Kondelik 1 Marissa Kondelik 26 September 2018 Race, Sexuality, & Culture Mr. Clean’s Misguided Attempt at Dismantling Gender Norms When one thinks of the Mr. Clean cleaning brand, owned by the Proctor and Gamble company, they might associate it with women cleaning up messes around the house in a purposeful manner. Cleaning the house is still perceived as such a gendered task that when a man does clean, it becomes an act of eroticism to the woman. In the 2017 Mr. Clean Superbowl commercial, Mr. Clean seductively dances as he cleans, and a woman observes, becoming aroused by what she sees. Although the Mr. Clean advertisement reached millions when aired, it is only geared toward the white middle- class population in a way that adheres to the mantra of “sex sells.” I will begin by examining the ways in which this ad disrupts the norm that only women clean, then I will analyze the ways in which it adheres to and encourages this gender norm of our culture. Through my examination, I will expose this commercial’s false pretense that it shows cleaning house should be done by both sexes as actually being a reproduction of the discriminatory norm that strictly women should be the ones cleaning house, a norm that is sexist, racist, classist, heterosexist, and outdated. Despite being an advertisement for a mere cleaning product, the central theme is sex, as depicted by the jingle that is notably uncharacteristic of typical Mr. Clean commercials. The sound clip, distinctly created for this ad, carries a smooth R&B tune with a man singing, “Got what you want, got what you need. Be your dreamboat. Be your fantasy. I'll be your ecstasy” (Mr. Clean). It is not a segment from a larger song, but the