attribute as opposed to tenderness, an ascribed feminine characteristic or trait.

While the previous ad, which Bamboo (the band) endorsed, portrayed him (Bamboo, the vocalist) exterminating an aggressive thug to smithereens (though in a twisted fashion it kinda makes him one as well), the new ads resurrect that thug in a rather ridiculous way.

One ad shows a group of men rowdily watching sports on TV. One of them leaves the group to take a phonecall from someone – doesn’t show if it’s from a woman or a man. He furtively makes sweet utterances to that person and a giant beer bottle falls on him.

Another ad shows a group of men ogling (or drooling is more like it) at a girl wearing a swimsuit. One of them comments that stripes does not suit her and in true stupid fashion, a beer bottle squashes him as well.

And then the tagline: “Men should act like men”. “Strong beer should really be strong”.

This ad caused an uproar within the gay community – with my friend, gay activist Danton Remoto, going as far as writing to Asia Brewery to pull out the ads.

While I do think the ads do not explicitly indicate that both dudes were gay, and thus, cannot be immediately construed as anti-gay, one can glean the desperation in its attempt at resurrecting and privileging outdated and rigid notions of masculinity.

It also seems like a reaction to the archetypal modern metrosexual man, who can also be sensitive, caring, and affectionate. But, isn’t this the kind of man that most heterosexual women and gay men now prefer?

Will drinking Colt 45 make one a “real” man? It’s a no-brainer.

Besides, does anybody ever drink this beer, anyway?