Following on from Monday's rant about a specific form of slut-shaming, lets talk about some shaming (and shame worthy) ads that I recently discovered....for Playtex and their new "Fresh and Sexy" wipes.
The ad above is one of a set - a new campaign for wipes that are designed for before and after "intimate encounters" - apparently filling the need for daisy-fresh junk, any time, anywhere.
On the one hand, this is almost the opposite of slut-shaming. It doesn't just suggest that spontaneous sex is ok, it actively tries to take advantage of it to sell something. I'm not totally sure that that is better, of course. Slut-opportunism isn't really more positive than slut-shaming, just has a little more of a capitalist flavor.
Sadly, logic doesn't follow on the heels of opportunity. The ads are all based on the idea that having clean, fresh genitals will somehow impact your chances of getting laid. Except, the only way to discover the cleanliness of someone's junk involves being pretty up close and personal with them. And once you get to the point where you get a gyno's-eye view, you are basically past the point of no return. Frankly, if the situation is bad enough that someone is going to strip you down and then actually run away from what lurks between your legs, it may be asking a bit much of a glorified baby wipe to solve the problem.
Unsurprisingly, these ads have already provoked one helluva reaction amongst the feminist and sex-positive masses (although it does need to be noted that the ads are equally split between being aimed at male and female customers). The general response has been one of disgust, mixed with a healthy dash of anger at the suggestion that the "natural" smell of a woman is inherently wrong/yucky/bad/etc.
All I really have to say about that, is that yes, the "natural" smell of a woman (or man, for that matter) is amazing. And sexy. And nothing to be covered up, wiped away, or generally ashamed of.
However.
For anyone not aware, I've spent a lot of time in close proximity to gentials in the line of duty - and only about 60% was in strip clubs, where all the pussy is preened to perfection. The other 40% was as a body piercer, and when it isn't trimmed and tucked and functioning as a money maker, a lot of people clearly need some kind of reminder that the shower head doesn't reach there all on it's own. There was one woman in particular who earned the nickname "Grilled Cheese Vag". I'll leave that one up to your imagination.
It reminds me of the kind of anger that inevitably results from advertising that is "fat-ist", that refers to women with "curves" as "real women". It's all about loving your body, being proud of your body....which is all well and good. Except that if you are 5ft tall and weigh 200lbs, maybe pride isn't the first thing you should be feeling. Maybe you should be feeling like a trip to the gym is in order.
No one needs to be frantically baby-wiping their junk until taking your panties off creates a swirly waft of Febreeze-like scent. At the same time, a little reminder of good hygiene, not a bad thing.
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