The Sex Effect

"Sex and the City" has spurred lots of media coverage. Even the buttoned up Wall Street Journal did a thing on sexy dress in the workplace recently. Incidentally, someone who was at the movie premiere told me, contrary to rumors of a heart attack, Mr. Big bolts at an inopportune moment. That’s all I’ll say.

The fashions of Sex have inspired many a style in the workplace, liberated styles where women feel empowered to dress like women and not men. The Journal used the term “revealing” and then wondered whether it really meant “trashy.” The burning question: Has sexy office attire gone too far? Do revealing clothes really liberate, or do they merely reinforce old notions feminists have been trying to shed for 40 years.

Full disclosure: I’m a man, an idiot about these things. I am no more qualified to speak to whether or not women are shooting themselves in the foot than I am to whether or not the shoes they wear are some of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. That’s another topic I’ll jump on one of these weeks.

Men are helpless, ambivalent, even torn. If we had our personal druthers, we’d just as soon see more, not less. But, professionally it’s nothing but trouble. We know it. We’re hopeless.

Truth be told, it’s refreshing to see a woman dressed in something other than a stiff business suit. In fact, when women take fashion risks, it’s downright uplifting. They wear risk so well. They get their hair done funky, don a bold hat, or debut some out-there outfit, the equivalent of which a guy wouldn’t attempt on his life. They do it with confidence, as though it’s a nothing. A man would feel so insecure, he’d be lucky to make it through the day before he bolted to Macy’s for a golf shirt and cotton slacks.

From where that female boldness derives, I do not know. But I like it.

Men either look mostly acceptable at work, or they look like unkempt bums. They avoid risk, they reveal nothing, they fumble along in a fashion coma, hoping they don’t come off like they just spent the weekend on the couch or a bar stool. I’d just like to say right here and now, if I never see a guy with a baseball hat on backwards again, it’ll be too soon.

As far as girl garb goes (forgive me, I’m a sucker for alliteration), I don’t like bellies popping out from under short shirts. I don’t like butts popping out from low riding pants. There is a limit to how much cleavage should be bared, but short of that, I’m not certain what a woman has to wear to put her advancement opportunities in jeopardy.

What say you??

“Indy…Let It Go”

“The problem is time. There just isn’t enough of it.” So said a real estate developer on the decline of golf.

The problem isn’t time.

Starbucks and Caribou are both closing outlets. The problem is McDonalds is now serving great coffee.

The problem isn’t McDonalds.

Sharper Image declares bankruptcy. They problem is their Ionic Breezer has some image problems, they say.

The problem isn’t Ionic Breezers.

The problem with golf, coffee, Sharper Image, and other flashes in the pan, is they are simply trends without traction. They come, they go. They bloat at their peaks and shrink back to their organic audiences or disappear altogether. Some have the longevity of a Monarch butterfly (like hula hoops, chia pet, and Frankie Avalon) and some last a lot longer (like Levi’s, Coke, and the Rolling Stones).

What’s the hot thing these days? Social networking, consumer generated content, Facebook, MySpace . . . . Trends that have flooded well beyond the demographic groups they were originally intended for, i.e., young boys and girls who need to connect and be heard. My guess is they will recede and settle, perhaps even fade into some morphed product that doesn’t resemble the original.

Tomorrow? Who knows? That’s the beauty of trends, they just happen. My nomination for the next best trend buster is the election of a black or a woman as President. It’s been the intellectual trend, obsession, and armband of liberal society for the past 75 years. Various constituencies have drooled over this like it’s the Rapture. Well, unlike the Rapture, it’s gonna happen, and when it does the dream will blow apart like a watermelon at a Gallagher concert. Those salivators will find that color and gender mean nothing as the lucky elected face the same issues, political dynamics and barriers to governing and creating constructive change in America that all the white guys in suits faced before them.

That day will be a good day. Perhaps then we’ll be able to get back to watching energy drinks, trans fats, men in skirts, and Celebrity Rehab pass through and off the radar.

As they say, the only thing that doesn’t change is change. It’s always good.

Adonis or Doofus?

Marketers are always raving about the lads, the 18-25 male. They’re persona grata, these boys. For the life of me I don’t know why.

Marketers swoon over youth. They’re the future. They’re trend. They buy. But they change, they’re cheap, they’re cliquey, and on the male side of the ledger, they’re frankly kind of slow on the uptake and, hoping not to generalize too much, incredibly self-indulgent. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, citing a story in City Journal by Kay Hymovitz, called for YSM (Young Single Males) to grow up.

The Marines insist they need a few good men. I gotta think they’re having a hell of a tough time finding them these days.

Between the gross-out videos, addictive video-game playing, internet porn usage, boorish behavior and hard-core drinking, much of which is glamorized as the current status quo in lad movies and magazines, these “future leaders,” “business owners,” and “valued employees” seem hell bent on never “getting there,” either in business or as contributing members of a family or society.

So, why do marketers so desperately want this demo? If I’m selling beer, video games, or pay-per-view of guys slugging each other senseless in a caged ring, fine. But if I’m selling cars, clothes, food, toiletries, pricey technology, homes, furniture, or any lifestyle product that doesn’t involve chugging shots of tequila or lap dances, I’m wasting my hard earned marketing dollars on millions of dullards who’d just as soon throw down a case and watch “Jackass III.”

As Hymovitz said, “adults don’t emerge, they’re made.” So who’s going to move these dudes from MTV-ville to mainstream society? Maybe no one. One thing is for sure, if you’re a smart, driven young person who can roll out of bed in the AM, get to work, charge hard, and make something happen, you’ll have fewer legitimate competitors in the coming bountiful job market left so by millions of retiring boomers.

Micro Trends Affecting America in 2008

Advertising Age's 10 to watch. Comments are mine.

1. Working Retired: Boomers say NO to daily golf and rocking chairs. Gen-X, Y, and Z'ers can breathe a little easier knowing reduced Social Security demands may lessen their growing resentment for the gray hairs all around them.

2. Sun Haters: Ra-persona non grata? If indeed sun exposure is the enemy, it may have more to do with the lack of an atmospheric filter. Sure, apply the goo, but put the pressure on reducing emissions too.

3. Neglected Dads: They say marketers are ignoring dads. Fine, sell away. But rather than just sell them things, let's encourage them to do what they do best, provide for their families. Use ads to validate and reinforce. We'll all benefit.

4. Car Buying Moms: Marketers apparently are ignoring the largest segment of car buyers. Okay, see the light, pay more attention to their buying power, but encourage them to do what they do best too, provide for their families. Here's an opportunity for car sellers to improve their image by being more authentic in their product positioning.

5. Singles Grow: Single women on the rise. They'll live a different life than their married counterparts, more discretionary income for leisure and interests. Where there are single women, there are just as many single men. Right?

6. Office Romances on Rise: Just get the work done baby, that's all any employer asks. Oh, and stay out of HR's office with any problems that arise. Remember, you made the choice who you wanted to dish with.

7. Less Sleep: Apparently people are having more trouble getting to sleep. Marketers respond with sleeping pills and better beds. Efforts should be more about what keeps you up, rather than what puts you to sleep. Another opp for marketers to act authentically. Also for fitness, wellness, and nutrition products.

8. Lefty's Abound: With individuality and less conformity come more left handed people. Go figure, who cares? It's a micro trend nonetheless.

9. Protestant Hispanics: Lesson here, not all people of Spanish descent think or act the same way. That's Hispanics. Now can we look at everyone that way?

10. Web Dates: Online has become a primary way to meet and marry. Tools abound for seeking and finding that "special someone." No stats yet on whether it's any better than the book store, church mixer, or the hot new neighborhood meat market. Regardless, it just seems like the road to happiness gets more complicated at every turn.