Use it or people will die.
Layers upon layers of sexism in this Wilkinson Sword Quattro commercial from the UK, entitled “Butterfly Effect.”
The scene: A man and woman canoodle in the back row of a moving bus. The man tries to run his hand up the woman’s leg but she pushes his hand away multiple times. Finally, he succeeds (despite her protests) and violently recoils when (we presume) he feels stubble. What follows is a butterfly effect of people stumbling and bumping into each other until something flies at the driver, causing him to crash into a billboard advertising the Wilkinson razors. Embarassed to have unleashed such terror onto a bus full of strangers, the woman hangs her head in shame.
The woman hangs her head in shame. Not the man, who ignored his girlfriend’s non-consent and reacted with exaggerated horror at her body hair, causing the ensuing “butterfly effect.” It is the woman’s responsibility, it seems, to keep herself smooth in case a man wants to feel her body (against her wishes).
It’s no secret hairlessness is a compulsory component of “femininity.” Adhering to feminine beauty standards is framed as a woman’s obligation to the rest of the world: from lovers to perfect strangers. This commercial uses fear as a motivator not only to buy the particular product, but to engage in the beauty ritual in the first place. It motivates me to let my leg hair grow out as douchebag-repellent.
Has anyone in the UK actually seen the commercial on television?
You know what, razor companies? You think leg hair is so disgusting? Convince men they need to shave their legs as well! You’re missing out on shaming a HUGE portion of the population! Plus, you’ll sell twice as many razors! What? You don’t think leg hair on men is disgusting and shameful? THAT’S ODD.
Oh for gods sake. How ridiculous can you get? can I informally ask commenters, has anyone EVER had this happen? ie, your legs are stubbly/unshaven and your partner upon touching them recoils in horror? I ask because I have never experienced this in real life yet advertisers seem to feel its the default male position.
@bluebears: My ex insisted that I shave at all times, (and not just my legs, ifyouknowwhatImean.) Like the young, stupid girlfriend I was, I shaved all the time. He was absolutely horrified when he’d see a girl with stubble.
Just one of the many reasons he’s an ex.
None of my past boyfriends, no matter how immature, ever complained about leg stubble, even if I had misgivings. (I no longer have those). I do suspect one had more conventional feelings about it but never expressed them…
But yeah CrabbyAlissa, they are missing a huge market of people to sell their body-hate to! Imagine the riches they could reap…
But of course THAT will never happen.
Somewhere out there, focus group participants do approve of this sort of ad, and advise companies to take this approach to sell products.
@sarahmc: amazing but true most likely. how do they find people for focus groups i wonder?
Well, they’ll place ads on Craigslist and stuff like that. I’ve done one in the past; I think I found the ad online.
Sarah, we’re not in the UK, but do you know where we might direct a wrathful letter, and/or a parent- or sister-company of Wilkinson we might girlcott? I like getting all het up, but especially if I also can hit some misogynist assmunches right where it hurts: in the wallet.
I currently have one leg shaved and one unshaved because I started doing a spring shave over the weekend and then got tired. I may have to keep it like this over the summer just to see what people’s reactions are.
This is the company’s contact form:
http://www.wilkinsonsword.co.uk/women/contact_us
A hilarious comment from the Feministe thread on the same topic:
I was amused by the unwittingly feminst message of your commercial titled “Butterfly Effect.” Let that be a lesson to men who think that unwanted touching and sexual advances are harmless. Thank you for bringing to our attention how destructive such things can be.
@JessMess: That’s because it’s not OK for men to hate their bodies! Don’t you DARE tell that slovenly man of yours to shower and shave! And what kind of shrew-beast tells her man he needs to lose a couple of pounds?! How can you be so shallow? Get back in the kitchen and make him some dinner! Just be sure to shave first.
@bluebears: I don’t think any man has ever recoiled when I have stubble. Lord knows, I generally give them a pass when they have beard stubble and that’s a lot more likely to cause discomfort for me than my stubbly legs would for them.
@CrabbyAlissa: I have run into one or two men like that in my time. They did not last long, although one probably lasted longer than he should have but that’s because, like you said, I was young and it took me longer to put the smack down. These days the smack comes down early and often on the subject of body hair.
[...] men’s abdication of fatherhood, and women’s silly ideas about self-sufficiency. (Also: bus crashes.) It’s amazing how much power we have. Nothing bad existed before NOW. Or was that Seneca [...]
Sarah MC: I LOVE that comment. Too bad it probably went way over the heads of the men at Wilkinson.
@bluebears: My husband loves my hairy legs. He’ll run a hand along a calf, ask jokingly, “whatsa matter? Mad at me?” then ask me to keep growing it out. I was on blood thinners for a while and not allowed to shave for a few weeks. He loved my –gasp!– armpit hair then, too.
@SarahMC: that comment is pure genius.
@sarah.of.a.lesser.god: Holy shit, I just did the one leg shaved/one leg not thing, too! I honestly just got bored after shaving one leg (which was massively hairy after a whole winter of growth). I got around to the second leg about a week later.