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August 16, 2006
That Time of the Month
I've been watching a lot of television lately. Between the amazing tennis on ESPN2, the long nights sans 5-year old (she and the grandparents are on holiday somewhere in West Virginia), and editing work that can be done with TV in the background, I've done a full review of the commercials on rotation. For the most part, they are the standard fare—yawn inducing, mildly irritating, overwhelmingly conducive to a life of consumerism. Nothing special.
But this one commercial has me especially irate. It begins in a very mojito-ish way. Bass thumping, hot pink leather couches, scantily-clad nubile women—you know the scene. One of these hotties leans over, pouty-lipped, and says to her friends:
"My doctor just told me about a new kind of birth control."
Holla! There is nothing I like better, dear reader, than going out with my girls and talking about family planning. The only way to make this night more fun is to have the know-it-all friend jump in with a 3-minute list of side effects. Did you know you shouldn't take this pill if you're dying of liver cancer?
There is a moment of hope when the next socialite on the couch leans in (showing plenty of cleavage) and says "you certainly know a lot about this topic". But then the smart babe replies (tresses shining and bouncing about her shoulders), "well, I didn't go to medical school for nothing!" and the entire group bursts into orgasm-like fits of laughter.
Ok, up until this point the commercial has been slightly ridiculous. I imagine the PR firm pitching the idea to the pharmaceutical company with the following breathless wonder:
These women are powerful, smart, educated, single, and looking for a good time. They could have their pick of men in this classy, swank joint—but they are happy just kickin' back with their friends and talking about their favorite contraceptives. And the potentially lethal side effects of that contraception, of course.
Fine. But let's return to the commercial, which is still in progress. The "lady doctor" (viewers can practically see the young bucks lining up for her proctology exam) casually adds:
"And the pill can help with that time of the month."
WTF? Here is a woman who has rattled off thirty different medical conditions in a single stream of consciousness (all while crossing her very shapely legs and tossing her hair from side to side). She's been to medical school and is clearly the go-to girl for her circle's uterus-related queries. And the term she chooses to use is that time of the month?
People, please. That PR firm, the pharmaceutical company, the actresses, and anyone else associated with the filming of this commercial should be dragged into the streets and shot. Or perhaps required to sit through an entire semester of 8th grade health class.
Incidentally, the medication in question is Yaz, the very naming of which should have tipped me off to the obnoxious nature of the commercial to come. And if you haven't seen the commercial, check out the website to see these babes continue the discussion of their menstrual cycles. Oops, I mean, that time of the month.
