Dear Proctor and Gamble,
At the risk of being rude, could I please ask just what the hell your marketing department has been smoking lately?
First, you come out with the Tide “the difference between smelling like a mom and smelling like a woman†commercial. This ad insinuates that mothers have an inherently unpalatable smell, but fear not because Tide with Febreeze laundry detergent will mask or even eliminate that unpleasant mother smell. (To see the ad, go to Tide’s website, and click on “The Difference” under Tide Febreeze Freshness.)
Given that fresh baby is at the top of my favourite smells of all time, and Febreeze ranks somewhere after dog vomit and forgotten Tupperware container of month-old ravioli, I think I’ll do my best to keep smelling like a mother. If you think that ad was generally well received in the mothering community, you should read the 20+ comments on Ann Douglas’ blog, not to mention Ann’s excellent criticism. And don’t even get me started about how there is no campaign about the difference between smelling like a dad and smelling like a man.
Second, what is the deal with the Have a Happy Period â„¢ campaign for Always pads? I can tell you I was nothing less than infuriated to tear into a new package of pads last night to continue mopping up the flow of blood after my recent dilation and curettage to see your chipper Have a Happy Period â„¢ slogan printed on the paper attached to the adhesive backing.
“Have a Happy Period� Not so happy, actually. I was looking forward to not having another period for at least five more months, to tell you the truth. I can only imagine how much I would have hated to see that chipper little strip of paper staring up at me every single month while we were struggling with the pain of infertility. Months stretch into years, the desire for a baby grows into an obsession, and each month dreams are crushed by the arrival of yet another period. But wait, I feel better, because Proctor and Gamble is telling me to have a HAPPY period.
The “manifesto†on your Have a Happy Period â„¢ website says, in part, “This is the time when, if something is even slightly annoying, the world should know about it.†Look at that, I’m taking your assvice! This campaign is insensitive, trite, and quite a bit more than “slightly annoyingâ€. And if anyone ever sent me a Have a Happy Period â„¢ e-card that said “feeling whiney, snippy and bloated? Try self-aware, concise and curvyâ€, I’d block their e-mail address.
I’m all for providing resources for educators and young women who may have questions, but I don’t think we’ve made much progress when we’ve gone from shaming women about their bodies’ natural functions to trivializing them.
Sincerely, DaniGirl
(with credit to the Pixies at the Whiner’s Ball)
I wrote a post a while ago about the “Have a Happy Period” ad campaign…that still cracks me up. Happy periods? Um…no.
I’ve never heard this slogan: “the difference between smelling like a mom and smelling like a woman”. If smelling like a mom means smelling like Desitin and a bit like poop, then I guess I’m there.
I too wrote about the have a happy period message a while back. We (being my blog readers and i, not we as in i fell so incredible about myself and therefore use the royal we) decided that if this trend continues we’ll be seeing messages like “Have a swell shit” and “go ahead, make my bidet” on toilet paper and “Pick a good one” on Kleenex…
Inspirational toiletries. Not something that we were lacking…
I never really though about that one, but you are oh so right.
There is no such thing as a ‘happy’ period in my mind. So thanks but no thanks. That along with the Tide comercials, I will be taking business elsewhere if I can. Thanks.
Yea. Stick it to them! Who the hell do they think they are anyway?
Beautiful.
I, too, hate that Tide ad, and not because I think “motherhood” smells all that great. Motherhood can be messy and gross. I just cleaned two diapers that were nasty as all get-out. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to try to “mask” what I do all day in order to turn my husband on. The ad is basically suggesting that we women need to “clean up” for our husbands’ sakes. What is this, 1952? I’m supposed to be clean and fresh as a daisy, dressed in heels, hose and pearls when my husband gets home? Smelling like Tide? With dinner in the oven and his scotch on the rocks in my hand? So that my husband will want to do me? F— that.
Did men create the “Happy Period” motto? Not to be mean toward men (cause they are great) but which woman would think that way?
You ROCK!!!!
And what everybody else said.
I shot water out my nose for “go ahead make my bidet”.
I saw the Have A Happy Period thing this past period. I have been taking a “new and improved” BC pill that is supposed to make me less psychotic during my whole month of crazy hormone fluctuations.
I took a total one ONE pill before I realized that nursing my little two year old (who was in tears from the forced weaning) is more important than being rational with my husband. I disposed of the whole pack, and three days later had a period that has lasted three weeks. I am anemic and exhausted. Happy? no.
By the way, does anyone else think that the cloth on those pads feels like a cheese grater on the skin? Maybe it’s just me.
I hate that Tide commercial!!! But I didn’t know about the Have a Happy Period campaign. Great post and thanks for writing this so I can go explore what other bloggers have written about this offensive crap.
I love Suze’s alternative messages.
Just tell me you actually sent a copy to Proctor and Gamble. If you haven’t, or don’t have time, please let me.
Necessary comment. They simply won’t change if the stupidity is not pointed out to them.
Dani – I tried to send you a “Have a Happy Period” e-card, but the site is down. I’m devastated, knowing you can’t actually block my email :o)
Seriously though – shouldn’t super-sized bags of chips and all containers of Haagen Daazs have that sticker on it, and not a maxi pad?
And, to whoever commented on the covering of the Always pad feeling like a cheese grater, in the interest of TMI I’m going to tell you I’m allergic to said covering and cheese grater does not begin to describe the pain. Enough said.
Amen sister. If I’d have seen the happy period slogan after my d&c I would have sent a package to Always.
A ticking package.
This is seriously one of your best posts ever! You are awesome.
I am so glad you posted about this. I have been bitching about it at home for weeks. Jaimie just clams up when I talk abut my period so he won’t even get into a good rousing “I agree with whatever you say”.
And the “have a swell shit”, buhahhahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha
Brilliantly said, Dani. I’ve been so busy blogging about the Status of Women Canada cuts that I haven’t even gotten to the truly insipid Have a Happy Period commercials (although I’ve been having fun mocking them). I think some marketing company is pulling a fast one on P&G — charging them the big bucks and trying to make them look as ridiculous as possible. Maybe there’s some ad industry version of the TV Show Punk’d that we don’t know about — and P&G is being set up for a really big prank. That’s the only possible explanation.
What the fuck is a ‘Happy’ period anyway? Not possible.
OMG — I hate that campaign with a passion. If anyone else did dry weave and wings properly, I would switch for sure!
Well said!
Can I have permission to repost this on my blog?
Thanks, all. Suze, you made me laugh every time I checked the comments!!
Isn’t it interesting that in all the posts and all the comments, nobody has said it was a harmless ad or a good ad or anything less than an incredibly stupid ad campaign?
Kathleen, yes, I will make sure to send a copy or at least a link to P&G. And Kim, sure you can repost as long as you give me credit or a link!
“Make my bidet” totally cracked me up. As for those commercials, they drive me crazy too (along with the dog vomit smell of Febreeze). The ads that really piss me off though are for the feminine wipes (also by Always) – like women aren’t already paranoid about possibly smelling “funny” down there, now we’re being told that indeed we do & here’s something to take care of that unfreshness. Not to mention yet another disposable to fill our toilets with. Ugh.
Brava Brava, Dani. Great post. My revenge was switching over to the Diva Cup and now every month I think “No $8 for you P&G” (done with a Soup Nazi accent).
Someone needs to give P&G the message that they should simply focus on the product. This whole attempt to appeal to women on another level seems to be backfiring, or like Ann speculates, is simply a giant prank.