In an frighteningly catchy advert for Quattro for Women razors, Wilkinson Sword pushes euphemisms about as far as they can go. The video shows women of varying ethnicity all mowing the lawn in adorable outfits, and telling the viewer how they tend their garden. Not only is the euphemism painfully obvious, the women and the lyrics make it even worse.
I'll gladly admit the song is hilariously catchy, and full of great
euphemisms and innuendos: the wit behind "tulips on the mound" is not
lost on me. But I could definitely do without the insinuations that all
black women have large, unruly bushes of pubic hair, and that all Asian
women have tiny delicate shrubs.
Check out the video, you'll see what I mean:
The first woman we see making reference to the size of her bush is a black woman - with big hair. I wouldn't go so far as to call it an afro, but it's definitely a hairstyle typically associated with black women's hair. While holding a pair of extremely large shears, she sings "some bushes are really big", ending her line with a playful wink. Later, we see the same black woman attacking an unruly shrub with pink electric hedge trimmer. Think chain saw.
The next woman is Asian - and she holds a very small trimming tool above a delicately trimmed set of hedges. Her line? "Some gardens are mighty small!", ending with a coy hand motion.
Could you imagine if this was an advert for condoms featuring men instead? How upset would men be about it? No man wants it shoved in his face that another man has a bigger penis than him, or that he has a small penis in comparison to everyone else.
How is women's pubic hair any different than penis size? I'm sure women don't appreciate having the amount of pubic hair they have and their insecurities regarding it used in such a blatant manner. Just like I'm pretty sure men don't appreciate having their insecurities about their penis size being used to sell them penis creams and condoms.
Images from Getty.