Husband and Wife: Not Made from Scratch

In this commercial, Sears tries to sell us first a world of idyllic normalcy, and then how wonderful their product is within that world.  The company’s intent is for us to connect with the story they have illustrated so that we will consider obtaining their product as an obvious benefit to our lives.  The backdrop and the characters are unmistakably polished to create a picture of a beautiful life, but the interactions of those characters are not intended to be humorously superficial like some ads. 

Let us review the highlights from this commercial:

• Husband seems carefree as he sits, slouching with his feet up, watching football and eating.  Read: Man enjoys laying back, snacking, and watching football.
• Wife wants a special new washer.   Read: Woman is materialistic, and household chores are her concern and expertise.
• Wife pitches the item and informs the husband of his rebate-hunting duty. Read: Woman expects to get what she wants and for her husband to do as she asks.
• Husband is concerned that the whole rebate process is too difficult. Read: Man likes things to be simple.  He does not want to take on a project that seems complicated.
• Wife gives her husband a look (as she stands to tower over him) which implies she is not letting him get out of this task.  Read: Woman is persistent.  She does not put up with her husband trying to get out of fulfilling her requests.
• Husband concedes, recognizing it futile to argue with his wife.  Read: Man has learned that he is not able to change his wife’s mind, and attempting to would be a mistake.
• Husband makes an extremely rapid visit to Sears and ends the meeting with a particularly firm handshake with another man.  Read: Man is a no-nonsense creature who gives firm, full grip handshakes.
• Wife returns from shopping to find her husband in the same place as when she had left him and expresses her severe disapproval, assuming he was too lazy to run the errand she asked him to take care of.  Read: Woman is a natural shopper and openly chastises her husband for his poor choices.  Man is known for putting off his chores.

Now, where I am reading into the portrayals of this man and woman, it may seem that I have taken too much liberty in doing so.  However, my commentary is based off of the fact that these depictions are not anomalies within commercial television and that a role reversal of the husband and the wife at any of these points would seem strange to witness on TV today.