Men are pigs—according to Pepsi, whose, ill-fated Iphone App, pulled Thursday after a week of public outcry, offered pickup lines for 24 types of women (from aspiring actress to military girl to women’s studies major) along with a scoreboard for tracking conquests, in the name of its Amp Energy Drink (campaign slogan: “Amp Up Before You Score”). But women are pigs in lipstick, if the author of a (forthcoming) book called Hunting Season: A Field Guide to Targeting and Capturing the Perfect Man, is any gauge.
In a promotional trailer, the author, Elle, explains how to “bag your buck” through techniques like “bag and tag” (“bag them, tag them, bring them around for another go round when you want”) and “trophy hunting” for commitment (which involves “mounting your buck on your wall of life”). Like Pepsi’s heavy breathers, Elle (who evidently lost her surname in a hunting accident) taxonomizes her prey:there are “velvet tip bucks” (“fine looking young men,”) and 6- or 8-point bucks (“older, more mature gentleman, probably around for the keeping”) along with her personal favorite (don’t tell her husband), “the elusive stag.” Geez, at least Pepsi doesn’t suggest blasting your date with a thirty-aught-six and violating the carcass. I’m thinking most women would prefer to mount their bucks somewhere other than on the wall, while they’re still breathing. Score one for equal opportunity sexism: grab a gun; objectify your man.