I once received for my birthday an eloquent letter written in fountain pen from a gentleman friend with excellent penmanship. A man with excellent penmanship is nowadays rarer than diamonds.

I’d take either of those guys over the diamonds, especially over that hideously ugly “diamond journey pendant.” But, frankly, I can get by just fine without either the guy or the diamonds.

I would rather have a guy who writes me beautiful sincere letters and takes care of my dog than any cookie-cutter diamond necklace! I, too, HATE the diamond “journey” pendent. There is nothing beautiful about it. What IS beautiful is a real man who knows how to show appreciation to a woman, and there is nothing effeminate about that. These commercials are just feeding the mistaken view that no guy should or would ever bother to give his wife/ girlfriends’s dog a bath, or take the time to write a personal letter, lest he risk seeming “effeminate.”

I thought I married THAT guy now he is Mr. KIA (Know It All)

Oh Yeah. The journey pendant is completely tacky. It’s like a brand that all the cult members have to wear so they will recognize each other in a crowd. Or maybe a secret alien plot to control the minds of all the wearers and render them docile. Quick Mulder, hand me my flashlight!

Hmmmm… Ugly jewelry people suffered hugely to bring me or a thoughtful man?

But I totally dated the letter writing That Guy once, sealing wax, dried botanicals and all. It was nice for a bit, but got overwhelming. Like Jaime said, though, That Guy is an effeminate stereotype being used to push all the men into thinking their SO really needs some cheap mall diamonds. I’d rather have crazy plastic jewelry than mall diamonds. Estate diamonds, though, are a different story…

That guy is creepy. Any other guy who is thoughtful, sensitive, smart, treats me with respect and makes great presents is quite fine, though, nothing effeminate about that. I don’t understand why this caveman-type is still around.
Actually, can I have That Dog? Minus the bow, please.

And not only do they want to cram their gender stereotypes down our throats, but they want to do it to whip people into a frenzy over expensive rocks that foment political instability and murder all over the place? No, yeah, that’s awesome. Why am I not supposed to want the personalized gesture, again?

Last year I snuck my girlfriend’s vintage typewriter out of her house, had it cleaned and fixed, and typed her a love letter on it for Valentine’s Day. Beat that, heterosexist rock sellers.

My thoughts:
1. What’s wrong with washing the friggin’ dog once in a while (or the dishes, laundry, etc.) especially when it looks like she’s just coming in from work. It’s not like he was giving it a hair cut or something
2. In the 2nd one, the whole “explanation” part – Eeeww! Kind of rude/tacky
3. Those necklaces are tacky crap.

I wash the dogs. My husband dries them. It’s called a partnership people.

I’m in the advertising field and I’m embarassed that an ad like that was created and the world was subjected to it. I apologize from my industry.

Luv
Poochie

Oakling–that’s awesome, what a touching gesture.

THAT GUY, every time. Seriously, i don’t even think those necklaces are pretty.

Still hate the cheap jewelry those stores peddle – would definitely take “that guy”. Doesn’t even have to be a calligraphied love letter (that’s my talent) – I save all the adoring “love you” type text messages my husband sends me (once every couple of months).

Depending on my mood (and how my boyfriend has been in the past few days) I agree with every post above – even the conflicting ones (although I never change my mind about hating the journey pendant – damn, that thing is ugly!).

All that aside, BEST PR/ADVERTISING DEPT EVER! This is, in non-literal terms, the female answer to the Budweiser “Mr.” campaign. You know, the one where the super official announcer salutes Mr. Still Craps His Pants while the SNL-esque singer in the background “improvises”… and every guy ALWAYS laughs… even if it’s stupid. That’s how I feel about these. ‘Cause the first time I see them, I’m always like, Haha! Yeah! And then I think about them, and when I compare them to reality, they’re not so funny. But I have to say, I appreciate a commercial that tries to entertain me, and seems to work hard in doing so. They’re funding whatever lovely TV show I’m currently watching, so if they’re also doing their best to please me, who am I to say no? (Just like these “That Guy’s” in the commercials.)

I thought the dogwashing guy was sweet until the very end. The expression on his face while he watches her fuss over the dog would make me run screaming if I looked up and saw it. Seriously: It’s sinister. He’s assessing how well he’s played on her emotions her, like he’s setting a trap and waiting for just the right moment to spring it.

The card-writing guy hit me like nails on a chalkboard from the moment he opened his mouth. A REAL That Guy wouldn’t make an announcement about the “depth of his feelings” or point out that he made the card by hand, like a first-grader waiting for a gold star. That card wasn’t about “the depth of his feelings for her,” it was about HER gushing and praising HIM for his thoughtfulness and sensitivity.

Both of these “That Guy”s come across as manipulative, demanding, and (BION) potential abusers or at least extremely toxic partners – the first one because his actions are calculated for the reaction that they’ll cause, and the second one because he requires so much validation.

I’d take a REAL That Guy over a diamond (or other gemstone – never did like diamonds) any day, but these guys are NOT “That Guy”s.