The Product
The ad depicts a female running through the streets of New York City. She is in solid, physical shape and is able to maneuver the rugged terrain and pouring rain with ease. One can infer that she is on her period, but even mother nature cannot stop her from dominating her workout. In addition to the vigorous female and the scraggy environment, the advertisements and slogans for the actual liner stand out aggressively due to their contrasting, feminine qualities. My first encounter with the aforementioned Playtex advertisement was my freshman year of college. I was taking an introductory communications course, and we were told to analyze advertisements based on the various techniques that the advertisers used throughout the ads. Arbitrary? Yes. Explanatory? Maybe. Empowering? Absolutely. Well, at least for me. The Institution Interpellation (noun): “the hailing of an audience” [Iftkhar, 2015b] The technique that explains how an advertisement primarily reaches a consumer, interpellation is performed through the attraction of females that are empowered through physical strength. The woman in the advertisement is menstruating, yet still able to run through a treacherous terrain in the pouring rain. This focus on strength in a time of physical distress calls a certain type of consumer to purchase Playtex’s product. Mode of address (noun): construction of a relationship between the advertisement and consumer [Iftkhar, 2015b] The female’s face in the advertisement is of utmost intensity. She elicits a focused demeanor, which pulls focus from the background of the advertisement to the runner’s face. This, in turn, constructs a relationship between the viewer of the ad and the advertisement, itself. Lifestyle format (noun): an advertisement format that shows the product in flow of everyday life [Iftkhar, 2015b] The female appears as though she is going on her daily run, as she is in tip-top physical state, signaling that she works-out every day. She refuses to let anything stop her: the rain, holes in the ground, and her monthly gift from mother nature, of course. Semiotics (noun): the science of signs [Iftkhar, 2015b] Dissecting the various signs within the advertisement, focus is drawn to color and font. The black and white background of the advertisement is off-set by the overly girly, bright, pink and yellow of the liner packaging. Furthermore, in harsh, black letters, the ad reads “Introducing liners with sport level protection,” showcasing how the liner is strong enough to withstand any physical activity. However, “Playtex” and “Play on” are written in a cursive font, suggesting a soft, delicate nature that the menstrual liner is reinforcing. The Experience Looking at this advertisement, my original thought was that Playtex did an incredible job of promoting female strength and tenacity. Playtex focuses immensely on physical strength throughout its ad through its use of interpellation and its mode of address - how could that not empower a woman like me who prides herself on strength and confidence? Yet, as I explored the ad even more through the aforementioned techniques, I noticed the inherently feminine qualities that further regressed the ad into something I couldn’t bear… The ironic and frankly upsetting aspect of this publication: Playtex’s inability to only empower women. Well, how? Not only does the corporation make sure to address the physical and mental strength of women during menstruation and other physically-bearing challenges by utilizing the lifestyle format, but it makes sure to associate feminine qualities with its product, as well, through the use of semiotics. As the institutional techniques allowed me to dissect the ad far more than I would ever have during a normal magazine encounter, I became aggressively angrier with Playtex. Thank you, Playtex, for reminding me that in today’s world, it would be a mere shame if I, and other women, were not able to exude strength and mildness, intensity and delicacy, and tenacity and femininity, all at the same time. Yet, it isn’t just the advertisement that gets me so wound up. Of course, the advertisement reignited my distaste to the world of double standards, but it’s the experiences I have had, my friends have had, and woman around the world have had that allow my unhappiness with the culture we live in to prevail. Culture? Yes. The truth that women are expected to possess certain qualities, ones that are often inherently contradictory. The societal norms that women are expected to follow, even in the 21st century. The horrible feeling I experience when the men I work with on a daily basis seemingly disapprove of everything I do. If the problem is the bigger picture, then why so angry with the Playtex ad? Well, if a consumer-packaged-good specifically for females were not to advertise in this fashion, who else would educate women on their expected qualities, attributes, and personality traits? Perhaps it would be the Axe commercials that remind us all that we’re nothing more than an accessory for men? Maybe it would be the lack of women in “tough, manly” industries like the automotive field or the countless “traditional” careers for women that would remind us of our designated place in this world? I recently had a peer mention that he did not understand why women are voicing their concerns regarding societal norms, which aggressively sparked my own interest in the feminist movement. Why do women care that they are pathologized in the media, in the workplace, and in society? Maybe it’s because women make 78 cents on the dollar compared to men for the same careers, or that women feel the need to march in solidarity for equality as their reproductive rights are in question. Perhaps it's because women were not allowed to see the front line of military action until 2015, only 95 years after they were given the inherent right to vote in a nation that prides itself on the equality of every being. And then, I come across the Playtex advertisement and see the root of the problem… In today’s society, the media is clearly the center of our lives. Everyone I know, from my 95-year-old grandmother to the ten-year-old that I babysit on the weekends, is constantly watching television, scrolling through Facebook, or flipping through news articles. It has progressed to the point that the media defines how we look at the world, and those that control the media are the ones who control what we consume as viewers. Tunnel vision becomes more than just a fun phrase. Although it pains me to admit it, those that mold this vision are the ones with money - Corporate America, Fortune 500 companies, and the undying desire to acquire copious amounts of wealth shape how the public views the world today. And, unfortunately, money and equality don’t always go hand-in-hand. If companies like Playtex continue to be monetarily successful in their empowerment and simultaneous degrading of women, how will this world change for the better? If consumers refused to buy Axe body spray after its intense objectification of the female population or the general population reacted in opposition to stereotypical attitudes and thoughts, perhaps these norms would have become obsolete years ago. It pains me to see an advertisement within a magazine and immediately consider the norms that it is perpetuating when I, and many other people in this world, believe that these norms should cease to exist all together. Someone once told me that a patriarchal society is something that we should embrace, and, I have to admit that I should never repeat how I responded on paper. Unfortunately, I have the prime opportunity of living in a pseudo-patriarchal society, seeing that I encounter these norms on a daily basis: at school, in interviews, and in other social settings. Yet, I use the word “pseudo” because I have become acutely aware of various fights for equality. I find solace in the notion that people of all genders have the fire to continue to fight for a world where pathologizing women in any way, shape, or form is ludicrous. My nerves are placated by the pushback of the adherence to societal-required qualities for women laid out to them on a silver platter by a patriarchal society. I am reminded by the countless Facebook posts, Instagram photos of the women’s marches around the country, and comments by my female friends studying engineering that this is not a fight we are willing to give up on, but one we will continue to embrace with open arms. Wait, but isn’t this Playtex advertisement suggesting that women are able-bodied? Of course. Isn’t it suggesting that the mental strength of a female is unparalleled, even in times of physical fatigue? Absolutely. So, what’s the problem...? I choose to answer this question with questions for you. Why do you think Playtex finds the need to advertise its product with contradictory qualities? Why can’t Playtex only promote its product via strength and tenacity without the use of the color pink or delicate font? I find it important for me to say, however, that I am not insinuating that feminine qualities attached to the female population are inherently negative. For me, as I believe it is for many women, the issues stem from my inability to choose: My inability to choose if I want to be feminine. My inability to choose if I want to be strong. My inability to choose how to define myself as a woman. My inability to choose how to define myself as a person. If more people, especially people in power, were able to raise these questions and concerns regarding a simple liner advertisement, I believe this nation would finally be representative of the equality that it promotes. If people could look past surface-level analysis of the society that we live in and dig deep into the underlying problem, equality would not be a fight, but a fact. Who knows, maybe if Playtex releases an advertisement that does not call for a second glance from a self-proclaimed feminist, we’d finally stop fighting the fight that never ends. |