The boys in the bath
//NOTES
Boys in the Bath
26. JULY. 2021
Sophie Hanlon
Designer & Copywriter
“I would never buy your deodorant just based on your terrible crap poofy ad. Keep your gay tainted ads off my tv you bunch of idiots.”
What makes a deodorant commercial one of the most complained about ads in all of 2020?
The above complaint, and countless equally charming others, were received last year by the Advertising standards board regarding a series of Tradie body spray and body wash ads featuring comedy duo, The Inspired Unemployed. These ads received vitriol, not because of any shocking or controversial opinions expressed by the pair, but simply because they were situated in the same bathroom as one another when talking about the product. Try to contain your horror.
The complaints received all seem to stem from the same homophobic ideology: “It’s hard to believe this advert was approved to be shown on TV as it contains audible sounds of grunting and exhilaration that are matched to a couple having sex.” It doesn’t matter that the ads are comedic, it seems for a certain sector of the Australian public, the barest of contact between men might still as well be a homosexual orgy of roman proportions.
However, despite partaking in the same actions considered gay in the previous ads, the recent release of Tradie Bodywash’s new series of advertisements featuring players from the Melbourne Storm rugby club didn’t seem to garner the same vitriolic reaction. It’s a scary thought that men are required to be football giants with obliques sharp enough to cut someone before they are considered masculine enough to share a bathroom with another man.
It’s interesting that many of the critics hid prudishly behind the commandments of advertising standards as the foundation of their umbrage. These complaints seem to point more towards a precarious ideal of outdated masculinity than any real moral affront.
…Or, to quote a popular podcast’s catchphrase: ‘Toxic Masculinity ruins the party again.’
Toxic Masculinity denotes the behaviour of men conforming to archaic definitions of ‘maleness’: in other words, machismo, violence and sexism. As Michael Flood wrote in 2018, “The term typically is used to refer to the narrow, traditional, or stereotypical norms of masculinity which shape boys and men’s lives.” These norms include the expectations that boys and men must be active, aggressive, tough, daring, and dominant.” Its hallmarks are the alpha-male oppression of others, rejecting so-called ‘soft’ emotions and encouraging overtly sexist behaviour. Oh, hello Patriarchy. A particularly poisonous blend of misogyny and homophobia, Toxic masculinity decrees feminine or ‘gay’ behaviour in men is not just unacceptable, but even cause for outrage and anger.
But what exactly is so threatening about moving the ancient gender goalposts? Could it be these ‘old school’ men are threatened by the inherent vulnerability of expressing their feelings, exposing their soft underbellies, or embracing their inner femininity? And do they cling onto these outdated ideals even at the expense of their own mental health and wellbeing?
It’s been well documented that emotional suppression leads to increased psychological problems in men, such as depression, substance abuse, addictive behaviours and even suicide. Joseph Vandello, a social psychologist and Professor at the University of South Florida is quoted as saying “Part of the problem among men is that one of the markers of traditional masculinity is independence and rejection of help.” Restricting the way men can relate to each other through the threat of shame and ridicule, leads to a culture of male self-reliance and silence that obstructs emotional development and discourages men from seeking help. “No matter where the turmoil in modern men’s lives comes from, it seems like there would be a clear benefit to men feeling confident in seeking help to cope with mental illness and change the behaviors that harm their health—and that risk hurting others,” writes Amanda Mull in The Atlantic.
How great then, that in spite of the outrage and vitriol still spewing forth from the terrified gender rigid, this new generation of men aren’t afraid of blurring those gender lines. The Inspired Unemployed have built a huge following on their own quirky brand of gender-fluid skewed masculinity. From embracing their ‘bromance,’ to cross-dressing and camp, they have no problem mocking the traditional stereotypes men have been boxed into.
The men from the Melbourne Storm aren’t scared either. These athletes embrace and embody the noblest elements of maleness, like pride in one’s work and the mateship of sport, but they didn’t bat an eyelid at our scripts and scenarios. On the day of shooting, right from the get-go the players were building each other’s confidence offscreen, supporting their mates to deliver the best performances. And once the cameras were rolling, they commanded the screen with confidence and charm, completely oblivious to the so-called ‘shock factor‘ of being in a bubble-bath with another bloke.
Australia has had a long history of sloth-like change when it comes to evolving societal attitudes. A study by the Australian Human Rights Commission found that, “throughout the year 2012, verbal abuse had been experienced by a quarter of all gay men and lesbians, 47% of trans men and 37% of trans women.” Our true embarrassment as a country should not be that we managed to lose both a Prime Minister and a war with emus, but that America beat us to having marriage equality. No one should lose to the United States in a progressiveness race.
In spite of this, progress is being made every day in this country, and our attitudes are changing. Instead of trying to drag everyone kicking and screaming back into a toxic gender-binary past, we think it’s time these curmudgeonly old complainers caught up with the rest of us. At the very least, if these Tradie ads are anything to go by, being a true new man is a hell of a lot of fun.
Check them out for yourself, and let us know what you think!
Extra, extra!
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Press Release: Tradie Bamboo Socks
// PRESS RELEASE
23.MARCH.2021
Client – Tradie Underwear
Tradie Founder – Ben Goodfellow
Tradie Brand Manager – Simone Hyde
Creative Agency – The Incubator
Account Director – Jeremy Walsh
Creative Director – Kyran Docker
Writer – Skye Davidson
Production Company – Plot Media
Producer – Virginia Kay
Director – Nicholas Clifford
DP – Joel Betts
Editor – Luke Dickinson
Grade/Flame – Chris Reynolds
PR Agency – Lampoon Group
Lampoon Group CEO – Josh White
Tradie: Bamboo Socks
Tradie gets footloose with new bamboo socks spot via The Incubator
Aussie underwear label Tradie continues to expand their range with the launch of a new bamboo sock collection.
The latest in a series of spots featuring Tradie ambassador Nick Cummins in the true-blue Aussie outback, this spot shows a whole new side to the Honey Badger. Dancing like nobody’s watching, in a matching set of Tradie black undies and socks, the Badge gets fully footloose and fancy-free.
Filmed on a classic location in Broken Hill, in this 30 second TVC our Aussie icon is evidently in his element. Putting their ‘Tradie Tough’ claim to the test, the bootless Badger channels his inner cowboy and kicks up his heels to a rootin’ tootin’ tune.
“Our latest spot in the Broken Hill series is an absolute winner,” says Tradie founder Ben Goodfellow. “What better way to show the strength and comfort of our bamboo socks than by dancing around in the tough environment of the Aussie outback?”
Melbourne creative agency The Incubator continues to bring home the Tradie goods with this latest spot. Kyran Docker, Creative Director at The Incubator said “We’re just trying to have fun with this brand, it’s great working with Nick, he really gets into character. Who knew he could line dance?”
The 30 second spot is currently airing on TV and social media.
Extra, extra!
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// PRESS RELEASE
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Tradie Founder – Ben Goodfellow
Tradie Brand Manager – Simone Hyde
Creative Agency – The Incubator
Account Director – Jeremy Walsh
Creative Director – Kyran Docker
Writer – Alison Rentoul
Production Company – Plot Media
Producer – Virginia Kay
Director – Nicholas Clifford
DP – Max Walter
Editor – Luke Dickinson
Colour Grade & Online – Manimal Post
Sound Design – Dead On Sound
Tradie: Body Wash
Tradie scrubs up alright with Inspired Unemployed TVCs for new Body Wash range
Continuing Tradie’s collaboration with the Inspired Unemployed, Tradie introduces their new branded Body Wash range via these two 15 second TVCs, featuring bath time with Matt and Jack.
“We had a lot of fun coming up with these spots,” says Ben Goodfellow, Tradie founder. “Basically nothing is off limits with these guys¬—they just kept injecting their own unique brand of humour into what were already pretty funny scenarios and the results are exactly what we were looking for.”
Matt Ford and Jack Steel of The Inspired Unemployed have been bathed in glory since bursting onto the social media scene in 2019. Flatmates in Sydney, these two besties clearly like to keep it cheeky even while they’re cleaning up their act. This bubbly duo are used to getting themselves in hot water, but it’s all good clean fun at the end of the day.
“Given all the heaviness of the world right now, it’s been great to produce some lighthearted spots that don’t take themselves too seriously and just put a smile on your face,” said Kyran Docker, Creative Director at The Incubator.
The new 15 second spots will air on National TV from the 16th August. Check them out here:
Extra, extra!
Read all about it!Check out our latest INC news and views.
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Tradie is stepping into the next great Australian territory - beer!
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// PRESS RELEASE
// 8th July 2020
Client – Tradie
Tradie Founder – Ben Goodfellow
Tradie Brand Manager – Simone Hyde
Creative Agency – The Incubator
Account Director – Jeremy Walsh
Creative Director – Kyran Docker
Writer – Alison Rentoul
Production Company – Plot Media
Producer – Virginia Kay
Director – Nicholas Clifford
DP – Max Walter
Editor – Luke Dickinson
Colour Grade & Online – Manimal Post
Sound Design – Dead On Sound
Tradie: Body Spray
Tradie hires Inspired Unemployed to launch new Body Spray range
Building on their reputation for funny all-Australian ads, Tradie have teamed up with creative comedy duo, The Inspired Unemployed, for the TV launch of Tradie’s new Body Spray range.
Tradie’s series of 15 second Body Spray TVCs show these two besties deeply enjoying each other’s scent in a locker room. “Having these two front our new Tradie Body Spray is perfect,” says Ben Goodfellow, Tradie founder. “They’re such naturals; within 5 minutes the scripts were out the window. I’ve always our brand ambassadors should be people any Aussie would want to have a beer with, and I certainly want to have a beer with these guys!”
Rising stars of The Inspired Unemployed, 25 year olds Matt Ford and Jack Steel are best mates from Sydney, with a passion for surfing, snowboarding and generally goofing around. Their scruffy good looks and self-deprecating humour have seen them grow an impressive following of more than 435k on Tik Tok and 370k on Instagram in the past 18 months. Thanks to their unique style of whacky physical comedy, collaborations with brands such as Fendi, GQ and the Aria Awards have seen the boys become hotly pursued talent, who are these days far from unemployed.
“Working on this project with Tradie turned out to be one of the better collaborations we have done so far” the pair said of the shoot. “The guys gave us a tonne of freedom and let us push the boundaries a lot with ideas and acting, which we find creates a much more authentic result and is how we normally like to work. It definitely helped that everyone on set were bloody legends to work with too, which always makes for a better result.”
Kyran Docker, Creative Director at The Incubator was quick to sing their praises too. “Funny is in their DNA. We barely needed to give them any direction, they just instantly got what we were trying to do and ran with it.”
The new 15 second spots will air on National TV from this weekend. Sniff them out here:
Extra, extra!
Read all about it!Check out our latest INC news and views.
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