Like the ads say, Kiwi men are real men _ yeah, right

I moved to New Zealand in 2008 with a classic "kiwiana" image in my head: luscious green pastures spotted with sheep ... and the typical Kiwi bloke.

The Kiwi man, as far as I was concerned, was tall, gruff, the "strong silent type", wore jandals 24/7, fished, played rugby and drank copious amounts of beer. He was, in other words, a real "bloke".

In some respects I have found this to be true - at least, that is what TV advertising has told me.

If I took television advertisements to be a true depiction of the average Kiwi male, I could be led to believe all of them were beer-obsessed Neanderthals who spent most of their time running around being "manly".

The Speight's Summit beer ad is a prime example. It shows a man, severely lacking in personal hygiene, frolicking about in the wilderness in something resembling a loin cloth, thumping his chest like an ape. In broken English he says things like "man like wild" and "man like natural".

Am I to take it that this is how men in New Zealand act? I would hope not. However, television is determined to convince me otherwise.

The ad for Mammoth Supply yoghurt reinforces the image, showing boys how to be "real men" without any of that sensitive or caring rubbish.

According to the Mammoth ad, sunscreen can be rubbed on to the back of another man only if there is sand mixed into it first. This act of kindness could otherwise be considered too feminine.

The ad then ventures to specify how a man's facial hair should be. "Men can grow facial hair, men can never groom facial hair," goes the voiceover, in a stupendously low and gruff tone, accompanying an image of two men.

One is on a bicycle and has a well-maintained beard. The other man is on a motor bike and has a scruffy, grubby-looking mess on his face.

This further presses the point that Kiwi men care little for personal hygiene and appearance.

In the drink-driving "Mantrol" ad, the men do actually dress half decently. However, their beers and jandals are still with them and they continue to run about being manly.

The ad shows a guy moving through mandom (a kingdom for men), gruffly telling the camera about the need to "stay in mantrol".

Of all the ads he is the most "metro" of the men depicted, wearing nice clothing and being essentially clean-shaven. But he is in "man world", surrounded by buff and rough blokes.

New Zealand can be quite a masculine society, but this takes it just a little far. It shows men on skateboards in the house, playing pool, watching rugby and doing other such "manly" things, and not a woman in sight.

These activities can clearly only be appreciated by men. I suppose I'll just have to watch the Rugby World Cup in secret. After all, it could be damaging for their egos if a female were seen to be doing something so "manly".

The representation of men on New Zealand television really gives boys something to aim for in life.

Admittedly, the occasional carefree, beer-loving bloke can be refreshing. But do we want all our boys growing up like that? Blokes are allowed to enjoy other things in life, like enclosed shoes and cleanliness.

But not according to TV. And has it ever lied to us?

Claudia Richards, Year 12, St Cuthbert's College