The Duluth "Doll"

2015 was the year when one person was simultaneously upheld as a model of femininity and scorned for perpetuating sexist stereotypes. All the more interesting given the fact that this person still has their penis. That's not to say that masculine ideals are not celebrated anymore.

Masculine ideals are perfectly acceptable when women aspire to them.

Take the commercial for Duluth Trading Co., promoting their women's plaid flannel shirts. The commercial opens with an image of a blonde, blue-eyed woman wearing the product. The kind of woman that most people would rather see wearing a dirndl and proffering ale. Then the voice-over begins, and it's a raspy female voice. Duluth found a female voice-over actress with the most gravelly voice, which appeals to the demographic that smokes cigarettes at nearly twice the rate as heterosexual women.

The "Doll" advertisement tells the 30-second story of a solitary young woman at her isolated mountain ranch. It's like an updated, feminist Western. There are a succession of images depicting her typical ranch duties. Surveying the ranch on her horse, clearing brush, stringing barbed wire, tooling around in her pickup, and chopping wood.

If you look carefully at these images, you realize that there is subtle messaging going on.

She's all hat, no cattle.

If you think her collection of lariats and lassos is impressive, wait until you see her collection of strap-on dildos.

Notice the absence of any firearms.

The animal skull totem has deep meaning. Lots of dykes are into wiccan. Also, there is the symbolism of the black widow. Meaning: this is what happened to the last man who tried to touch her, and good luck finding where the body is buried.

The barbed wire also has layers of meaning. It represents the Western archetype of keeping hostile, external forces at bay. In a typical Western, that means keeping out the Apache.

It also means her twat has sharp, pointy objects inside meant to keep out the warlike penises out there.

This is the money shot. She is literally chopping off the penis of her would-be rapist. Today's modern, self-sufficient woman is allowed to gratify her urges. Her envious desire to possess a penis is matched only by her yearning to hack down the penis forest, and clear enough safe space for her homestead.