While browsing around the almighty Dooce's blog, I became distracted by one of the banner ads at the top of her site. There were two female cartoons stood opposite one another, one holding up something that looked like a chicken fillet, declaring that it is "the best invention since the push-up bra!"
Her friend smirks and responds, "Well, I wouldn't go that far."
(I mean, you know how women are about their push-up bras, right?!)
The words "Only in a Woman's World" pop up, and since I sport a pair of ovaries, I figured that I was probably qualified to check out this "Woman's World" and to see what goes on there.
I especially wanted to know what that woman was holding that was apparently almost better than a push-up bra. Was it one of those inserts that gives you cleavage? A new sort of vibrator? The possibilities were endless.
As the Flash heavy site starts to load, I notice the words "Baked Lays, Flat Earth & Smartfood presents" next to the "Only In A Woman's World" title.
It became disappointingly clear that, yeah, the things that were supposedly greater than push-up bras were fucking chips. Low-fat, mother fucking potato chips.
Lays have put together this whole micro-site as part of their campaign to further advance the idea to American women that eating low fat chips and snacks is healthy. Why work out and eat vegetables like all those insane athletes and fitness folk? Low fat chips are the way forward.
Granted, tucking into a bag of low-fat, baked chips is better than reaching for the Nacho Cheese Doritios - but, please.
This digital, online representation of what a Woman's World is like is basically a bunch of Cathy comics.
Swimsuit jokes? Check. Guilt about eating food and then feeling not-so-guilty when you find out that they were low-fat? Check. Hilarious anecdotes about mood swings? Check. Giggly conversations about the latest fad diet? Checkity check check.
But, so you don't think that this campaign by Lays is just as bad as those fucking yogurt commercials, they have tried their darndest to be INTERNET and SOCIAL MEDIA friendly.
Why, you can make your own avatar!
(Check out my bunny slippers. Gosh eating low-fat snacks is fun!)
You can send your gal pals " a LOL"
...or animated eCards!
And you can even download Only In A Woman's World desktop wallpaper.
Look, a cupcake! In a mirror! Stop it, Lays. you are just too much!
Ultimately, Lays, we're all for campaigns and micro-sites that are social media friendly. But you're one LOL short of a PMS joke. Stop acting like being a woman is some crazy, zany state of being that means we need eCards that only our gal pals will understand.
You're selling chips for fucks sake. You're not Oprah's book club.