Friday 22 July 2011

"You need hands to show that you're sincere..."

A series of adverts for a range of women's hygiene products by Summer’s Eve have sparked a massive backlash from viewers.
A ‘massive backlash’? Are viewers writing in in their thousands to demand the ads are pulled? Are they boycotting the product?

Or are they just bitching and whining on the Internet?

Well, the latter. As far as I can see. But what’s the problem?
The use of ‘talking’ hands of black, white and Latina women to represent female genitalia was always meant to be provocative, but have been branded racist by some.
What?!? Why? Surely if they hadn’t used a variety of hands, they’d be accused of lack of diversity?

Well, it’s not the hands themselves at all. It’s the voiceovers:
Hundreds of negative comments have been posted online, with some arguing that the distinctive voice-overs adhere to racial stereotypes.
Yes, that’s right. The black hand has a black accent, the Latina hand has a Spanish accent, etc, etc…

And the Internet mob is OUTRAGED!!!
MsAngrybutterfly wrote on YouTube: ‘This is the single most offensive thing I have ever seen. The “Hispanic" one managed to be racist, sexist and vaguely religiously stereotypical, without coming right out and saying it, of course!’

Kduxwhat agreed, writing on the video-sharing service: ‘These commercials certainly adhere to racist stereotypes. Not pleased.’
/facepalm

Not everyone commenting is a loon, though:
… sofiastry is adamant they’re not racist at all. She wrote on YouTube: ‘I love how accusations of "racist" are thrown around when the company hires a black voice-actress and she speaks in the way that black women often speak.
Well, quite. If they didn’t, some idiots would whine they weren’t ‘authentic’…

You just can’t win, can you?

H/T: Tattyfalarr in comments

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

off topic julia - whats the story with orphans of liberty?How come the connection keeps falling over?Theres a couple of interesting stories over there at the moment,at least they looked interesting the one time I could open the blog about an hour ago.

Shinar's Basket Case said...

I'm not sure what is more 'offensive'..the fact the advertisers felt they couldn't simply use 'real' ,or perhaps cartoon, talking vaginas or the fact that woman are so stupid and brainwashed into thinking they need these 'hygiene' products.

JuliaM said...

@anon: Yes, it does seem to be down at the moment. Hopefully it's just a temporary glitch.

Angry Exile said...

Cartoon talking vaginas? Wow, SBC, apply for a job at Disney right this very instant.

Tattyfalarr said...

I found the whole thing offensive to be honest. I suppose it was made in the spirit of "bringing these things out into the open" when the average woman on the street would rather slit her own wrists than discuss the odour and/or cleanliness of her genitals with millions of people - the viewing public.

Dignity, privacy and modesty is being stripped of all women in the name of the few who are of the mistaken belief that anyone but them actually gives a sh*t. They don't just shame themselves, they shame us all. :/

Tattyfalarr said...

Oh and thanks for H/T...totally LMAO @ the Max Bygraves reference...I wonder what he would made of it all :)

Gallovidian said...

Shock adverts, they win by getting publicity, punish them by boycotting their client's products and see how that works out!

Shinar's Basket Case said...

@ AE

Couldn't be worse than SpongeBob could it?

What ever happened to serious, didactic, cartoons like Danger Mouse?

*Doodles Viola Vulva and Chrissy Cunny on envelope*

Shinar's Basket Case said...

" I suppose it was made in the spirit of "bringing these things out into the open"

BOLLOX! It was made in the Spirit Of I-CHING or 'making money'! :P

Shinar's Basket Case said...

^^^that should have read 'I-Cashtill-CHING!'.

Missing the punchline out from a joke-priceless.

Anonymous said...

Are we supposed to believe than that "women of colour" don't have vaginas?

Were the Chinese hands held sideways?

Did the Middle Eastern one sound like it was speaking through pursed-lips?

Anonymous said...

In order to qualify my previous comment, it was made in sprirt of "taking the piss".








I'll get my coat.

Anonymous said...

I might go along with 'All done in the best possible taste' until we get far too gyne with the line: "You really want to be itchy down here?"

You either fall about laughing or deal with the prospect of Hughey on the Axminster if the remote is not at hand.

Anonymous said...

Until we have a variety of podgy digits advertising 'Peni-fresh' I proclaim it sexist as well!

Span Ows said...

it could of course be a sexist attempt to terrorise males: how do you think we'd feel if the V could talk!

Greencoat said...

What about an Irish accent, just for the crac(ck?

selsey.steve said...

Oh, FFS!!

Woodsy42 said...

Personally I find most adverts for 'hygene products' and many for 'health products' offensively unpleasant. Whether for use on grown up ladies privates, babies bums or unisex toenail rot none are subjects I want to be reminded about or occupy my mind with while eating a meal in front of the telly. I'm sure some, Johnson's baby powder is one, must breach rules on showing underage nudity, while other subjects would be post watershed if discussed in a film.
And no I'm not a prude, it's simply a question of good taste and manners, I wouldn't discuss them at a dinner party either.

Shinar's Basket Case said...

"I'm sure some, Johnson's baby powder is one, must breach rules on showing underage nudity"

It is one of the great contradictions of our time and a classic example of the stupidity of Daily Fail Fueled hysteria that any attempt to make young girls look adult or sexy is instantly CONDEMNED as 'sexualizing' young children ie turning them into paedo-fodder, whilst blissfully ignoring the fact that 'paedos' prefer CHILDREN and, in general, children who look like children. White ankle socks,pigtails and 'Mary Jane' shoes do it for your average paedo not stiletto heels and crop tops.

Yet at the same time baby bums are considered fine to beam out in close up Hi-definition...because nobody wants to fuck babies...right?

staybryte said...

Off topic (and yes, I should get my own blog) but I just watched the newspaper review on BBC News, and all I can say is: "Viv Groskop is a cunt".

(Horrid Graunist Beeboid sneering at the man who's just been cleared of murder in the Salford burglary case). Utter, utter scum.

JuliaM said...

"Cartoon talking vaginas? Wow, SBC, apply for a job at Disney right this very instant."

Well, I think that's more Pixar's bag...

"I found the whole thing offensive to be honest. I suppose it was made in the spirit of "bringing these things out into the open"..."

You should check out US tv, where the adverts for, ummm, 'hygiene products' can sometimes be amazingly frank and to the point for a nation that get's out of its tree over a glimpse of nipple at the Superbowl.

"Were the Chinese hands held sideways? "

:D

"What about an Irish accent, just for the crac(ck?"

SNORK!

JuliaM said...

"...none are subjects I want to be reminded about or occupy my mind with while eating a meal in front of the telly. "

Once, you never would. We seem to be becoming rather more 'American' in that aspect.

"Off topic (and yes, I should get my own blog) but I just watched the newspaper review on BBC News, and all I can say is: "Viv Groskop is a cunt"."

Oooh, I missed that.

Wonder if it'll appear as a CiF column, or if they'll be too busy thanking their lucky stars that the Oslo bomber seems to have been a 'far right' nutjob..

Anonymous said...

This should see Monday Books flustered. They maintain that Gadget holds copyright on the talking vagina.