Looking for a gift for a "manly man" in your life? Need something that's not only overpriced, but also perpetuates ridiculous, gendered stereotypes that "real, masculine men" eat meat—what The Swaddle calls "the tired trope that won't go away"?
If so, look no further than the "Manly Man Company" and a product they call the "Meat Card"—which is a flat, one ounce, 4 inch by 9 inch sheet of beef jerky that you can customize with a message of 100 characters or less. The Meat Card will set you back $23.99.
In addition to the Meat Card, the Manly Man Company also sells beef jerky flowers, ammo can gift baskets, bacon scented gift wrap, and more. The company describes itself on its website:
The Manly Man Company boasts an ever-growing line of unique, custom and curated gifts for men. Our founder Greg proudly served in the Marine Corps, enlisting directly after high school and served two tours of service. We're on a mission to save you the time and frustration when searching for a unique and intriguing gift men will love! It won't be re-gifted like other gifts (he likely doesn't need any more pajamas). You will both experience the ultimate excitement when gifting this to him.
If you want a terrific, quick overview of the oh-so-tired masculinity equals meat eating trope, this short piece in The Swaddle is terrific. Here's an excerpt:
While both men and women eat meat, the symbolism of meat is heavily masculine. A study confirms that men who don't eat meat are seen as significantly less masculine than those who do. Another states that men and women perform gender identity via maximizing and minimizing meat consumption respectively. Writer and animal rights advocate Carol J. Adams also made a critical observation in her book The Sexual Politics of Meat— women and meat are seen as things men consume to have power over and consuming both in high quantities is a symbol of virility.
I do like jerky, but there's no way I'd buy this overpriced, sexist meat card. How about you?
Image: by Alpha from Melbourne, Australia – Julia's Orange Marinated Dried Beef, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
