At first I thought that TV commercials with bears explaining to us how to use toilet paper was the epitome of talking down to an audience. Bears? Really? Of course, that might answer the age-old question about whether bears do their business in the woods. But, aside from feeling a bit put off, that does not stop me from buying said toilet paper.

But there’s something new I’ve noticed recently that, in my view, goes beyond simply talking down to an audience – I find it downright offensive. And that is the avalanche of commercials about a slew of products designed to help women keep their bodies from stinking (the advertisers’ word, used or implied, not mine).

Forgive me for being a bit indelicate here but yes, we all know that body odor exists and that some people suffer from it more than others. And great, there are products out there to help with the problem.

But that’s not what this seems like.

This new strategy of reaching women plays right into the insecurities many women share about our bodies not being perfect in all ways. It plays right into the hands of those who like nothing more than to keep women down by preying on those insecurities. And it plays right into the effectiveness of selling a product by first demeaning and shaming the potential user before promising to save her from the ingloriousness of it all.

For decades, deodorant has been advertised to the masses without this kind of insult added to injury. Even so-called intimate deodorants for women were advertised in softer terms. But these new products? Their advertising comes right out and tells women that our bodies stink all over in a multitude of places – even in areas we might not ever have considered (and probably should not have to). Talk about creating a need where there may not be much of one and about making women second-guess themselves.

What does it say about us as a society if we feel free to demean women to this extent instead of empowering them to feel their best? Last night I counted no fewer than four commercials for product lines all with this same message to women: You stink. Fix it.

Not the kind of message we want to send to young girls. Not the kind of message we want to communicate to the world. And not the kind of message that we, as women, should have to take to heart.

So there, I’ve said it. It stinks – fix it.

Bear with me.

©2024 Claudia Grossman