A beer fit for an ugly feminist*

Ad Age explains that Budweiser has reworked old ads to make them more empowering for women:

The campaign, released today in conjunction with International Women’s Day, features full-page color ads in The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times that juxtapose sexist Bud print ads from the 1950s and 60s with updated versions portraying women in empowered roles.

But the new ads have a pathos to them.  Where the women in the old ads were serving and loving, with one exception the women in the new ads are ugly feminists* with no men in the picture.  Out is a picture of a woman proudly preparing a delicious dinner for her and her husband with the caption:

Big appetite… dinner is almost ready and it sure smells good. Loosen your tie and enjoy your Budweiser.

In is a woman drinking alone on a Friday night eating takeout with only her dog as company.  Table for one?

Time to unwind… It’s Friday, your favorite takeout just got here. Crack open a cold Bud and enjoy some time to yourself.

See the other “updated” ads in the campaign in the article linked above or at the New York Post.  According to Ad Age women now dominate the Budweiser marketing team, so it is only natural that the focus of Budweiser advertising has moved from selling beer to selling feminist empowerment:

…women now comprise more than 80 percent of the brand’s marketing team.

…Budweiser announced it is joining the Association of National Advertisers’ “#SeeHer” effort, which aims for a more accurate portrayal of women in media and advertising. Rustgi confirmed that the brand will begin running its ads through the ANA-backed Gender Equality Measure testing. The so-called GEM tests score ads on how prominently they depict women.

*Note: Long time readers are probably familiar with how I am using the term ugly feminists, but others may not be.  I defined the term here, and followed up a year later with a post on the power of the term.  I don’t mean the term in the superficial sense of ugly, but am referring to the ugliness of the feminist mindset.