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This Sexist Vodka Ad Is The Creepiest Thing Today

by Almie Rose

Oh cool, another sexist and predatory ad. Can't get enough of those? Then you're going to love this ad from Deep Eddy Vodka, which starts off as your normal booze commercial – snarky aggressive guy doing a blind vodka taste test – but very quickly devolves into something unexpectedly bizarre and just plain creepy.

Our nameless spokesperson, who one YouTuber referred to as a "Bill Hader wannabe ass" (I personally think he looks more like a poor man's Jarvis Cocker) has to be the most undateable guy ever. Eh-ver. "WHO WANTS TO DRINK SOME VODKA?" he screams, in the beginning. Oh but that's not the only time he screams. He screams a lot. I think he thinks it's an interesting character quirk. Hint: it's not.

He then goes on to crash a party with his blind taste test, asking men and women (but mostly women) to drink 3 vodkas and pick their favorite. If they choose Deep Eddy, he asks for their phone number. Simple enough. Except then it goes from merely annoying, to alarmingly problematic: he keeps making references to hitting on the girls, and how he's only doing this to meet women. He asks for their phone numbers, and not in a cute, respectful way. He bonds with other bros at the party over the fact that they're "secretly" just there for the righteous babes (which they discuss as they watch women take shots of vodka. I cannot.) A few times, he makes them uncomfortable with physical comfort and their discomfort is the punchline. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

The creepiest (if you feel like ranking the many layers of gross in this video) moment occurs when he's in a pool, and saunters up to a bikini-clad woman and says, "Did you know this pool's filled entirely with vodka?" and then spits water on her body, while she laughs uncomfortably. To quote another YouTuber, "Takes a lot to make me cringe any more. Well done." I can't think of anything more awkward and uncomfortable than a man I don't know spitting on me. Maybe someone should clue Deep Eddy (also, I'm sorry, but who?) into the fact that reminding women of all the grossest, most predatory parts of social settings doesn't exactly scream "BUY BOOZE HAVE FUN MUCH PARTY". I mean, I'm no advertising pro, but I am a woman who is equally fond of vodka and bodily autonomy, so I might know what I'm talking about in this case. But take it for what it's worth, Creep Eddy.

And it's like the ad knows he's creepy, but has a sort of "oh well, boys will be boys" air about it. When he puts his arm around a woman, she says, "You're touching me again." He apologizes, but in a "wink wink" sort of way.

Yeah, he looks real sorry.

Am I taking too much offense? You may think so. But why do we have to see women have to put up with the antics of some predatory dude in the name of "comedy"? And yes, I do think this dude is predatory. The ad tries to be playful about it, but I think it's uncomfortable to show a screaming man repeatedly hitting on women who want nothing to do with him. How many commercials do we have to see where women are objectified, and are simply punchlines for dudes? And how many more are going to be made? And why?

I'll tell you one thing: it definitely doesn't make me want to buy Deep Eddy Vodka, although I do need a drink.

Images: YouTube