The Few, The Proud, The Craftsman

Qualities of a "true" American worker:

• Determined
• Hard working
• Dependable
• Reliable
• Durable
• Resilient

What ever happened to the "true" workers of society? The men who weren't afraid to get dirty for the work that they loved to do? Whether that be a carpenter, blade smith, welders or any other type of craftsmen, we are starting to see a diminishing number in these men as our culture becomes engrossed more and more in technology and multimedia.

Instead of finding men being creative and innovated with their hands, we find more and more people finding work behind a desk to keep up with the demand of our faced paced society. I am not saying there isn't a need for these people as times have definitely changed, but we seem to be losing this sense of a what a"blue collar" worker is. The Dickies jean company does not want Americans to lose sight of what our ancestors worked so hard for in building the country we have today.

The first thing that caught my eye in the advertisement was the blue pattern scheme throughout the advertisement. This color pattern pushed their idea of what a "blue collar" worker should look like. They captured a "Master Bladesmith" Dan Frazee in his workshop working hard on his next creation. They do not want to embellish their product because they know there audience does not want style or class, they want reliable and comfortable jeans. They show this by having none of the machines shined and sparks flying everywhere, everything you are seeing is in a "real" workshop.

The top text is very short and simple, it says, "A REPUTATION BUILT ON QUALITY". Any reputation takes a lot of time, effort and determination. Those qualities go hand in hand with any type of work a craftsman does. Anything below those standards will lend itself to a product that is less than acceptable. Dickies wants to tie themselves in with the rich history and status of a "true" American worker, and buying a pair of their jeans will do exactly that.

Dickies goes to great lengths in their advertisements to bring back the idea of what it means to be a "true" American worker. Many of their advertisements including this one, shows Dickies portrayal of masculinity in what it means to be a "real" man. If you want to be a "real" man, then you must have what "real" men wear.