Reverse the Curse
I know you guys probably roll your eyes sometimes when I pop up with my random thoughts on misogyny in the American culture, so be forewarned that that's where I'm going with this...
Have any of you seen the latest ad campaign for Midol pain relievers? I cannot find it online, but basically, the slogan is "Reverse the Curse" and the basis of the commercial is a bunch of women in obvious physical distress in various poses throughout the beginning of the commercial. The voice-over says, "There's a reason they call it 'the curse'." It goes on to talk about how Midol cures what ails you, and the tag line is at the end: Midol--Reverse the Curse.
Considering what I know and believe already about how our popular culture is designed to belittle and demean women and make all things womanly out to be "dirty" or "crazy" or "illness" or something that needs to be managed (I could go on, I'll stop here), my hackles immediately went up when I saw this commercial.
I have an 11 yr old girl. She is already overly conscious about her body and the changes looming on the horizon. I try to talk body-positive with her. I don't want her to be ashamed of her body or it's functions as I was made to feel when I was her age (don't get me started--my dad and step-mom were horrible). So, I'm just really offended by this commercial and it's message...
Don't get me wrong.
I am not a big fan of my period. It makes me miserable. I know that what other women go through is often WAY worse than the mild symptoms I face...
My problem is that we live in a society that does it's best to cultivate shame and embarrassment for young women until such a time that they can be turned into sex objects. So, with a pubescent daughter, I would rather instill her with the knowledge that being a woman is magical and powerful and worthy and amazing and the things the female body is capable of is astonishing and almost unbelievable when you think about it...I don't want to predispose her to the idea that her menstrual cycle is a thing to be feared and ashamed of. I'd rather her be able to make that decision on her own, whether she embraced the majesty of womanhood or eschewed it. I want her to come to her own conclusions...and ad campaigns like "Reverse the Curse" don't go a long way towards that kind of self-awareness and respect.
Have any of you seen the latest ad campaign for Midol pain relievers? I cannot find it online, but basically, the slogan is "Reverse the Curse" and the basis of the commercial is a bunch of women in obvious physical distress in various poses throughout the beginning of the commercial. The voice-over says, "There's a reason they call it 'the curse'." It goes on to talk about how Midol cures what ails you, and the tag line is at the end: Midol--Reverse the Curse.
Considering what I know and believe already about how our popular culture is designed to belittle and demean women and make all things womanly out to be "dirty" or "crazy" or "illness" or something that needs to be managed (I could go on, I'll stop here), my hackles immediately went up when I saw this commercial.
I have an 11 yr old girl. She is already overly conscious about her body and the changes looming on the horizon. I try to talk body-positive with her. I don't want her to be ashamed of her body or it's functions as I was made to feel when I was her age (don't get me started--my dad and step-mom were horrible). So, I'm just really offended by this commercial and it's message...
Don't get me wrong.
I am not a big fan of my period. It makes me miserable. I know that what other women go through is often WAY worse than the mild symptoms I face...
My problem is that we live in a society that does it's best to cultivate shame and embarrassment for young women until such a time that they can be turned into sex objects. So, with a pubescent daughter, I would rather instill her with the knowledge that being a woman is magical and powerful and worthy and amazing and the things the female body is capable of is astonishing and almost unbelievable when you think about it...I don't want to predispose her to the idea that her menstrual cycle is a thing to be feared and ashamed of. I'd rather her be able to make that decision on her own, whether she embraced the majesty of womanhood or eschewed it. I want her to come to her own conclusions...and ad campaigns like "Reverse the Curse" don't go a long way towards that kind of self-awareness and respect.