Joe Boxer Commercial: Naughty Or Nice?

The season of holiday commercials has begun, and Kmart's advertisement featuring boxer short-clad gentlemen is already trouncing competitors in notoriety. The mass retailer debuted its "Show Your Joe" commercial on Monday, in which six men frolic about in Joe Boxer brand boxers to the tune of "Jingle Bells".

The commercial begins innocuously enough, opening on the men as they begin a bell playing recital of "Jingle Bells" as they sit at a table. The big reveal comes when the table is removed and each man is revealed to be wearing a pair of festive Joe Boxers in lieu of pants. From there, the men perform a little dance to the song, made suggestive only by the fact that they are wearing underwear. Kmart encouraged consumers to embrace the quirky spectacle, and tweeted:

The song says 'Jingle all the way'. We take that seriously. Ring in the holidays this year with Joe Boxer from Kmart.

But viewers are exhibiting mixed reactions to the advertisement. Facebook and Twitter are abuzz with reactions to the commercial, calling it alternately hysterical and offensive. One delighted Twitter enthusiast applauded the commercial, and said:

Meanwhile, Parents Television Council spokesperson Melissa Henson disagreed, saying

I think it is a bad move on Kmart's part. Kmart is one of those stores that has traditionally been considered a family brand...the backlash can be pretty bad.

Whether or not consumers approve of the ad, Kmart seems intent on keeping the commercial on the air. And 2013 has given us such musical gems as "Blurred Lines," not to mention a naked Miley Cyrus swinging on a wrecking ball in her song of the same name, so a group of primarily clothed men dancing to a cheery holiday tune really shouldn't be traumatic to the average viewer.

This is not, after all, a repeat of the Plastics performance of "Jingle Bell Rock" in Mean Girls .