Vintage advertisement TACKLE Acne Gel “The Man’s Way to Solve a Young Man’s Skin Problem” 1963
The quarterback always scores a touchdown with the girl!
Football has always been a real mans game. There’s nothing sissy about this sport built on machismo, muscle and violence! But the perception of a real man might soon be as quaint as this vintage ad.
Change is coming to the NFL the ground zero of macho.
NFL prospect Michael Sam recently announced he was gay. The defensive lineman from Missouri is challenging a deep mythology of who can play football.
But the mythology runs deep and won’t fade quickly.
High School-Man Up
The hypermasculinity promoted by coaches, sportscasters and sponsors that exists in football starts early in high school, but its message is now as outdated as this 1963 ad.
In 1963 TACKLE an acne gel made just for boys advertised itself as “TACKLE the man’s way to solve a young mans skin problem.”
It was the day of the big football game at Springfield High.
Five seconds to go and Bill hit pay dirt…Touchdown!
Vintage TACKLE acne gel advertisement 1963
Fumble
But even though Bill was a big deal on the field the gals all passed him up after the game. When it came to girls, he just plain fumbled
What was wrong with our hero?
Bill was plagued by pimples.
Vintage TACKLE acne gel advertisement 1963
Later in the locker room, Bill moped around glumly not even interested in the current copy of Playboy Magazine that was being passed around. Slapping Bill playfully on his naked butt, his coach offered up some manly advice: “Why not get rid of your skin problems the Man’s way with TACKLE?”
No sissy solutions for this receiver!
After trying TACKLE, Bill was relieved to see that the medicated gel was invisible, “No girlie cover up!” he said obviously delighted “I go for that!”
Our hetro hero’s sexuality was intact!
Bill scores with TACKLE
Vintage TACKLE acne gel advertisement 1963
It wasn’t long before Bill was a success at playing the field instead of just playing on it.
Looks like Bill was about to score!
Copyright (©) 2014 Sally Edelstein All Rights Reserved
Envisioning The American Dream 
Bill’s a quarterback. 😉
Just one thing though, I’ve known a few gay guys who are very masculine – replace the girls in the advert with guys and it could still be accurate. It’s another stereotype of homosexuality to portray all gay men as ‘sissy’. Homosexuals are just as capable of ‘real man’ machismo associated with the traditional ideas of football players. As a matter of fact, that’s what’s actually being changed – the cliche of gay men as drag queen girly-men.
Just a thought.
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