Oh, ma ga. Parlaying our culture's current fascination with hairless lady parts, Wilkinson Sword's Quattro for Women has released a new ad in the UK...and the not-so-subtle tagline is, ahem, "Mow the lawn." The UK/ European version of the ad features a variety of multicultural women gleefully pushing lawnmowers and happily wielding hedge clippers while singing a catchy little tune about the joys of shaving. The US version for Schick Quattro is much more toned down and totally humourless--that one features women walking past bushes that magically shrink and become all tidy. Of course the European version is much more campy than the US version--and as a result, the humour diminishes the potential offensive-ness.
Debate about women's, um, bushes aside, one thing that really did bother me about the UK ad was that, despite the happy multi-culti faces, there were still some racial sterotypes that were reinforced. Specifically, at one point, a black woman sings, "Some bushes are mighty big," and then it cuts to a dainty-looking Asian woman in front of what appears to be a bonsai tree who sings, "Some gardens are really small." UGH. Yes, ladies, apparently even the volume of our pubic hair is determined by "race"!
Judge for yourself. Here's the "naughty" UK version:
And the boring North American version:
So, what do you think? When you laugh at ads like this, are you doing so in spite of yourself? Or do the yuks take the politics away?
Thanks to Divine Caroline for being the source for the original clip.
Of bushes, bonsais and pesky pubes
Oh, ma ga. Parlaying our culture's current fascination with hairless lady parts, Wilkinson Sword's Quattro for Women has released a new ad in the UK...and the not-so-subtle tagline is, ahem, "Mow the lawn." The UK/ European version of the ad features a variety of multicultural women gleefully pushing lawnmowers and happily wielding hedge clippers while singing a catchy little tune about the joys of shaving. The US version for Schick Quattro is much more toned down and totally humourless--that one features women walking past bushes that magically shrink and become all tidy. Of course the European version is much more campy than the US version--and as a result, the humour diminishes the potential offensive-ness.
Debate about women's, um, bushes aside, one thing that really did bother me about the UK ad was that, despite the happy multi-culti faces, there were still some racial sterotypes that were reinforced. Specifically, at one point, a black woman sings, "Some bushes are mighty big," and then it cuts to a dainty-looking Asian woman in front of what appears to be a bonsai tree who sings, "Some gardens are really small." UGH. Yes, ladies, apparently even the volume of our pubic hair is determined by "race"!
Judge for yourself. Here's the "naughty" UK version:
And the boring North American version:
So, what do you think? When you laugh at ads like this, are you doing so in spite of yourself? Or do the yuks take the politics away?
Thanks to Divine Caroline for being the source for the original clip.
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I think the angle on this article that needs consideration is that women are equated to the house that needs to be sold: that they are commodities that need to be sold to someone else, and therefore the product presentation needs to be groomed. I think that this underlying message is conveyed in beauty products to both sexes. Our current social standards dictate norms for what’s considered sanitary or polite (like washing and not being a real-life manifestation of “Pig Pen”), but this seems to be one that’s somewhat curious as it’s communicating the need for grooming on something that is hidden from view to the ordinary person.
While, you could argue that gardening often falls into the suburban domestic sphere of women (not exclusively, and not in the UK), grass cutting would be stereotyped as falling in the realm of men’s domestic labour (at least in North America). So, this a hint to the ladies that they are reclaiming some public/private/pubic territory?
The one added twist, is that if you consider men cutting the grass is often likened to a bear scratching it’s claws on a tree to mark it’s territory, it’s a very visible manifestation of territory, unlike someone’s trimmed naughty bits.
So, what does that add? Your privates are as public as your untidy hedgerow. And, you’re neighbors are watching.
I’m afraid this advertising campaign – on both continents – brings out the humourless feminist in me. I will grant that the British version is directly aiming at teh funny, in a way that the American campaign is too chicken to do. But there’s something about the fact that advertisers apparently have focus group data that indicate that a bunch of women are willing to be persuaded that participating in the policing of their public hair is FUN that makes me want to have a drink. The possibility that a large number of women have been convinced that their particular grooming should be in the shape of a landing strip just means I have to add vermouth.
two-lips on the mound!
Did any of you see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yt9olqwIeE
That guy is a seriously tactless a**hole.
Thanks for the awesome comments, everybody. I mean, this is a totally unique campaign in that I’ve never actually seen an ad for razors even involving a *hint* of “You can use this to shave your pubes, too!” And so bringing that front a centre (oh, gawd, I cannot avoid the puns) is weird and creepy. Like Andrew and Ingra are both saying, this is a new kind of public policing of the pubes–and CollyFlower’s linking to that YouTube video reminds us that body hair anywhere on women’s bodies is up for public scrutiny.
Yeah, I have to admit that I agree with Ingra here. When I first watched the clips yesterday morning, I was infuriated. And I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, yet couldn’t quite figure out why this particular set of ads made me so enraged. But I think what it comes down to is the policing of the pubes, and the fact that while some men may choose to groom their pubic hair, the ad is directed only at women because (dontcha know) for men it’s optional and for women it’s a requirement.
These are made by people out to sell their product. These advertisements are created out of a ton of research into what sells, and sadly this is what sells. Isn’t it even more annoying when the ad is slick and clever in its operation? While the normalizing and stereotyping is disturbing, what’s even more disturbing is this is what is appealing to people out there. The pink phallic watering can made me laugh, though. Maybe this is another “pointer” towards women’s taking up of male domestic labour, the lawn mowing, as Andrew suggested.
What troubles me the most in the UK version (I could not get the US version to work) is the reference to ‘feeling clean’ and the connection to trimming up down there to being more hygienic. As Andrew noted, this has become the more sanitary way to be, and that is disturbing.
It (and yes this will be a strange link) reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend the other day about how disconnected we are becoming from our food and what is actually necessary and good for us. We are also disconnected from our bodies and what is necessary or good for us. Somehow shaving/waxing/threading/nairing your pubic hair makes you ‘cleaner’.
Can I just take this moment to say that I absolutely adore our Confabulous commenters? Look at this thoughtful, intelligent stuff! You guys rule!
speaking of depilation, did anyone see Slate’s Dear Prudence today?
http://www.slate.com/id/2215655/
and the Fray discussion:
http://fray.slate.com/discuss/forums/thread/2651193.aspx?ArticleID=2215655
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