Vintage Sexism: Lysol Edition
This is a gem.
Thanks to Lauren for the link.
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I remember seeing this during a lecture in my photo class senior year of college.
Are they suggesting I put Lysol on my girl parts?!
*shudders*
Nothing has changed.
http://animalnewyork.com/news/2008/12/advertising-creep-update-bicyc.php
Gawd, that really pisses me off. Yeah, my crotchal area stinks like hell after I've been riding my bike strenuously, working up a sweat, cutting through the landscape at exhilarating speed. It's the smell of a good workout. It means I'm active & healthy. I'm not ashamed. Fuck you, vaginal-perfume company, for trying to make me feel bad for using a bicycle seat in exactly the way it was intended to be used.
Stuff like that makes me want take a cue from Bonanza Jellybean: get a group to march into their office building, pull down my stankiest bike shorts, and proudly declare, "Not one of these pussies has been washed in a week!"
you have no idea how happy it made me that you made a tom robbins reference...
A lot of people assume this ad was aimed at telling women their girlparts stank, but it was actually an elaborate coded message about using Lysol as birth control.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51170
"From 1930 until 1960, the most popular female contraceptive was Lysol disinfectant -- advertised as a feminine hygiene product in ads featuring testimonials from prominent European "doctors." Later investigation by the American Medical Association showed that these experts did not exist.
"The fraud of the Lysol douche was a byproduct of illegality," Tone says. "Because birth control couldn't be advertised openly, manufacturers would use euphemisms to refer to birth control. They took advantage of consumers' hopes."
Well that would certainly make the "inhibitions" part make more sense. I was wondering why she'd feel inhibited if she was "ignorant" of a smell, but not wanting to get preggers definitely puts a damper on the sex.
Incidentally, it couldn't have worked very well as B.C. could it? I thought douching with anything usually just washed sperm up further toward the cervix.
Well lysol works by lysing (killing) cells, so one would think it worked by killing the sperm, in which case it would have been effective as B.C.
But that can't have been at all healthy, as we know the entire vagina/cervix area is lined with living epithelial cells. *shudder* I can't imagine how many women must have become infertile and/or have horrible vaginal health problems from using this vaginally. If it's not safe to put in your mouth it's not safe to put in your vagina!
Generally a pretty good rule of thumb. :D
Basically, it kills all BUT sperm.
Jeez Louise. Very unsettling indeed.
But interesting info about the coded messages in the times before free BC-talk.
Very interesting, but still horrifying. I heard about douching with cola drinks, but I had no idea anyone would try something like Lysol as birth control. It was a very different time, and I think God and Goddess that I came of age just as birth control pills and IUDs were becoming common.
OMG! why did no one tell me about this sooner?!? my feminine daintiness has gone unprotected for so many years!
My vagina is burning at the thought of lysol-ing it. Owwww...
Very few things have ever made me cross my legs in terror; this is one of them.
LOL... This has made me laugh for the first time in a long time... I've never douched and believe me I've had to beat away men with a stick a lot more than any of them have ever expressed a wish to have me locked away from their love. OMG... This ad should have BACKFIRED big time!!!
It's like a sexist goodie bag.
Sex problems are the wife's fault, and fixing them is her responsibility? Check.
A man's love for a woman is dependent on some external, superficial reason? Check.
Marital happiness depends on woman's sexual desirability? Check.
A woman's natural body systems are disgusting and unladylike? Check.
It makes me wonder what my granddaughters will cringe at in fifty years from the advertisements that are running right now.
Because your vag is dirty and unsanitary! If you dont keep it clean he can divorce you and treat you like youre subhuman!
One of my majors is in marketing. I gotta find a way to never make or perpetuate the 21st century version of these types of advertisements!
Any ideas, guidance from any feminist marketers/advertisers that have experience in this area?
Yeah: feminist marketing is almost an oxymoron.
Marketing is not progressive.
Capitalism won't save you from oppression.
Actually many ads for deodorants for women do the same thing. Consider the brand "Secret." Just the name itself conjures the image that sweat = evil, must hide it.
Most feminine hygiene products also promise dainty smells and secrecy. For that matter, the birth control pill is also hailed as a little secret. I remember seeing a full page add which had one woman whispering something to a friend. It was for a birth control pill.
Strictly speaking about menstruation most ads I see make me feel like someone is shouting UNCLEAN at me. Trying to make me feel ashamed. Plus, now my sanitary towel comes with little wipes to make me feel "shower clean."
The worst part is I think the wipe is an ecological disaster. I never use it. A piece of toiler paper is enough.
Btw, who said prim little flowers were the perfect decoration for feminine hygiene products? Or pink. Pink and flowers. Because flowers must help me with the cramps.
Yep, women's vaginas are still dirty in advertising.
That's why I'm off disposable period products for GOOD.
Youre all focusing purely on period supplies. What about other products? Is it not possible to sell to the public something and be progressive about it? Ie, show girls playing with G.I. Joes, fathers cleaning the house, or ads like campbells did by showing homosexual families?
What am I supposed to do when some asshat suggests something along the lines of some of the crap sexist ads weve discussed on this site before, such as the ones aimed at mothers? So far, all I've prepped myself to do is speak up, but is that all that powerful? NO! I'm thinking of other ways. Maybe I dont know enough about the business and when I do, I can figure out something more proactive. I just never want to be with the team who makes the 21st century version of these types of sexist (or racist/homophobic)ads.
Actually you have a great point about Secret. They have a commercial out now in which a man and woman in their bride and groom outfits are playing around on a bed, obviously about to get busy. The groom runs his hand up the bride's arm toward her armpit, and the voiceover says "It doesn't take much to ruin a moment like this." Can you imagine actually turning down sex, especially long-waited-for wedding night sex, because of a little B.O.? Which I'm sure they both had, because weddings involve drinking and dancing.
The best advice I ever got on avoiding sexist/racist/any-other-ist marketing messages came from my advertising professor. It's very simple: switch the "character" in your ad to another demographic (woman to man, person of one race to another, etc.), and if the message doesn't "work" or make sense, it's probably because it hinges on one discriminatory assumption or another. The examples she used were ads based on stereotypes like "All women do X" or "All Asians are X." (It works for jokes, too.)
so true, I always do this! works like a charm! =D *sigh* I love feminism....
so true, I always do this! works like a charm! =D *sigh* I love feminism....
Were always going to have some sort of societal representation of our society and were always going to need to shuck products to those that are most likely to buy, so why not ensure that what is represented is evolved and progressive? I dont think the ad interest is innately opposed to evolved image delivery and ad marketing.
I'm sure theres some sort of blog out there for progressives/and/or/feminists in the ad/PR/marketing industry.
WHAHAHA...Men, don't be locked out from your wives! If she isn't interested, check and see if it's because your sack smells! Wash your weiners and scrub your sacks with LYSOL!!!
I've run into a couple guys where this wouldn't have been such a bad idea...lol...
um, i ended up leaving my career as a graphic designer in advertising b/c campaigns that had an ethical conscience (i did a WNBA team, a line of health/energy shakes, lots of pro bono, etc.) were few and far between. and i didn't like coming home from work at 11 pm and heading for my liquor cabinet before hugging my family. advertising sucks.
this creeps me out so much.
Hey, Samhita, I can't find the Amazon link. What's the deal? I need to get some shipped in before Xmas.
LOL!
Ouch. I have no desire whatsoever to put Lysol up my coocha, thanks.
I want a cleaner that's strong enough to kill my dainty feminine allure.
Not having a vagina, my question is thus: What the hell is going on down there that requires Lysol? And what else are you gals gonna need? "Sorry Cam, I'm just borrowing your computer keyboard, a laser beam, the soundtrack to the Prince of Egypt and a live raccoon. Gonna be a while."
"What the hell is going on down there that requires Lysol?"
Nothing, actually. Nothing at all. I've always considered the use of the word "pussy" to refer to the vagina to be appropriate, in that both cats and vaginas take care of the cleaning business all by themselves. Unlike my dog, who has a talent for finding the most disgusting substances in the world to roll in. I still wouldn't bathe him with Lysol, though.
I now have this picture in my head of an LOLCAT licking herself and the caption:
PUSSY CAN CLEAN HRSELF THNX
I'm so stealing your idea, I got a picture of my kitty cleaning herself a couple days ago. I'll put the link up.
moar funny pictures
I hope that works, I'm not good at link makin >.
Not having a vagina, my question is thus: What the hell is going on down there that requires Lysol? And what else are you gals gonna need? "Sorry Cam, I'm just borrowing your computer keyboard, a laser beam, the soundtrack to the Prince of Egypt and a live raccoon. Gonna be a while."
I love ads like these because after reading them I look at current ones with a fresh eye.
That's almost unbelievable.
All unwashed body parts will eventually smell, male, female, doesn't matter. I actually do douche. I consider it, you know, washing. I don't consider any of my body parts "dirty" because I have to wash them. My vagina is no different.
Having seen this however, I can understand where the backlash against douching comes from.
The problem with douching is that it's like using sandpaper and steel wool under your armpits to get them clean. Totally unnecessary and probably harmful.
Right now, douching is out of fashion...but my doctor assures me that warm water with a little vinegar is perfectly safe on an occasional basis. I'm an old fart...I do it. mild vinegar/water has never hurt me any.
The difference between douching and washing the OUTSIDE of your skin, is that the vagina is a naturally warm, moist place that's supposed to have certain bacteria. Upset the balance of bacteria by killing them off, and you could be in for health problems.
The OUTSIDE of our skin is meant to be washed off -heck that would happen just if people went swimming.
i got a mild case of BV once and the nurse practicioner recommended i douche with warm water with a couple of drops of tea tree oil to relieve the itch.
worked like a charm, but my cootchie smelled like a pine forest. weird.
Douching eliminates healthful bacteria and just pushes harmful bacteria further up. It DOES NOT make you "clean"--it is actually making you worse off. Your vagina, for the most part, does a wonderful job of cleaning itself. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
why is a woman and her vagina always to blame for a fizzling out sex life!?
I've been trying to figure that out for years. I'm convinced that two thirds or more of the straight male population consider our parts OK to ram with their cock but filthy regardless. Not a lot of guys will go down on a girl, and often it's obligation rather than wanting to. Questioning one boyfriend revealed that he couldn't cope with the fact that our parts are internal. My sneaky, unseen, folded, cave-like internal organs are what? -hiding or something?- so they must be up to no good. And not getting pelted by hot water from the shower was cited. I was mortally insulted. By comparison, Mr. Penis is either floppy, semi-erect, erect, really erect, etc. - he's honest and outgoing. Readily available for inspection. You know what going on by looking. ;D A raccoon cannot be concealed inside.
The good news is that there are people out there (of all genders) who love Ms. Cunt just the way she is. Things like this make me appreciate my partner, for he is one of them.
Hehe. I'm with you on that, emeraldgreen. To be honest, a guy refusing to go down - and I don't really care what psychological problems he has - is a major relationship deal-breaker for me. 'Cause I like sex and I don't like immaturity about how my puss has cooties.
With all due respect, emerald_green...
When you say "not a lot of guys are willing to go down on a woman," what kind of oafs have you been dating? Of the partners I had, only ONE was like that...he had the mind of a 12-year-old (in other regards), was psychotic on several levels, and was a cheating scumbag.
I'm not saying the rest were princes amongst men, but in that department, indeed they were.
I think it's a commentary on how these men were raised, and how they comport themselves, when they refuse to perform oral sex on a woman. Even granting that they were raised to be the most sexist pigs this side of the Republican National Convention, there are plenty of external information highways available that could offer a different view.
In this day and age, and this era, there's no excuse for that kind of behavior.
I totally agree with you on the point that a woman should not accept as a lover a guy refuses to go down on a woman. No one should wind up with the status of "I'm just here for you to fuck". I think most men know that these days, and will do oral, but are not so very enthusiastic about the prospect. Trigger warning - T.M.I. TIME! My data is limited to three males, one of the biggest assholes was the only one that did go down like mad (his only saving grace personality-wise, honestly, EPIC jag off and creep in all other respects) and a crashed ten year marriage (with consistent blather about he was "traumatized" by a "dirty" former girl friend, ergo oral sex substitutions were made). :/ So current lad will do it but has no enthusiasm, he is obviously being polite, and is definitely inculcated with "pussy is dirty" social norm concepts. So am taking hot shower prior to sex, which is relaxing and I like anyway, so as to communicate the squeaky cleanness of self for sexual activity.
So I think there are a lot of "pussy is dirty" brainwashed men. How? How do we un-brainwash them??
Surveying other women has revealed to my satisfaction that doing oral on a woman is mighty low on the desirable activity list for straight guys. Asking men how they felt about pussy only led one in ten to say "Pussy is beautiful". (I ran out of guys that would answer me pretty fast.) The rest squirmed and were trying to phrase something that was constructive and non-offensive while body language revealed various levels of revulsion and feeling awkward in having to think about female parts at all.
Holy balls. I had no idea Lysol was prescribed as a frickin' douche before a countertop disinfectant. Nothing like those advancements in "science" claiming Lysol won't harm your "delicate tissue."
Love quiz! Wow.
Holy shit! I sent this to all my friends who would be astounded, but I also sent this one to my fundamentalist friend in a very traditional marriage who lives by very traditional stereotypes and would usually having nothing to do with my feminist emails. I think she'll get something like this, or at least make her think.
"Sexist" is too kind. Outright woman-hatred might cover it.
I first read this in the book Pink Think - Becoming a Woman in Many Uneasy Lessons by Lynn Peril. Excellent book.
And in retaliation, I offer this NOT SAFE FOR WORK OR KIDS Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMe40GOtqpQ
This is so disturbing, not the least because of a story my mom told me about a woman she knew years ago (late 50's/early 60's) that made a little error and FUCKING DOUCHED WITH FULL STRENGTH LYSOL!! (I believe she'd gotten the good doctor's instructions a bit ,er, mixed up) And essentially gave herself quite the internal chemical burn to her insides. Lovely.
What the fuck is this shit. I like my vagina to smell like pussy. Not freaking pine cones and shit. How come in this sexist society where women are supposed to fresh and clean for me that there's not any products out there to make the penis smell more pleasant?
I went to Va Tech back in the early 70s, when Blacksburg was still a glorious mountain backwater. As summer break approached, it came time to clean up my dorm room, so I went to a local mom & pop grocery store to find some Lysol. I looked high and low in the Mr. Clean/Scrubbing Bubbles section for the Lysol and finally had to ask someone where I could find it. They sent me to a particular aisle and I was appalled, FURIOUS to find it located ONLY IN THE "FEMININE HYGIENE" SECION. Fucking LYSOL and we were supposed to put it in our delicate, beautiful vaginas???? We're that CONTAMINATED that we have to use a chemical that I was using to disinfect laboratory surfaces after culturing and transferring pathogenic bacteria like diphtheria, tetanus, and botulism???? What the double GD bloody fucking hell??????? I had to fight myself all the way out the store to keep from screaming at every employee I encountered, what the bloody fucking hell is wrong with you people???? 35 years later I still become enraged when I think back on that!!!!!!!! OK. Rant over. Bloody fucking LYSOL. WTF. OK. Rant really over. Merry Christmas & Happy 5th Hannukah candle.
I actually talked about this in my project and on my blog where I lived 100 days as a 50's housewife. I douched to get the fullness of the experience and it wasn't horrible but it also felt really unnatural and odd. I'm just glad I managed to escape getting an infection from it.
Here's the link if anyone's interested: http://mydecadeyear.blogspot.com/2008/11/day-62-douchebag.html
I'm now living 100 days as a 60's woman. Betty Friedan saved. My. Live.
xoxo
I actually talked about this in my project and on my blog where I lived 100 days as a 50's housewife. I douched to get the fullness of the experience and it wasn't horrible but it also felt really unnatural and odd. I'm just glad I managed to escape getting an infection from it.
Here's the link if anyone's interested: http://mydecadeyear.blogspot.com/2008/11/day-62-douchebag.html
I'm now living 100 days as a 60's woman. Betty Friedan saved. My. Live.
xoxo
For everyone still intent on douching, read this:
www.vivawoman.net/2008/11/03/vaginal-douching-nay-or-yay/