The Secret of Womanhood

Throughout the history of mankind, womankind have been keeping a deep dark secret. “The average woman will menstruate almost a quarter of her fertile life” and due to the social stigma put on menstruation, women have been ashamed of this naturally occurring process. In male dominated society, the unspoken topic of menstruation has remained a cause for anxiety in women. In many cultures and societies, a woman’s period has historically been viewed as taboo. Evident in religious texts and cultural traditions women were often secluded, thought of to be unclean or poisonous, not allowed to cook, touch plants, have sex, or sleep in the same room as a man during their period.

Although we now understand that biologically, menstruation is one of the woman's reproductive stages, this primitive regard towards menstruation has lead to women's internalized oppression. For example, even today in modernized western countries like the U.S., simply talking about menstruation is considered rude or even disturbing especially in the presence of men. Not surprisingly, this discomfort is reflected in advertisements for feminine hygiene products.

1920's

In the 1920’s, the invention of the disposable sanitary pad manufactured by Kotex faced many challenges in it’s initial presentation to the public. Early advertisements reflect how hesitant people were to simply refer to menstruation so much so that “the prototype ad in around 1920 was centered on men as seen in the tagline ‘To Save Men’s Lives Science Discovered [Kotex]’” which makes no reference to menstruation or what the product actually was.

1940'

In the 1940’s and 50’s, Kotex published puberty and menstruation booklets that sparked discussion between mothers and daughters. Although it seemed that having this discussion was becoming more acceptable it is still evident that during this time menstruation was a personal topic that should only be discussed privately. While Kotex was supporting communication between women, taglines in their advertisements such as, “Kotex has flat, pressed ends that never show…never give away her secret” still suggests that having your period is something to be embarrassed about and should be hidden.

1960's

 In later decades, we see how advertisements reflect women’s position in culture. The rise of feminism is portrayed in advertisements by showcasing the average lives of independent women. Kotex ads in the 60’s and 70’s claiming, “Kotex is confidence” often feature high fashion-like photos. In the 80’s and 90’s, women are often portrayed as active members of society, usually seen playing sports, dancing, or working. These advertisements may seem to support the notion that the discussion of menstruation was becoming accepted in general society; however, they remain ambiguous. The obscurity of these ads are reflected in reality when on television or in movies during a discussion between characters, menstruation is often given a vague nickname like, “Aunt Flow” or “Crimson Tide.” This perpetuates the women’s embarrassment of menstruation.

It was only recently when the U by Kotex campaign aired a commercial that parodies feminine hygiene product advertisements of the past asking, “why are tampon ads so ridiculous?” Their website promotes education by allowing guests to ask questions anonymously with professional assistance as well as supporting peer outreach through discussion boards. This kind of advertising sells more than just products, it is selling morals and values. The U by Kotex campaign is battling the social stigma of having to purchase sanitary pads and similar products by allowing girls to design them, not only making girls feel more at ease but also making it fun. The website encourages girls to “break the cycle” by getting involved with Girls For A Change, an organization that is “empowering girls to create social change... [by] training hundreds of girls across the U.S. to change the conversation around periods and vaginal care. The trainings focus on breaking down myths and stereotypes around women’s health issues and giving girls the tools they need to enact change."

While it seems evident that history, regarding the social stigma put on menstruation, does repeat itself, it is also evident that now, the generation of women and girls of the information age are beginning to ignite social change. Hopefully soon the secret will be out and people, men included, will no longer feel ashamed or embarrassed but rather supportive and accept this naturally occurring physical process.

Fantasy Power Woman for Young Girls

Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Hart (Pink Ranger)

Growing up in the 90's, there were plenty of television shows for kids, specifically girls, who portrayed positive female role models. We had all the girls in The Babysitters Club, Blossom, Clarissa Explains it All, one of my favorites, Topanga from Boy Meets World, and many more. But of all these wonderful girls, I wanted to be like Kimberly Hart, better known as the Pink Power Ranger.

The numbers just worked out really well for me and my cousins when it came to assigning roles when we played Power Rangers. I was the only girl of five kids (at the time) so everyone got to be a certain Ranger and nobody was left out. OK, so the numbers didn't exactly work out well for my brother, the youngest of us all, who was stuck being the yellow ranger, a girl, but for me, it was perfect! Besides, I liked Kimberly for many reasons other than the fact that she was the designated girl of the group (after all, I had two to chose from, although I suppose it was bad enough for my brother having to be a girl, I don't think he could have handled being the pink girl).

Although she was probably supposed to be "girly," Kimberly was just as tough as the guys! Other than the fact that she wore pink all the time, she was pretty bad ass! She used her talent in gymnastics in her abilities to beat the villains. I mean, Jason (the Red Ranger) practiced his Karate everyday (fighting and defensive strategies) and Kimberly with her acrobatic skills could fight off Rita's minions just as well! She fought alongside the boys, drove around a giant mechanical pterodactyl, and balanced it all with school, a job, and a hobby. I think she was a great role model! I still think she is awesome.

Other than the fact that she could hold her own with the boys, I liked that she was still cute and feminine. I liked that her femininity was never portrayed as a detriment to her ability to contribute to the group. She was tough and smart and cute and nice all at the same time. And she was brunette! Personally, I felt like girls who were idolized by my friends were always Barbie doll blonds and since I have dark brown hair and eyes but I'm NOT Latina, I could never identify physically with girls in pop culture. Kimberly Hart was someone I could both identify with and someone I wanted to be more like. Girl Power!

Hail to the V (Opinion on Summer's Eve ad)

This commercial for Summer's Eve feminine hygiene cleansing wash and cloths doesn't really sound like it's advertising a feminine hygiene product. By using the term "it" in place of simply saying vagina makes the topic a bit ambiguous as if the fact that women have a vagina is some sort of mysterious secret. However, this ad portrays men throughout many generations fighting, battling, and dying for "it" so, I guess they've known about its existence the whole time. Surprise, women!

This ad does a good job executing the portrayal of powerful women but it is an example of the fantasy of power. We don't see Hilary Clinton or Rosa Parks telling women to clean their lady parts. Instead, we see a montage of women who have more of a sexually powerful reputation. Eve, known for committing original sin, Cleopatra, who had an affair with Antony, a Geisha, also known as a high end prostitute, and a queen gladly watching two men kill each other then giving the winner a very seductive glance are all shown lurking around and being rather passive whereas the men are engaged in epic battles. In fact, all of these femme fatales seem to be satisfied with themselves because they use their sexuality to control men. I mean, men are fighting for "it" like it's the freaking Holy Grail!

"So come on, ladies, show it a little love!" Men have been doing so much work forever for it, the least you can do is make it smell nice. That way, you can control the world!

Lose The Blubber (Advertising Effects On Culture)

The largest animal rights organization in the world, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) doesn't hold back when it comes to using shock value in their advertisements. They proudly expose companies who "mistreat" animals often using mock advertisements, produce informational videos using extremely graphic images, and they have been known to cause controversy with their many public protest demonstrations.

But these animal rights activists don't seem to care much for the ethical treatment of other humans.

PETA is all for the welfare of animals but what about women? This advertisement above is a blatant attack on women. Basically, they are insulting any woman who isn't a vegetarian by calling them a whale. Making women feel guilty is not a healthy way to promote weight loss, rather, it IS a great way to promote eating disorders.

PETA's advertising has shifted from promoting awareness of the unethical treatment of animals working with the sympathy of the public to forcing people to feel guilty and ashamed. This particular advertisement is perpetuating female stereotypes. According to PETA, consuming meat is a horrible offense and should be ashamed of. However, the marketing tactics PETA is using is also causing women to feel ashamed of their appearance. This billboard is telling women to "lose the blubber" by becoming a vegetarian; basically saying, if you eat meat you are fat and therefore are comparable to a whale. PETA, I would assume, would consider whales to be beautiful creatures who deserve a safe place to live. Why then are they using whales as a negative comparison to women? Essentially, with this ad, PETA has not only gotten women to question their morals but they are attacking their physical insecurities. They want people to give whales a safe environment to live in but in doing so, with this ad, they are harming the mental safety of women.

Most of the celebrity endorsers for PETA are proud to participate in their advertising campaigns but how does PETA treat their celebrities based on gender? Most of the celebrity endorsements I found on the internet feature an outstanding number of naked women quoted as rather doing anything naked than wearing fur. But these women are slim, young, white, sexy women. The male celebrities are usually found cuddling with their pets, fully clothed. Not only is this evidence of a gender bias but also a racial bias. PETA should be trying to appeal to everyone but it seems they are using the slim, young, white, sexy women in their marketing campaigns and a large portion of their members and fellow protesters are also slim, young, white, sexy women. According to Gloria Steinem in her article, Sex, Lies & Advertising, "the ad world often creates black and Hispanic ads only for black and Hispanic media" and PETA is playing right into Steinam's theory by mostly using the slim, young, white, sexy women in their mass audience campaigns.

Recently, PETA has announced that they will launch a porn website. According to The Huffington Post, PETA has said, "the aim of the site is to promote the organization's animal rights and vegan diet message, and reach a broader audience."

Sex sells. I get it. Advertisers have been using sex appeal in marketing for generations. In her article, Sexualized Images in Advertising, Jane Tallim says, "advertising often pushes the boundaries of good taste because of competition for 'eyeballs.' Any image that entices a reader to linger over an ad - whether tasteful or not - causes that person to remember the particular brand advertised. Even controversy can be effective in getting a brand or name into the public eye." But PETA is an organization that is supposed to promote a positive change in the minds of the public. Ethically, morally, the thoughts and actions of the public should be the target of their audience but they have instead decided to take revenge on people by objectifying them the same way animals have been objectified. The effects of PETA's marketing strategies are not aiming to show the public that animals are living creatures with feelings and emotions and raising animals up to a human level, instead, they are degrading people, particularly women, to an animal level.