Racy Visual Metaphors

I really do try not to editorialize too much on this blog, but sometimes the temptation seeks and finds rationalization. In this case, I can justify myself by pointing out to those anthropoligists of the future (you know who you are!) that not all of us support the actions of our society.

A vehicle of choice in recent years has been the SUV. Designed as a macramé of legal loopholes, this environmental anachronism has sold itself based on such features as safety and spaciousness. The SUV is the shoulderpad of the successful liberated woman, allowing her to tower over others in a masculine frame. But its gross fuel inefficiency is not an aspect that manufacturers like to emphasize.

The commercial spotted by the Observatory first shows a woman, jogging cross-country. She exhales with her runner’s high – the rush we get when our muscles settle in for the long haul. Then it shows another woman deeply engages in what appears to be a tango, again, ending with that rushful exhale as she stares passionately in the eyes of her partner. Then it’s off to the races with a jockey coming down the homestretch.

It is at this point, I’d like to warn you may now experience some editorializing.

The final scene shows a man, driving a red SUV through the city streets. Not driving – racing. Around blind corners and through the streets on a mad dash, in the background the primitive, heavy sound of jungle drums. It ends with his two-handed high-noon grip on the wheel. He exhales. “The new rush”.

A visit to the Land Rover website greets one with

From soccer mom shoulder pads to mid-life crisis pseudo-penises in three short visual metaphors. The dinosaur has evolved into cave man.

Jogging symbolizes endurance, dancing symbolizes graceful movement, while horseracing symbolizes speed, power and control. It’s everything one seeking their youthful energy would ever want. What a rush.

I just hope my kid isn’t around that blind corner.