Not sure what to think about this one. Zack's story, revealed to be a new ad campaign from Tampax (parent company Proctor and Gamble) is accompanied by a website, blog and Twitterfeed in the voice of 16 year old Zack, who supposedly wakes up with a vagina one day.
Besides doing things like making fun of V-Day (the name of the video above) which is traditionally known as a day to combat violence against women and girls, something about this series does not sit right.
The question of using stealth ad campaigns aside, I can't echo Double XX's sentiment that it's just a fun humorous video series. Maybe it's the employment of every gender related stereotype imaginable.
As Ann pointed out, it is also not a good portrayal of men. It makes them seem like they have no idea what women go through--totally the "men are from mars women are from venus" trope. Not all men are grossed out by female anatomy or as clueless about women as Zack seems to be.
The series also over-emphasizes the differences between men and women--all of sudden because of a vagina he sees the world totally differently. Starts eating yogurt, yells at his friend, changes his sense of humor, can't find anything to wear. All of this ignores the years of gendered socialization that a boy like him would have experienced. It essentially makes an argument that anatomy or biology are what affect these behaviors, not society.
One interesting twist though, is that despite Zack's genital switch, he still seems to identify strongly as male. Is there is a trans friendly message to be found buried here? Possibly the idea that genitalia doesn't determine your gender identity--although all his observations about the changes he experiences are incredibly gendered. Now I can't really argue that this message comes across through all the other super-gendered concepts and messaging, but one could hope.
What do you all think?
You can watch all four of the episodes out so far here.
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I highly doubt there is any sort of trans-friendly message here. He's simply a boy who acts more like a girl now because he has a vagina. Any trans-friendly message is most likely unintentional.
I read the possible trans-friendliness as privileging a male identity - as does the whole campaign, honestly. How is this relevant to menstruation?
I agree.
It's truly sad that a company like Tampax, whose target market is female, feels the need to use a male protagonist in order for people to identify with it or think its funny.
I'd say it doesn't. Zack doesn't have to face people ignoring his name, the pronouns he expects to refer to him or shunning him. No one challenges his right to be there when he goes to the bathroom, no one tells him he's not really male, or threatens/uses violence because he's "deceiving" them. And so on. It bears no relationship to trans lives at all. His cis gendered maleness remains untouched and unchallengable.
To me it just takes the idea that trans people exist and uses that in a very appropriative, simplistic and stereotypically gendered way to try and sell a product. Not trans positive (or female positive for that matter) at all in my opinion.
To me, it's promoting the idea that the worst, most terrible that could happen to a man is being feminine. Maybe in the text of the plot he learns from the experiences, but overall this ad just made me feel like having a vagina is something to be ashamed of. I second RMJ, wtf does this have to do with tampons?
I agree with most of you, that the intended message of the campaign isn't trans friendly (or even trans aware). Just thought it was an interesting way to read a possible twist on the take-away message.
Also I have no clue how this is supposed to sell tampons.
To be fair, some of the M-to-F transgendered people I've known, when they first begin to explore feminine identity, will at first sort of adhere to the gender stereotypes, abundant pink outfits and such. Though one explained it as her wanting those things because they had always been taboo for her previously. Not that I'm giving the campaign that much credit, any more than I think they were aware of the connotations of V-day with combating domestic violence.(My first thought was that it was a take on D-day.)
As an ad campaign I'm not sure who it's supposed to appeal to. Women would presumably be the target market for the product--does telling them their vaginas make them behave stereotypically appeal to us? Not me personally. Is this for trans-fetishists, rather than actual transgendered people? I feels like one of those corny mangas dealing with the subject.
Not all men are grossed out by female anatomy or as clueless about women as Zack seems to be.
Well, sure, but it's probably a pretty common state amongst 16 year old boys. I mean, I'm a woman and I was both pretty clueless about and grossed out by my own anatomy at 16!
And, no, I don't have any idea what this has to do with tampons, either. (Acquiring a vagina would not mean you need to use tampons! You'd need a uterus and ovaries, too!)
Exactly.
Zack is sixteen. This is pretty much how the typical sixteen-year-old boy would react to these things and how he'd speak about it all.
It has a believable voice in the first-person narrative (excuse me, Creative Writing major geek out).
The French class part made me laugh so hard, though. That's so how French class was for me in high school. Boys trying to say something dirty but getting it wrong and the teacher correcting them without flinching.
Exactly my thoughts. When Miriam was talking about men not being awkward around lady anatomy she forgets that this video is about a boy. A boy who seemingly has not done much beyond flirting badly with his lab partner, much less been involved sexually enough to become comfortable with vuvlas and the like.
Oh noes! Having a vagina is horrible! Thank god Tampax is here to save us!
Yeah, I'm waiting for the episode where he discovers how much Tampax tampons suck and switches to a brand that actually works, like OB.
I'd say watch the rest of the videos.
One thing I like (in the third video) is that people continually mock Zack in his imagination for having a vagina, but he realizes that that sort of "humor" and taunting is wrong. I think that this video, while it is very far from perfect, can maybe provide some commentary on bullying, especially when it surrounds gender, sex, orientation, etc.
I also think the final episode brings up an interesting point regarding one's first period as a coming of age thing. For most teenage women, there is information, however accurate, from friends, family, media, etc. about how to deal with puberty. This web series takes that experience and puts it in a place where almost none of that contextual information exists. Sure, Zack knows that this menstrual bleeding is a period, but he doesn't really know how to deal with it.
And for those who say that the series connects vaginae with shame, watch the last 60 seconds of the fourth video. It's all about acceptance, and super corny, but I think it leaves a very positive message.
Like others, I'm not quite sure about the target audience. Is it to arouse sympathy in male viewers? Who knows.
But I do have to say that, like sara said, I don't think it's true to say that 16-year old boys are experts at periods and tampons.
Definitely take a look at the other videos before you make a sweeping judgment. Your opinion may not change, but you owe it to yourself as an educated participant in any dialogue to get all of the information before leaping to conclusions.
Also, this supplement to the site is kind of creepy, but kind of interesting.
It is a sort of forum where young women answer "Zack's" questions about common problems and issues, like remaining active during menstruation, etc. Some of the questions are hokie ("How did this happen to me?") and some are a little creepy ("When you get your period, does PMS 'come in hard like a raging thunderstorm?'"). But I think that it's good to get girls to realize it's okay to talk about puberty and periods and the like.
The stereotyping is really grating, but parts of this web series are really great!
Sorry, sorry. I didn't give the link.
HERE is the forum section.
I watched all the videos. Although there may be some redeeming aspects to this, what I saw was just a bunch of stereotypical "men do this, women do that" humor. And remember, it's made by a company that sells tampons so the goal of this is to sell more tampons, not public awareness for individuals with female anatomy.
Pretty funny. Pretty funny, indeed.
Hmm,
well, sure some stereotypes are used, but that's because they are, well, stereotypes. Apart from that, I think it would not have been the worst experiment for most guys to "be a woman" for a day when they are 16 (and vice versa).
Yes, but having a vagina and a period for a few days suddenly makes you an authority on the experience of being a woman? This kid hasn't lost any of his male privilege, or white privilege... he's just experiencing some sort of profound "revelation" from having a period. I think the campaign is patronizing and ridiculous.
In the videos, there's this basic assumption that having a vagina is horrible, and every woman must hate it. Then, at the end, he realizes, "Oh. It's not that bad! Freud was wrong. Not all women yearn for penises all the time."
I agree with the comments about the trans-friendly message. I don't think the people who came up with this campaign are socially aware enough to include a trans-friendly message on purpose.
Also, I understand that he's 16, but I honestly believe 16 is an old enough age to be able to use simple anatomical terms like "penis" and "vagina", instead of "the parts...down there."
Do you really think that the people who came up with this campaign are not "socially aware" enough? Please. The people who come up with ad campaigns are socially aware enough to know what sells and what doesn't sell.
The fact is that some things don't sell. Controversy and sexism sell.
It would be a boring world if the feministing community were in the advertisement business. Ha! Can you imagine it? Every meeting would end up unresolved because of the stumbling blocks associated with not offending special-interest groups, and the end product would be so bland, it would be impossible to sell it to the company who'd be buying it.
This reminds me of when our community tries to insert itself into what the entertainment industry should be producing and selling. Can you imagine how bland and unprofitable our products would be? Feministing-approved rap music consists of MC Lyte and Roxanne Shanté. The height of great feminist music apparently is CocoRosie. Please. What a laugh.
Or perhaps we'd find different ways to appeal to people.
I don't really understand the point of your comment. We should stop complaining about sexist advertising because it's sexist and that's what sells? How do you think things change in a culture? Why do you think advertisements now aren't nearly as jaw-droppingly offensive as older advertisements? Enough people stood up against the stereotypes they were subject to and eventually the culture shifts. Things that were once acceptable are now considered appalling. These things don't happen without people speaking up.
Hey. I'm not saying we should "stop complaining". Where did I say that?
That said, you be sure to alert me when your work is done and advertisements cease to be "jaw-droppingly" offensive. And sexist. You go ahead and keep an eye on that for me.
Please. Your comment was dripping with the insinuation that critiquing sexism in advertising is useless, and moreover that sexism in all forms of entertainment is necessary in order for media to be entertaining!
If you seriously think a world in which feminist messages, or at least anti-sexist messages, were disseminated in entertainment would be bland and boring, I think you possess a tremendously dim and weak imagination.
Nope. You just took it wrong.
Oh. And about imagination. The lame ass shit that gets peddled as entertainment here certainly does lack imagination. I'll take Sarah Silverman and her rape jokes and racist commentary any day over Sarah Haskins and her futile attempts at being funny.
I just think it's ridiculous when Cocorosie gets posted like I should be listening to that awful dross. Rye Rye? Lame. Kid Cudi? Please. And yet I'm not supposed to be enjoying 50 Cent? 30 Rock is hilarious, but if Liz Lemon were a feminist, it would be terrible. South Park is completely sexist AND completely funny. Oh no! Family Guy is mistreating Meg! So what?
All this and I'm somehow "missing something" if I don't find this advertisement a little bit funny and enjoyable? I'll come to feministing for insight on a lot of issues, but when it comes to entertainment, I'll trust my own sense and sensibility.
But no. You're right. What was I thinking? I should be more like you.
Thanks for proving my point!
What? That I lack imagination? Because I don't find Sarah Haskins funny? Because Rye Rye is lame? Because I think Sarah Silverman is hilarious? Because I like to turn up 50 Cent?
Oooh! You've got me there. Clearly your way of life is superior. If only I were a fragile ornament like you! Clearly you're changing the world. Wow. Taking the world by storm. Changing it from the inside.
You honestly don't care about how negatively women are portrayed in the media? You honestly don't care about the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes? You don't care that people (especially young people) watch stuff like this and believe it is a reflection of how things really are?
Everywhere we look there are traditional gender roles shoved in our faces. I'm so fucking sick of it.
It baffles me that you claim not to be.
I care. But I have to say that I don't think that this ad campaign is as bad as everyone seems to want to make it out to be. Are there problematic parts? Yep. But I don't see anything harmful here.
If you want to talk about what's harmful, let's talk about the damage that is being done to young women by promoting thin as the ideal of beauty. That's something I can get on board with.
At the end of the day, movies, music, novels, video games, and comedy, are all forms of escape and fantasy for me. I refuse to take these things as seriously as so many people do. In my life, I don't go around promoting racial and gender stereotypes.
I am all for equal rights. That includes the equal right everyone should have to create and like whatever they want to.
Thank you for yet again stating that normalizing gender violence and misogyny in the media is acceptable! Let alone sexism, hetero-sexism, and down right oppression . . . how entertaining. Contributing to and supporting that type of media just perpetuates the cycle of violence against women. Can you see that? As long as people continue to joke about these issues, societal and cultural constructs about gender identity and sexual orientation will be pervasive and unchanging.
In regards to the video/blog series, the entire thing is based off of gender stereotypes. I would say it is a pathetic excuse of a . . . but I don't even see the purpose of this series. This series does not offer an empathetic outlook from zack, it portrays a "let's feel sorry for women b/c they menstrate." Is that what women want, to be felt sorry for b/c we menstrate? I highly doubt it.
Love the comment about the DivaCup they are AWESOME, and I would have used one since I was 16 if I had known about them!!!
Okay. I get your point. I'll lay off. And I apologize for the comment about Diva Cup. I was wrong. Just plain wrong.
I guess I find Sarah Silverman to be a more entertaining comedienne than Sarah Haskins. I suppose I always will. Is it because the media and society have trained me to be sexist? That seems to be the case. I apologize.
And I'll just stop trying to defend my point of view. I like what I like. No need for anyone else to. And as far as this Tampax thing goes, I found it to be mildly amusing. What is it's purpose? To sell tampons. People will vote with their feet and pocketbooks. I won't defend it anymore. It's not my place. And you and everyone can continue to judge my taste in things. I'm beyond caring.
Again. I'm really sorry. I really am.
I don't think you've listened to enough MC Lyte (particularly her songs ABOUT Roxanne Shanté) if you think she's gender-issue unproblematic.
Take a listen to "Steady Fuckin'" some time, if you get a chance.
Or "Japan," by CocoRosie, for that matter, which includes the lyric "Take you home and then they'll rape you / but you like it, so say thank you."
Not defending or condemning, I'm just saying you need to choose your strawpersons better if you're trying to accuse people of sanitizing pop culture.
I think I know what you're saying, and I appreciate your point, but the way I see it is it's not so much that they're sanitizing pop culture. More like creating lame music which then gets propped up here as something worth listening to. When Courtney said she liked Lady Sovereign there were outcries because of some perceived slight to the likes of Roxanne Shanté and MC Lyte, as if those two were making great, groundbreaking music. CocoRosie gets propped up, too. Sarah Haskins videos pop up here all the time.
I've never said that we should stop criticizing ads and entertainment. But I have to say I think it's laughable when this community criticizes with one hand, and then promotes the music and products of others that are absolutely weak and insipid with the other hand. And it's not only that they criticize the product. They criticize the people who think the product is funny. As if we can't think for ourselves, or that we are "unimaginative". Please. My imagination is just fine, thank you. So I criticize back.
And by the way, it's not that I haven't "listened to enough MC Lyte". It's that I've listened to too much MC Lyte. Since 1988. And Roxanne since "Roxanne's Revenge" in like 1984 or 1985.
I also think it's funny that you point out the supposed "straw man" in my argument. Hey, I'm pointing out actual artists that have been promoted around here. There's no straw man. There's no misrepresentation. I get your point, though. Peace.
LETS STOP COMPLAINING IN OUR SAFE FEMINIST BASTION AND COMMENT ALL OVER THEIR SIGHT!
Maybe if they get enough irritated and educated responses they may make some plot changes...Like Zack realizing that he was just asking that way because he was freaking out about his new vagina and then he decides that he can still act how he did before while having his magical penis.
I'd guess this comes under the TG fiction genre. Is there a majority feminist view on TG fiction?
I don't buy anything from Proctor and Gamble, but I did like this video for what it was. I was hoping it wasn't really by Tampax but it was. I do like the idea of men EMPATHIZING in such a way rather than just sympathizing. I also think it has a nice home-made feel to it, and the kid's cute too. (I mean that in a non pervy way)
i actually find this video (full disclosure: i only watched the first one) somewhat trans-UNfriendly. zack states, "... i had a lab with her and tried to flirt a little, but it went nowhere. and that was back when i was much more equipped to be her boyfriend."
i get that the joke is on the word "equipped," but i think that's kind of a jab at male-identified folks who are not male-bodied. if you're a transman, this script suggests that you are ill-equipped or insufficient to be anyone's "boyfriend." i'm not digging that sentiment. not one bit.
See, I would think that many people, transgendered and cisgendered alike, would identify with this situation in which he feels like perhaps he can't be what he thinks this girl wants. Haven't we all felt this to some extent?
I'm not sure, but I think its categorized as humour.
And, by definition humour is "exaggerating occurances in society by blowing them out of proportion or distorting them"
So, the fact that he acts in all these super-bogus "gets a v and starts craving yogurt" type of thing... inside of a *comedy* genre means that we get it... we get thats an untrue stereotype.
If it were a thriller, and a person start craving yogurt because they changed hormones... now THAT would be a point for concern. In a comedy context, no.
I'm not sure how I feel about this ad either. It could be an interesting subject for a film in the right hands, but Tampax does not possess those hands.
I did find one thing I could clearly disagree with: the responses to the fictional Zack's "Tampon or Pad?" thread, which basically all said "Tampons forever!" I decided to plant my own little radical response. Hopefully Tampax won't remove it:
"You should use the DivaCup! It is a neat little silicone cup that only needs to be emptied one time a day, and can be used for years. It avoids the risk of toxic shock syndrome that comes with tampon use, as well as the pollution caused by the manufacture and disposal of mountains of tampons every year."
Diva cup is awesome. Enough said.
Props for posting that there! :)
Right. Because 13 to 15 year old girls want to use a Diva Cup. Please. They'd be mortified.
Right. Because you know what every 13 to 15 year old girl wants.
Right. They want finger crust.
The more you post in the comment threads, the more you look like a troll.
I'm sorry. I see your point. I just feel like my point of view has been getting attacked so much, especially over the past day.
I wasn't trying to be mean. I just get weirded out by the Diva Cup. I really do. Again, I apologize. I'll try to think before posting. Thanks.
Some parts of it are funny, and yes you do have to take into consideration that this is a 16 year old narrating here. But I'm not appreciating all the (very cliched) gender polarization--girls like baking brownies,watching movies, and being *nice*. Please...
Checked out the site for myself.
I am not amused.
"My sister and I baked a carrot cake ... we've really been bonding."
Because there's nothing that captures the essence of shared femininity more than baked goods.
Way to go, Tampax.
And the whole toilet seat revelation? "On behalf of all guys, I apologize ... "
Original. Resurrecting the up/down toilet seat and "aiming" issue. Please.
The site's faux-DIY-style layout is a transparent attempt to appeal to the Juno generation, along with the desperately "quirky" soundtrack on the videos.
Anyone else notice that all of the characters in the episodes are white? Apparently upper middle class? And that having a vagina makes this kid all insightful to the experience of being a woman, except oh -- wait a second -- he has lost none of his white male privilege.
Yep, they look like they're at a private school
Although the stereotypes presented in these videos are offensive, I am intrigued by the way that Tampax has illustrated female pubescence with the story of a boy awakening to a vagina. I think that it's an interesting idea, because by having a male character experience some of the changes girls experience during puberty (menstruation, pms etc.) they are able to present puberty in a way that is funny but not painful or saddening the way I think that I would find it to be if they had used a female character.
I actually think this series has a lot to offer and that while I love the insightfulness of the feminist analysis everyone here can bring, we should try to look at it from multiple perspectives.
First of all, regarding target audience: while I think there are many 16 year old boys that could watch this and reflect, those who note Tampax is in it to sell products are correct. The target audience is the first-time, the female going through puberty (hence, the awkwardness in the nurses office--very few teens come out of health class using anatomical terminology as comfortably as we'd prefer). Even if you have supportive family and friends, as well as a health class that gives you some information, most young women are scared about puberty and especially their periods; if not scared, at least unease or unsure. Tampax may have learned from years of "scare tactic" ads that make periods seem like hell on earth that maybe, just maybe, positivity might work for them. I know many women who were scared to use tampons and preferred pads at times; Tampax works with the assumption that a 16 year old male is the perfect example of someone clueless about menstruation but, look! He can handle it. It's a somewhat positive message that helps quash fears, even if it IS inevitably done with sales in mind (I mean, there were no other options on the tampon machine!).
WE--being people who already identify as feminist or have experience in feminist theory or have spent time being and thing about being women or any other number of reasons we've been drawn to feminism--are not the target audience. This video is made in a way that should feeling non-threatening to the target teenage female viewer. For the males that see it, maybe it gets them thinking about what women DO go through during puberty and menstruation--walking in someone else's shoes is never a bad thing, and the fact that this is done with an accessible vocabulary is great for the target audience. I agree that the stereotypes are tedious and, really, could have been eliminated without sacrificing anything--but maybe Tampax feels they can only work within the paradigm teenagers already live in which, for better or for worse, usually involves stereotypes about gender and sex. I'm all for people challenging those, the sooner the better, but let's take the victory of Tampax taking a more positive and thought-provoking approach to marketing as our victory for now; THEN, let's cross our fingers and hope that they can move on to a corporate vision that is more diverse and inclusive.
It wasn't until what, the 1980s, that the word "tampon" was used in a televised commercial FOR tampons. So let's applaud small steps in the right direction. Critical analysis is a beautiful thing, but let's not lose sight of other small advances that deserve noting.
Is there a trans-friendly message here? Not really, no. I've seen episodes of cartoons where they do the classic "body switch between different genders" gag, and this kind of reminds me of that. Not instantly offensive, but I'm gonna say Tampax dropped the ball here.
This isn't surprising, of course. I mean, they don't even seem to care about Toxic Shock Syndrome, so why would they care about being NOT sexist?
I find it humorous that the word 'vagina' is not mentioned ONCE throughout this entire video. Isn't that what the whole thing is about?
Since VDay was already mentioned, that's how The Vagina Monologues begins -- with the fear of the word VAGINA. This video perpetuates this fear on top of everything else it is doing.
John Hughes, of all people, covered this 30 years ago in a National Lampoon piece. P&G owes him a nice dinner, at least.
The format is muddy...the script seems to call for a rough, edgy look, somewhere between lonelygirl15 and Dr Horrible, but they've opted for something that looks painfully high-budget. Also, it looks like they took a vlog-format script and turned it into a Wonder Years-type monologue thing, which frankly doesn't work so well. Also, the main actor is too pretty to be relatable and doesn't look the age he's supposed to be. This looks like it was put together by a traditional TV ad producer who doesn't get Viral.
Oh, you mean what do I think about the gender stereotypes? They stink.