I will now hazard an explanation with an aim not to offend.
Firstly, in Japan, the way of looking manly, for the younger generation at least, widely differs from that of the typical Australian man. In Australia, applying a bit of wax and the odd spritz of cologne is now considered only slightly “poofy” for Y-generation males. However, the shaved and sculpted eye brows, carefully arranged and meticulously maintained hair-dos, and highly stylised and fashionable clothes sported by the young Japanese men in this photo would definitely land an Australian boy with the title “gay.” Of course, in Japan, dressing in this way is not an indication of your sexuality, it simply means that you care about your appearance or that you want to look like your favourite music idol. Secondly, in Australia the word “fruit” means homosexual when it is used to refer to a man.
So, when we saw these effeminate (by Australian standards) looking men coupled with the slogan “Power of Fruits,” our giggle buttons went into overdrive.
Turning our giggles into full-bellied laughter was the realisation that the purpose of the ad is to advertise a gift that can be redeemed when a particular number of wrappers have been collected. The gift, or rather the “Power of Fruits,” being a diamanté encrusted gum case. What else would you expect, really?
Firstly, in Japan, the way of looking manly, for the younger generation at least, widely differs from that of the typical Australian man. In Australia, applying a bit of wax and the odd spritz of cologne is now considered only slightly “poofy” for Y-generation males. However, the shaved and sculpted eye brows, carefully arranged and meticulously maintained hair-dos, and highly stylised and fashionable clothes sported by the young Japanese men in this photo would definitely land an Australian boy with the title “gay.” Of course, in Japan, dressing in this way is not an indication of your sexuality, it simply means that you care about your appearance or that you want to look like your favourite music idol. Secondly, in Australia the word “fruit” means homosexual when it is used to refer to a man.
So, when we saw these effeminate (by Australian standards) looking men coupled with the slogan “Power of Fruits,” our giggle buttons went into overdrive.
Turning our giggles into full-bellied laughter was the realisation that the purpose of the ad is to advertise a gift that can be redeemed when a particular number of wrappers have been collected. The gift, or rather the “Power of Fruits,” being a diamanté encrusted gum case. What else would you expect, really?
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