Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Reversing Midol's Curse

So recently Lauren and Caitlin posted videos in which comedians Lynne Koplitz and Lauren Ashley Bishop are featured in ads for Midol about periods. Lauren posed the question of whether or not this ad represented progress in our culture's discussion and understanding of periods.

For now, let me just say that this ad represents progress in Midol's advertising strategy. After all, this is a company that used the phrase (imperative?) "Reverse the Curse" to sell their ibuprofen.

I know this isn't exactly comedy-related, but perhaps it is funny in a terrible sort of way that our periods, a very normal, banal occurrence in the life of most women, have been conjured into unmanageable nuisances by advertisers.

And as Midol's very livelihood depends on the way they portray periods, it is no wonder that the company must evolve their advertising for the times, lest we all realize that midol is not any more special than my Walgreen's brand of pain killer.

I go into detail about that marketing campaign here. Please read on if interested:

It’s time to reverse the curse. No, Midol commercials, I don’t mean ending my period. I mean reversing the curse you have conjured up against periods.

Products marketed for women have long cashed in on exploiting women’s fears and insecurities about their bodies. Exaggerating the inconvenience of menstruation is yet another ploy churned out by the pantheon of myth-making advertising bullshit to scare up some dollars. In the meantime, however, talking about periods as though they curse women damages the ultimate feminist goal of achieving equality between men and women.

The whole article can be read here...

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