See a 3-D Dr White's ad, an ad
contest for Dr White's and wearing Dr White's
with a thong.
More humor in advertising: Simplicity Freedom ads (British):
September 1990 - May 1991
- October 1991 - Freedom Confetti (French): October 1990 - box of
Freedom tampons (German): 1991
And here's a contest to make
an ad for Dr White's pads.
 
|
 
Dr White's menstrual towels (pads, napkins)
Ad with menstruating man in women's underwear,
1985, United Kingdom
Britain has produced the funniest ads I've
seen for menstrual products. It hasn't always been that way (examples).
Forgetting the head and hairy legs, look at the
ad below and compare with this photo
("Dara Torres and her abs.") of American Olympic swimmer Dara
Torres. What's the difference?
The point is that this ad today would not shake
people as much as it probably did in 1985 when it appeared. Dara
Torres actually beats the cross-dressing guy
in tradionally masculine muscularity. (And she's in her forties.)
The scan is not clear so let me help you: the white
words refer to parts of the body that often bother women before or
during menstruation. The man is complaining about the same things a woman
would - because he's menstruating.
That's the point - as it was with Gloria Steinem's famous and funny
"If Men Could Menstruate" that appeared
in the October 1978 issue of Ms. magazine, about five years before the ad.
Women have probably complained about menstruation and its side effects since
homo became sapiens - and justifiably.
One thing I've learned since I started this museum is that men have an enjoyable
ride on the reproductive trip compared to the massively
more complex experience women have.
I wonder how much this ad owes to Ms. Steinem's essay.
The little boxes at the corners are moons in different
phases (also in this ad
and others). This is a very rare reference
to the moon in mainstream menstrual advertising, the moon, of course,
being sometimes associated with menstruation because of its "cycle"
(see?), etc. Referring to the moon is much more common in advertising for
washable pads, etc.
See a 3-D two-page Dr. White's ad.
And here's a contest to make an ad for Dr
White's pads.
(See a non-menstrual funny ad on the back
of the left page, just to see how much humor there is in some British publications.)
I thank the frequent Dutch contributor for
these scans!
|
Below: The two-page ad from Company
magazine.
The contributor did not say how large the pages are.
The scans chopped off some of the sides and text
and fuzzied up the top of the left-hand page. But
the gist of the ad remains, even the moons.
Enlargements below and here (right-hand page).
|
 |
Below: I can't read the text at top
but the rest reads:
Don't expect me to shave with these spots all over my chin.
If you had swollen [?] breasts you would [?] want [?] to be cuddled.
I can't possibly clean the car with this nagging backache.
My stomach aches and it's so bloated my boss asked if I was pregnant.
I'll never climb the ladder of success with legs this wobbly once a
month.
|
 |
NEXT: facing page of the ad - See a 3-D
Dr White's ad and an ad contest for Dr White's.
More humor in advertising: Simplicity Freedom
ads (British): September 1990 - May
1991 - October 1991 -
Freedom Confetti (French): October 1990 - box of Freedom tampons (German): 1991
© 2008 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any
of
the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written
permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
|