Always says: Transvestites don't menstruate.
(via) Ad agency Leo Burnett UK says they gathered some of East London's finest transvestites for this "viral" (that's what they're mistakenly calling it) video for Always pads. Not being a woman or a transvestite, I'm not sure if/how this appeals to women or does/doesn't offend transvestites. If you're one or the other, maybe you can help me out. What I do know is that it's not funny/interesting.
Previous Always ads:
• LOOK! Blood in an American pad ad!
• Put a starship up your vagina?
Related: more tampon/pad ads.
posted by copyranter @ 12:15 PM
9 Comments:
It's such a stupid commercial, how the heck does it make me want to buy a pad?
What, am I supposed to feel sorry for the trannies in this ad and think "oh damn, as a woman, I'm so LUCKY to bleed once a month, and look at these poor trannies who would die for a chance to feel the same. So I might as well go and buy Always and be HAPPY"
=___=
Doesn't bother me. If it's insulting to trannies I wouldn't venture a guess, but it actually strikes me as a positive that women embrace (instead of being adversarial to) an essential aspect of female-ness. Typically ads make it such a "bother," it's all about how it interrupts or is inconvenient to your oh so very important lifestyle or wardrobe choices. Like the ad with the blood drop, I'm all for dispensing with this urge to ever mask, cover up, disassemble, & disguise the fact we're animals.
WRONG!
This ad is so incredibly misguided. How it even got produced is beyond me. It fails to understand women, it's completely homophobic, it has a complete lack of understanding towards transgendered issues. Most importantly though, it is not funny. Humor can make up for a lot of errors. I'm not laughing.
I'll agree with "Anonymous" with regards to attempting to embrace this universal fact of life. (I'm male, so, I can't walk a mile in your heels, though, ladies.) I've worked on some brutal fem-hy in the past, but I'm not sure this is advancing the cause much. Seems to irresponsibly look down the nose at an already picked-on subculture.
This is idiotic, insulting to the LGBTQ community, and patronizing to women.
#1 drag queen =/= transgendered
While some women who were born without female sex organs may feel they're missing out on a bonding experience, or deeply mourn not being able to mother children biologically, those are transgendered women. Drag queens are a completely different population, and many are gay men who are pretty happy about that.
#2 No one wants a period
The number of periods women have these days is unhealthy and unnecessary. Even if one likes being a woman, fertile, knowing one's not pregnant this month, or anything else that periods symbolize, the period itself is a pain. Birth control that reduces the number of cycles in a year is gaining popularity for a reason.
You don't have to be a woman or trans* to realize that this is an outlandishly stupid and offensive ad. As Anonymous already pointed out, it conflates drag queens with transsexuals and patronises them, along with women. "Hey bio laydeez, embrace your Mother Nature-given ability to bleed for one week out of every month, 'cause these poor sods would simply *love* to do so in your place! Gee, too bad they can't! Now buy our product to soak up all that blood with!" I'd rather bleed through all my lovely white pants - thanks all the same, Always.
We can confirm that this is not a P&G commissioned campaign. We have the utmost respect for the consumers we serve and we do not agree with the way our brand has been portrayed in this spoof video.
I'm a woman and I think this is funny. A bit strange, but still funny. I think I'll continue buying Always and be happy that at least I got the full package
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