This year's John Lewis Christmas advertisement, the first to focus on a father-son relationship, reflects growing national anxieties about the crisis of boyhood, according to a Guardian editorial. The ad, for the store's 18th festive campaign, shows a middle-aged father and his silent, headphone-wearing teenage son. A vinyl record of Alison Limerick's 1990 dance anthem 'Where Love Lives' transports the father back to his clubbing days, before the pair share an emotional embrace.
The editorial notes that the ad taps into fears around the 'manosphere', spiralling mental health problems and loneliness among young men, issues highlighted by figures such as Sir Gareth Southgate and the Netflix series 'Adolescence'. Unlike last year's ad, which featured two sisters, this year's offering centres entirely on men, with the mother and daughter appearing only as shadowy figures.
The piece draws parallels with contemporary literature, including Booker-shortlisted novels 'Flesh' by David Szalay and 'The Rest of Our Lives' by Ben Markovits, which explore what men find difficult to express. Stephen Graham, co-creator of 'Adolescence', has launched a project inviting fathers worldwide to write letters to their sons about masculinity.
After years of focusing on the stories of girls and women, the editorial argues that the unspoken narratives of boys and men must also be heard. It concludes that while no advertisement is needed to encourage reaching out to sons, this year's John Lewis ad has struck a genuine chord.
