There are many euphemisms for the vagina, as The Vagina Song lists so nicely, but Summer’s Eve’s latest advertising ploy insists that we not only embrace the word, but use it as a synonym for awesome.
Carlton, a cat puppet in a tux, is supposed to represent a powerful businessman on a private jet, who insists that vaginas are “the most astonishing natural wonder of all time.” The press release states an admirable goal for the video: “challenging social taboos around the word ‘vagina,’ igniting frank, lighthearted dialogue about female anatomy and inspiring women to be proud of their bodies.”
But is this really the way to do it?
Please watch for yourself:
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ss8uUbvprk 425×344]Pretty creepy, right? In a rather desperate advertising move, “Carlton” is also keeping a blog documenting things that are “vaginal.” It is also filled with annoying commentary such as, “The vagina must not be denied her audience!” and him claiming that vagina cleansing clothes “are pointing us all toward a better, brighter tomorrow.”
To provide some context, Summer’s Eve is a feminine hygiene company that exploits women’s self-consciousness for their own profit by tapping into the culturally proclaimed dirtiness of vaginas, and, by extension, women. And this is not the first questionable advertisement Summer’s Eve has employed; last summer they suggested that your vagina’s state of cleanliness was the barrier between you and your next raise.
While I’m all in agreement that the “sheer primal awesomeness of vaginas” should be recognized, having a cat (because women like cats!) pretending to be a rogue businessman (man=authority!) tell us that vaginas are cool, is really not the way to go about it.
[Worm Clam image via The Frisky]
