Analyzing Gender Stereotypes in AXE's Advertisement

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Recommended: Logical fallacies used in advertising

The AXE Effect: Selling Scents Without Sense
The advertisement entitled “Morning After Pillow” by The AXE Company would like for their customers to believe that love or sex can be easily attained by purchasing a product that smells good. However, experience should indicate that there are many factors that attribute to these rewards.
The “Morning After Pillow” commercial shows a man spraying himself with body spray, followed by a woman pushing him into a bed. The next morning, the woman is clinging to him in her sleep. The commercial then shows the man going about his day with the woman attached and sleeping. Still unable to escape her grasp, he gets the idea of sawing off a body part. However, before this occurs the narrator suggests substituting a blow-up pillow in place of his body. He slips the pillow under the woman and escapes the room to enjoy his freedom.
This advertisement displays the logical fallacy of hasty generalization by displaying negative connotations to both genders. It shows the woman as being incapable of controlling herself when the man …show more content…

Cuddling. That strange behavior exhibited by every woman that falls under the AXE effect and that lasts all day.” The AXE company is claiming responsibility for the side effect of cuddling after sex. However, this “side effect” is actually caused by the dopamine, prolactin, and oxytocin hormones that are released in the body after orgasm. (Last)
An additional issue that does not qualify as a logical fallacy is in the name of the commercial. The name “Morning After Pillow” is a pun on a form of birth control, Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill. This subtly implies that the side effect of cuddling after sex is equivalent to the side effect of becoming pregnant. However, instead of preventing an unwanted pregnancy, they are helping to prevent

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