Note: We recommend you read the following under the assumption this is a spoof startup, even though the founders told Mashable they're dead serious about ManServants.
Advertising mavens Josephine Wai Lin and Dala Khajah think they have a brilliant new company that they insist is not a gimmick.
Called “ManServants,” their startup turns men into doting dates and on-demand cabana boys.
“We believe personal assistants and pool boys are luxuries every woman, or gay guy, deserves — even if it’s just for a day,” the founders wrote on their site. “And they make great accessories.”
As for the code of conduct: Women can name their ManServants anything they want, and they’ll respond. They can choose what attire the man dresses in. ManServants are required to “keep their penis, and hands, to themselves,” and they’re expected to do things like “serve drinks, light cigarettes, take Instagram photos, and feed grapes.” In exchange, ManServants can earn at least $80 an hour or $300 per day.
Wai Lin and Khajah say their dream is to "annihilate the stripper industry" and that ManServants is a suitable alternative.
"Everyone who watches [our promotional video] thinks it’s a parody,” Khajah, who is a copywriter for the AKQA agency, told Mashable. “Even the name of the company sounds like a joke. But it’s not.”
If ManServants is real, it joins a wave of startups that are trying to empower women but may actually be achieving the opposite. Lulu, another controversial startup, is like Yelp for men, as it lets women rate men anonymously on their personalities and sexual prowess.
We've emailed the founders of ManServant for comment. In the meantime, here's what the founders think men should do for women, according to their website:
Play guitar for them while they're taking a bath ...
ManServants
Pop champagne at the flick of a wrist ...
ManServants
Carry an umbrella to shield them from the sun ...
ManServants
Take photos of them for Instagram ...
ManServants
Refill glasses while wearing a tux in a pool ...
ManServants
Hold their tablets so they can read in the bath ...
ManServants
Throw doves and announce their entrances ...
ManServants
Do on-demand push-ups shirtless ...
ManServants
The founders insist this is a real service that will launch in the fall.
ManServants
