Durex Ads: Um, WTF?

Mar 19, 2010 • Advertising, Culture •

Advertising commentators are all about this Durex ad campaign by the German designer Andrej Krahne, but we here at Sex and the 405 have a question: why is the woman made up of shiny happy words while the man is made of neutral or negative ones?

We hate to get all Jezebel on this, but just what message is Durex sending? That women feel no exertion during sex and that they exert no judgment or wisdom? And what’s with the fruits? Fruits? Really?

Let us tell you something, Durex — no matter how much we love sucking dick, we’re not thinking “happy, happy, happy, happy, happy” while administering a blowjob. Sorry to break it to you.

Oh, and we’re still confused about those fruits.

Images from Durex, via Penn Olson.

  • http://semper-augustus.blogspot.com Semper

    I actually like this ad. The “fruits” on the woman are kind of weird, but I generally feel pretty happy if I’m deigning someone with a blowjob. I don’t think the words on the man are supposed to imply negativity or neutrality (with the exception of the first, which, to me, seems like a joke on the amount of effort required for him to fulfill that position). “Fatal error” and “overload” suggest that his circuits have shorted out from pleasure, while the woman rides/lies/kneels in a more relaxed, assertive, or pleasant way. But, that’s just my opinion.