A new video promoting Vice President Kamala Harris for president is making a splash as it appeals to men by redefining masculinity in ‘cringey’ terms.
The video features various men declaring their interest in ‘manly clichés’ like bears, drinking bourbon, eating steaks, fixing cars, and lifting weights.
But it goes on to say only ‘man enough’ men will endorse a woman for president – like Kamala Harris sparking social media criticism from users calling it a ‘train wreck.’
The ad features men with horses, motorcycles, in a mechanics shop, sitting on a truck, lifting weights, or leaning against a fence.
‘I’m sick of so-called men domineering belittling and controlling women just so they can feel more powerful,’ one man says. ‘That’s not how my mama raised me.’
‘You think I’m afraid to rebuild a carburetor? I eat carburetors for breakfast,’ another man says.
‘If a woman wants to be president. I hope she has the guts to look me right in the eye and accept my full-throated endorsement,’ one says.
‘If they want to control their bodies, I say go for it,’ another man.
It appears to be a genuine attempt by Harris supporters to generate interest for Kamala Harris among men on social media.
It was shared on the VoteSaveAmerica social media pages, organized by the Crooked.com group that runs Pod Save America.
The video was produced and directed by comedy writer Jacob Reed, formerly a writer on Funny or Die and the Jimmy Kimmel show.
‘It almost feels like Trump and JD Vance and all the MAGA-world people are afraid of women,’ Reed said in an interview with Fast Company. ‘Like, there’s this subtext that if you’re trying to control women this much, there’s something about your masculinity that must feel challenged.’
Reed admitted the first version was too scolding but tried to make it less condescending.
I think this resonates with people because it’s a view of masculinity we see in our lives but is rarely reflected in the media — especially when some of the loudest voices on the subject are the most insecure and bombastic,’ he wrote on his Substack.
Reed explained he was inspired to make the video during the Democratic National Convention as he watched Harris’ husband Doug Emhoff talk about his wife.
‘I think the left is finally finding its footing on how to talk about masculinity — I think we’re overdue for a redefinition of what it means to be a man in America and I hope this campaign can start to shape that conversation,’ he said.
The ad prompted ridicule online from people who could not believe it was real.
‘I genuinely can’t tell if this is a sincere attempt at a kamala ad or a satire of the cringey attempts to give men a ‘permission structure’ to vote for Kamala,’ wrote Instagram user Matthew Galanty. ‘Which one is it?’
‘I present to you the cringiest political ad ever created,’ wrote Josh Walkos on X.com.
‘One of the cringiest parts of this train wreck is that they’re a bunch of beta dude actors who’ve never actually dressed like this or done these things,’ wrote Republican operative John Cardillo.
‘Who wrote this script?’ asked conservative writer Emily Zanotti. ‘Have they met literally a single male human.’
The ad even sparked mockery from the Trump campaign.
‘The Soys really missed the target on this one!!!’ wrote Trump senior advisor Jason Miller on soical media.
The ad also sparked interest from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
‘Kamala’s “men” aren’t real men,’ wrote Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green ‘Most don’t have enough muscle to farm, build, or carry groceries in the house for women. They will get you pregnant, abandon you, and tell you to abort your baby.’