Dr. Jennifer Gunter Vs. Vagisil
February 9, 2021 7:56 AM Subscribe
Dr. Jennifer Gunter takes on Vagisil, a company marketing cleaning products for vulvas at teens. Gunter describes is as "predatory line of products aimed at teen girls. "
Vagisil has long marketed 'vaginal' cleaning products (they mean vulvas) at women. Vulvas do not require cleaning products, and cleaning products are more likely to cause irritation and, possibly, allergic reactions.
Hot quote from Dr. Gunter The vagina is like a self-cleaning oven.
Current search on twitter is lively.
Vagisil has long marketed 'vaginal' cleaning products (they mean vulvas) at women. Vulvas do not require cleaning products, and cleaning products are more likely to cause irritation and, possibly, allergic reactions.
Hot quote from Dr. Gunter The vagina is like a self-cleaning oven.
Current search on twitter is lively.
Is...is there actually confetti in that stuff?
posted by jquinby at 8:04 AM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 8:04 AM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
Remember when women were told if they didn't douche with Lysol, their husbands would never fuck them and probably cheat on them and possibly leave them destitute? Those were some horrific magazine ads. There's so much that can be implied by a woman in an apron slouched against a counter while a well dressed man gives her the side-eye while putting on his hat and reaching for the door.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:07 AM on February 9, 2021 [29 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:07 AM on February 9, 2021 [29 favorites]
Jen Gunter has been doing pretty amazing advocacy for a while and it's nice to see her take this one on.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:11 AM on February 9, 2021 [23 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 8:11 AM on February 9, 2021 [23 favorites]
You're gonna want that Tru-Coat...
posted by thelonius at 8:15 AM on February 9, 2021 [21 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 8:15 AM on February 9, 2021 [21 favorites]
I think I should have realized this years ago, but shame seems to be a foundational aspect of advertising of all kinds, whether overt or subtle. If you don’t have, don’t do then...
posted by njohnson23 at 8:36 AM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by njohnson23 at 8:36 AM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
@ seanmpuckett
Not only do I remember those ads, I was deeply puzzled by them as a little girl in the 50s reading some old magazines my mom had, with reference to "the intimate embarrassing problems that married women face" featuring an unhappy looking bride in full bridal attire. I thought, "whatever could those problems that only trouble married women b??????" Luckily these were gone by the time I was a teen in the 60s.
posted by mermayd at 9:23 AM on February 9, 2021 [11 favorites]
Not only do I remember those ads, I was deeply puzzled by them as a little girl in the 50s reading some old magazines my mom had, with reference to "the intimate embarrassing problems that married women face" featuring an unhappy looking bride in full bridal attire. I thought, "whatever could those problems that only trouble married women b??????" Luckily these were gone by the time I was a teen in the 60s.
posted by mermayd at 9:23 AM on February 9, 2021 [11 favorites]
I never got why ladies just can't shower like usual?
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:33 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:33 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Products marketed at cleaning the vulva aren't just unnecessary and ineffectual, they're actively harmful to people with vulvas.
I always thought of Vagisil as a dated brand from a worse era, pretty disturbing how they're co-opting language of body positivity and feminism to refresh their brand and sell noxious products to young women. Their instagram tag line is "By women, for women since 1973. 💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿 Shameless about vaginal and sexual health." ... Shameless indeed.
It's clear Dr. Gunter's message is getting out there. Vagisil's top IG post mentions "online chatter" about their product and says it is an "all-over body wash." Hah! Glad they feel threatened.
posted by Emily's Fist at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2021 [18 favorites]
I always thought of Vagisil as a dated brand from a worse era, pretty disturbing how they're co-opting language of body positivity and feminism to refresh their brand and sell noxious products to young women. Their instagram tag line is "By women, for women since 1973. 💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿 Shameless about vaginal and sexual health." ... Shameless indeed.
It's clear Dr. Gunter's message is getting out there. Vagisil's top IG post mentions "online chatter" about their product and says it is an "all-over body wash." Hah! Glad they feel threatened.
posted by Emily's Fist at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2021 [18 favorites]
I never got why ladies just can't shower like usual?
Because our level of horrifying ladyfilth is stronger than any shower, lol
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2021 [37 favorites]
Because our level of horrifying ladyfilth is stronger than any shower, lol
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:34 AM on February 9, 2021 [37 favorites]
Vagisil's top IG post mentions "online chatter" about their product and says it is an "all-over body wash."
Weird, i thought all-in-ones were more of a male product branding (see for example face/body/hair wash by Axe)
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:43 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Weird, i thought all-in-ones were more of a male product branding (see for example face/body/hair wash by Axe)
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:43 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
vagisil salesman: *slaps pubic mound* this bad boy can fit so much bacteria in it
posted by allegedly at 9:44 AM on February 9, 2021 [39 favorites]
posted by allegedly at 9:44 AM on February 9, 2021 [39 favorites]
Mod note: A few deleted, let’s not further the deodorant derail please.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 9:45 AM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 9:45 AM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
Vagisil has the hashtag #ShowYourShameless.
I guess #ShowYou’reShameless was taken?
posted by corey flood at 9:47 AM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
I guess #ShowYou’reShameless was taken?
posted by corey flood at 9:47 AM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
Weird, i thought all-in-ones were more of a male product branding (see for example face/body/hair wash by Axe)
It's a transparent attempt at damage control from Vagisil, not a sincere claim. The product is called "OMV" and the website describes it as "This is intimate care designed with teens and the experts at Vagisil. So period funk and bikini itch don’t get in your way." It's not an all-purpose body wash.
posted by Emily's Fist at 9:50 AM on February 9, 2021 [14 favorites]
It's a transparent attempt at damage control from Vagisil, not a sincere claim. The product is called "OMV" and the website describes it as "This is intimate care designed with teens and the experts at Vagisil. So period funk and bikini itch don’t get in your way." It's not an all-purpose body wash.
posted by Emily's Fist at 9:50 AM on February 9, 2021 [14 favorites]
To define a state of mind regarding the body as "shame" or "not shame seems" to miss the point entirely. Don't we want to make teens comfortable with their bodies, rather than ashamed/unashamed or proud or whatever?
posted by datawrangler at 10:42 AM on February 9, 2021
posted by datawrangler at 10:42 AM on February 9, 2021
I wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
posted by hypnogogue at 11:35 AM on February 9, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by hypnogogue at 11:35 AM on February 9, 2021 [10 favorites]
What the hell does "designed with teens and the experts at Vagisil" mean? The avoidance of the preposition "by" and use of "with" is both telling and deeply weird.
posted by skewed at 11:43 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by skewed at 11:43 AM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
Teenagers and pre-teens are so susceptible to the idea of what is normal and expected.* I'm glad that there are TikTok gynecologists in addition to Twitter obgyns to push back against Vagisil and their industry competitors!
* For example, I shaved my legs in junior high, even though I am East Asian and have characteristically sparse leg hair and certainly even less leg hair when I was 12, because all the kids in the locker room were talking about hair removal. Does Nair still exist?
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:55 AM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
* For example, I shaved my legs in junior high, even though I am East Asian and have characteristically sparse leg hair and certainly even less leg hair when I was 12, because all the kids in the locker room were talking about hair removal. Does Nair still exist?
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:55 AM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
I just can't even.... why does Vagisil still exist as a company in goddamm 2021?? I hope backlash from their shameless targeting of teen girls sinks them.
Sent the link to my 14 yo and suggested that she pass it on to any friends who mention using scented/special cleaning products for their vulva.
Jen Gunter really fights the good fight and I love her.
posted by DTMFA at 11:56 AM on February 9, 2021 [8 favorites]
Sent the link to my 14 yo and suggested that she pass it on to any friends who mention using scented/special cleaning products for their vulva.
Jen Gunter really fights the good fight and I love her.
posted by DTMFA at 11:56 AM on February 9, 2021 [8 favorites]
My daughters (9 and 11) saw an ad for this while watching Ru Paul’s Drag Race last week. They immediately scoffed at the notion of the product and had disparaging things to say about both the manufacturer and the ad itself.
The kids are alright.
posted by nickmark at 11:58 AM on February 9, 2021 [31 favorites]
The kids are alright.
posted by nickmark at 11:58 AM on February 9, 2021 [31 favorites]
I wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
There are, for example "Diem Duroil Intimate and Foreskin Wash Gel", which explicitly claims to help with "smelly foreskin" problems. There are various other "intimate area" cleaning products marketed toward men.*
However, I would be very surprised if these were remotely as widely sold or used as products such as Vagisil. The existence of such niche products by no means justifies or excuses the marketing of Vagisil's products.
* I say "marketed toward men" and not "marketed toward people with penises" because the marketing is definitely gendered.
posted by Bobby Rijndael at 11:58 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
There are, for example "Diem Duroil Intimate and Foreskin Wash Gel", which explicitly claims to help with "smelly foreskin" problems. There are various other "intimate area" cleaning products marketed toward men.*
However, I would be very surprised if these were remotely as widely sold or used as products such as Vagisil. The existence of such niche products by no means justifies or excuses the marketing of Vagisil's products.
* I say "marketed toward men" and not "marketed toward people with penises" because the marketing is definitely gendered.
posted by Bobby Rijndael at 11:58 AM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Huh. Since this wasn't marketed to me, I had assumed that Vagisil was some sort of concoction for the Venusian version of what the Martians call 'jock itch'. (The fungal infection Tinea that causes 'athelete's foot'; but in the groin area. Itchy red dry skin. No fun.)
As in "I need to towel off and change clothes first. I can't hang out all day in a wet bathing suit, or I'll be scrubbing my crotch with Vagisil for the next week. Runs in the family. I'll just be five minutes."
Now I know it's in the Bullshit Nobody Needs category.
I guess I didn't borrow enough Sassy magazines.
posted by bartleby at 12:15 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
As in "I need to towel off and change clothes first. I can't hang out all day in a wet bathing suit, or I'll be scrubbing my crotch with Vagisil for the next week. Runs in the family. I'll just be five minutes."
Now I know it's in the Bullshit Nobody Needs category.
I guess I didn't borrow enough Sassy magazines.
posted by bartleby at 12:15 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
When I was a teenager, Vagisil made this really basic itch relief cream that worked very well for temporary conditions. I went to look for some last year and found out they only make a scented version now. Yuck!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:33 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:33 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Why doesn't Vagisil just hire RuPaul as its spokesmodel already and be done with it? Show RuPaul dumping the product all over a plate of the seafood we allegedly all reek of.
posted by armeowda at 12:41 PM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by armeowda at 12:41 PM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
> "So period funk and bikini itch don’t get in your way."
Period funk gonna give it to you
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:42 PM on February 9, 2021 [23 favorites]
Period funk gonna give it to you
posted by The corpse in the library at 12:42 PM on February 9, 2021 [23 favorites]
I wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
Nobody got rich selling useless hygiene products to men, they barely break even selling the useful ones.
I fully support this effort to clamp down on dangerous products and messaging that shames women about their body.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 12:51 PM on February 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
Nobody got rich selling useless hygiene products to men, they barely break even selling the useful ones.
I fully support this effort to clamp down on dangerous products and messaging that shames women about their body.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 12:51 PM on February 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
If you're on twitter dot com and not following this woman, you're missing out.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 12:52 PM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 12:52 PM on February 9, 2021 [5 favorites]
shame seems to be a foundational aspect of advertising of all kinds, whether overt or subtle
That, and lies.
posted by flabdablet at 1:03 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
That, and lies.
posted by flabdablet at 1:03 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
So period funk and bikini itch don’t get in your way."
Period funk gonna give it to you
Don't believe me, just wash.
posted by snerson at 1:26 PM on February 9, 2021 [41 favorites]
Period funk gonna give it to you
Don't believe me, just wash.
posted by snerson at 1:26 PM on February 9, 2021 [41 favorites]
In fairness to the foreskin wash gel, you do (if you have a foreskin) gotta get under there and at least wash it out with water when you shower or you can end up with some unpleasantness. But it's just a fold of skin, like any other skin fold that should be washed when you shower. I gotta lift up my belly flab and wash under there, too, y'know? I dunno that you'd need a special gel for it but if your regular soap is, like, super cheap and harsh I could see going for something a little gentler on that particular skin fold.
posted by Scattercat at 1:31 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Scattercat at 1:31 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Is...is there actually confetti in that stuff?
It's almost certainly just an urban legend, but there was an amusing story that circulated decades ago when both spray on glitter (for above the waste) was a trend in teenage girls and it was still fairly common for women to use so-called feminine deodorants. In the story, the two bottles look rather alike and the mother of a teenage girl was in a hurry getting ready for a date and grabbed the wrong spray bottle, leading to a rather surprised reaction from her partner later that evening.
posted by Candleman at 1:35 PM on February 9, 2021
It's almost certainly just an urban legend, but there was an amusing story that circulated decades ago when both spray on glitter (for above the waste) was a trend in teenage girls and it was still fairly common for women to use so-called feminine deodorants. In the story, the two bottles look rather alike and the mother of a teenage girl was in a hurry getting ready for a date and grabbed the wrong spray bottle, leading to a rather surprised reaction from her partner later that evening.
posted by Candleman at 1:35 PM on February 9, 2021
wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
It's difficult enough getting teenage boys to wash sufficiently at all using plain soap and water, let alone getting them to use a special wee wee cleanser.
posted by 2N2222 at 1:44 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
It's difficult enough getting teenage boys to wash sufficiently at all using plain soap and water, let alone getting them to use a special wee wee cleanser.
posted by 2N2222 at 1:44 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
I wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
At the risk of derailing, because the powers that figured out there was more money to be made from that particular form of body shame by cutting them off than selling cleaning products for them.
I dunno that you'd need a special gel for it but if your regular soap is, like, super cheap and harsh I could see going for something a little gentler on that particular skin fold.
Like the vagina, getting soap under the foreskin can cause issues for men (the glans and inner foreskins are both mucus membranes, not skin), though less so. One of the standard things to try if you having irritation etc. with a foreskin is to switch to just using water.
posted by Candleman at 1:50 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
At the risk of derailing, because the powers that figured out there was more money to be made from that particular form of body shame by cutting them off than selling cleaning products for them.
I dunno that you'd need a special gel for it but if your regular soap is, like, super cheap and harsh I could see going for something a little gentler on that particular skin fold.
Like the vagina, getting soap under the foreskin can cause issues for men (the glans and inner foreskins are both mucus membranes, not skin), though less so. One of the standard things to try if you having irritation etc. with a foreskin is to switch to just using water.
posted by Candleman at 1:50 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
2N2222: "wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
It's difficult enough getting teenage boys to wash sufficiently at all using plain soap and water, let alone getting them to use a special wee wee cleanser."
As the dad of an 11 year old son, jfc are you ever right on this one. "take a bath" is a fight, and he isn't even old enough for him to be really teen-stinky yet.
Back on topic - in the battle of actual, certified, women's health expert vs. company selling scented products aimed at teens, my money's on Dr. Gunter.
posted by caution live frogs at 2:07 PM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
It's difficult enough getting teenage boys to wash sufficiently at all using plain soap and water, let alone getting them to use a special wee wee cleanser."
As the dad of an 11 year old son, jfc are you ever right on this one. "take a bath" is a fight, and he isn't even old enough for him to be really teen-stinky yet.
Back on topic - in the battle of actual, certified, women's health expert vs. company selling scented products aimed at teens, my money's on Dr. Gunter.
posted by caution live frogs at 2:07 PM on February 9, 2021 [2 favorites]
"So period funk and bikini itch don’t get in your way."
Period Funk is my new band name. We play Earth Wind & Fire covers on harpsichord and lute.
posted by The Bellman at 2:15 PM on February 9, 2021 [31 favorites]
Period Funk is my new band name. We play Earth Wind & Fire covers on harpsichord and lute.
posted by The Bellman at 2:15 PM on February 9, 2021 [31 favorites]
So period funk and bikini itch don’t get in your way
Period funk gonna give it to you
Back in July '99, at the Merriweather Post Pav, people walked away from Sarah McLachlan's set when Period Funk and Bikini Itch played the B stage.
I wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
Table 1, Percentage of circumcised males in each of the 237 countries and territories in the world (estimated); USA-specific: After correction for underreporting, we found that the percentage had declined from 83% in the 1960s to 77% by 2010. (Circumcision rates in the United States: rising or falling?, Mayo Clin Proc. 2014 May)
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:16 PM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
Period funk gonna give it to you
Back in July '99, at the Merriweather Post Pav, people walked away from Sarah McLachlan's set when Period Funk and Bikini Itch played the B stage.
I wonder why there aren't special products for cleaning under uncut foreskins?
Table 1, Percentage of circumcised males in each of the 237 countries and territories in the world (estimated); USA-specific: After correction for underreporting, we found that the percentage had declined from 83% in the 1960s to 77% by 2010. (Circumcision rates in the United States: rising or falling?, Mayo Clin Proc. 2014 May)
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:16 PM on February 9, 2021 [6 favorites]
Nobody got rich selling useless hygiene products to men, they barely break even selling the useful ones.
That made me laugh! And also reminded me to see if I’ve taken a shower lately.
posted by TedW at 2:18 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
That made me laugh! And also reminded me to see if I’ve taken a shower lately.
posted by TedW at 2:18 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
Nobody got rich selling useless hygiene products to men, they barely break even selling the useful ones.
Men’s genital grooming products are getting big. Manscaped is looking at a $500 million valuation, on $100 million annual sales. In addition to pubic hair trimmers, they sell Crop Preserver, which the company itself describes as “ball deodorant” and Crop Reviver, a “ball spray toner”(??).
Genital odor anxiety is for everyone now!
posted by mr_roboto at 2:19 PM on February 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
Men’s genital grooming products are getting big. Manscaped is looking at a $500 million valuation, on $100 million annual sales. In addition to pubic hair trimmers, they sell Crop Preserver, which the company itself describes as “ball deodorant” and Crop Reviver, a “ball spray toner”(??).
Genital odor anxiety is for everyone now!
posted by mr_roboto at 2:19 PM on February 9, 2021 [7 favorites]
Do they come in tactical grey?
posted by acb at 2:20 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by acb at 2:20 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
Color scheme is black, white, and gold, with navy highlights in some of the electronic products. And they brag about donations to testicular cancer charities, which has a familiar corporate pink-ribbon feel to it.
posted by mr_roboto at 2:24 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by mr_roboto at 2:24 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Full Stop Funk has a better ring.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:33 PM on February 9, 2021
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:33 PM on February 9, 2021
Related, kind of ... as a white cis man in his 50s, I hereby declare that humans have a shit ton of body hair and give you all permission to just let it grow and to hell with everyone else! Unless you don’t wanna - that’s fine too. There’s definitely a privilege thing here ... lots of guys are able to just go through life without thinking about all this beyond “try not to smell bad and wear a clean shirt”. As companies start to push this stuff on men too, it’s more obvious what bullshit most of it is because unlike with women, men of a certain age see the subtle negging of advertising and are able to think “huh that’s new” instead of having been bombarded with corsets and shit for 1 billion years.
posted by freecellwizard at 3:40 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by freecellwizard at 3:40 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
Vagisil has the hashtag #ShowYourShameless.
I guess #ShowYou’reShameless was taken?
Deep in here there is probably a really great joke to be made about “pudenda” being Latin for “shame” and how they’re clumsily trying to grrrl power their way to overturning the patriarchy while selling their ointment, but I don’t think any classicists were involved in this marketing campaign.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:40 PM on February 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
I guess #ShowYou’reShameless was taken?
Deep in here there is probably a really great joke to be made about “pudenda” being Latin for “shame” and how they’re clumsily trying to grrrl power their way to overturning the patriarchy while selling their ointment, but I don’t think any classicists were involved in this marketing campaign.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:40 PM on February 9, 2021 [9 favorites]
It's difficult enough getting teenage boys to wash sufficiently at all using plain soap and water, let alone getting them to use a special wee wee cleanser.
Although one of the reasons circumcision became the default option in many Western cultures in the 19th C was due to a fear that cleaning one's tallywhacker would lead young boys to compulsive masturbation (and probably further "perversions" after that).
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:43 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
Although one of the reasons circumcision became the default option in many Western cultures in the 19th C was due to a fear that cleaning one's tallywhacker would lead young boys to compulsive masturbation (and probably further "perversions" after that).
posted by Saxon Kane at 3:43 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
I'm a woman and get tons of female-centric ads on facebook (period supplies, bras, etc) but I've managed to keep a tight lid on my google/youtube accounts so they don't know how to target their ads at me and have clearly defaulted to "male." On the plus side, I'm less likely to see ads that make me feel bad about myself but I gotta say that I'm so sick of manscape ads. And also soap and deodorants targeted to men, "you're not a dish, you're a MAN" ugh. Apparently, Noom's diet app targets everyone. [Edit: just to mention that the ads themselves are all very gendered]
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 3:45 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 3:45 PM on February 9, 2021 [4 favorites]
Masculinity is so fragile, only hygiene products in a spray bottle shaped like a grenade are safe to use. The only acceptable scent is jet fuel. To engage in personal hygiene using anything floral-scented or from a pastel container will void the warranty on your masculinity.
Meanwhile, femininity demands nothing less than continuous, industrial-grade chemical disinfection, dispensed from a container shaped like a rose. The fragrance should nominally approximate that a dessert item which only women are supposed to like, but which none of us are supposed to eat.
posted by armeowda at 4:16 PM on February 9, 2021 [27 favorites]
Meanwhile, femininity demands nothing less than continuous, industrial-grade chemical disinfection, dispensed from a container shaped like a rose. The fragrance should nominally approximate that a dessert item which only women are supposed to like, but which none of us are supposed to eat.
posted by armeowda at 4:16 PM on February 9, 2021 [27 favorites]
Metafilter: No classicists were involved in this campaign.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:41 PM on February 9, 2021
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:41 PM on February 9, 2021
Masculinity is so fragile, only hygiene products in a spray bottle shaped like a grenade are safe to use. The only acceptable scent is jet fuel. To engage in personal hygiene using anything floral-scented or from a pastel container will void the warranty on your masculinity.
See, having a grenade-shaped bottle would be so over-the-top that I'd get a kick out of it; it's my excuse for using the products of Duke Cannon (that is literally what they're called), whose marketing so deftly straddles sincerely overperformed masculinity and ironically overperformed masculinity that their marketing strategy could be summarized as "tactical deployment of Poe's Law". Really, I just like the way their stuff smells; they're not abashed to describe the scents as the like of bergamot and black pepper, as well as tobacco, "Accomplishment", and "Naval Supremacy."
As for the FPP topic, I spent some time looking for the old (if not original cast) SNL ad parody in which two women discuss a feminine hygiene product in such abstract euphemistical terms that you don't even know what they're talking about, before giving up; more recent casts have done this.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:29 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
See, having a grenade-shaped bottle would be so over-the-top that I'd get a kick out of it; it's my excuse for using the products of Duke Cannon (that is literally what they're called), whose marketing so deftly straddles sincerely overperformed masculinity and ironically overperformed masculinity that their marketing strategy could be summarized as "tactical deployment of Poe's Law". Really, I just like the way their stuff smells; they're not abashed to describe the scents as the like of bergamot and black pepper, as well as tobacco, "Accomplishment", and "Naval Supremacy."
As for the FPP topic, I spent some time looking for the old (if not original cast) SNL ad parody in which two women discuss a feminine hygiene product in such abstract euphemistical terms that you don't even know what they're talking about, before giving up; more recent casts have done this.
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:29 PM on February 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
Most of the male college students I used to ride the bus with were so drenched in perfume I often wondered what it was they were trying to cover up. Like, maybe they all worked nights at an abattoir to make rent or something.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:32 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:32 PM on February 9, 2021 [3 favorites]
My dear departed mother, in an attempt to encourage her tiny children to bathe without arguing about it, used to tell us stories about how in high society in pre-Enlightenment France, it was normal for human beings to remain unwashed for extended periods and drench themselves in perfume to cover the stink, because indoor plumbing hadn't yet been invented.
I was gobsmacked the first time I saw young master flabdablet lift his arms and spray a totally excessive dose of a particularly pungent antiperspirant body spray all over the outside of his sweaty T shirt before going out to meet his friends.
It occurred to me that the historical behaviour of the French nobility possibly had far less to do with the unavailability of indoor plumbing than with the desire of young, privileged men to dominate the spaces they occupy by all available means. Better Manspreading Through Chemistry.
posted by flabdablet at 6:27 PM on February 9, 2021 [20 favorites]
I was gobsmacked the first time I saw young master flabdablet lift his arms and spray a totally excessive dose of a particularly pungent antiperspirant body spray all over the outside of his sweaty T shirt before going out to meet his friends.
It occurred to me that the historical behaviour of the French nobility possibly had far less to do with the unavailability of indoor plumbing than with the desire of young, privileged men to dominate the spaces they occupy by all available means. Better Manspreading Through Chemistry.
posted by flabdablet at 6:27 PM on February 9, 2021 [20 favorites]
... and Crop Reviver, a “ball spray toner”(??)
I'm a middle aged black man who when I first read this, not understanding that a spray toner was different from a spray tanner thought, "I've lived among them for years, read their books, watched their moves, and I still have no idea who these people are."
posted by rdr at 11:16 PM on February 9, 2021 [35 favorites]
I'm a middle aged black man who when I first read this, not understanding that a spray toner was different from a spray tanner thought, "I've lived among them for years, read their books, watched their moves, and I still have no idea who these people are."
posted by rdr at 11:16 PM on February 9, 2021 [35 favorites]
rdr, I am still laughing at this.
posted by Songdog at 5:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Songdog at 5:41 AM on February 10, 2021 [2 favorites]
That Duke Cannon site is wildly over the top. Packaging goods in an ammo can, sheesh. Marketing is so fucked up.
posted by theora55 at 12:13 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 12:13 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
A hair product review Youtube channel I follow did two videos on a brand called "Combat Combover":
Combat Combover: Toxic Masculinity for your Hair and Beard (or is it just japes?) in which he reviews several of their products and basically says "WTAF?!?" at their marketingposted by Lexica at 2:00 PM on February 10, 2021
Combat Combover DMed me after my review... in which Poe's Law becomes relevant, and he asks "does it actually make a difference that it's a 'joke'?"
I'm watching that Combat Combover video and just had to come in to add my very incredulous WTF is that shit. There is so much toxic nonsense that it's almost hard to get offended at one thing because there's immediately a new thing to be mad at.
But since this thread started with regard to vagisil and the toxic branding towards women, I will mention that I did not expect that Combat Combover to hit me with the PINK JAR FOR WOMEN product.
Again, W.T.F.
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 6:33 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
But since this thread started with regard to vagisil and the toxic branding towards women, I will mention that I did not expect that Combat Combover to hit me with the PINK JAR FOR WOMEN product.
Again, W.T.F.
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 6:33 PM on February 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Regarding Lysol - I have just read Ruth Park's absolutely brilliant first volume autobiography of growing up in New Zealand in the 1920s and 1930s, "A Fence Around the Cuckoo".
She discusses how the Depression meant that medical care from doctors was financially out of reach - so pharmacists were the default, with lots of ads providing "coded" medical information - Lysol for freshness, etc.
Know your market.
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 3:32 PM on February 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
She discusses how the Depression meant that medical care from doctors was financially out of reach - so pharmacists were the default, with lots of ads providing "coded" medical information - Lysol for freshness, etc.
Know your market.
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 3:32 PM on February 11, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by taquito sunrise at 8:00 AM on February 9, 2021 [61 favorites]