Girls Don’t Poop: The Infallible Spray
There are two questions I would like to put forth to contemplate while watching the advertisement video: who is the target consumer and what is the purpose of this product? [Please watch the video!] Analyzing gender elements portrayed in the video will lead into the next question of ‘purpose’ – looking past the utility purpose and to the implications of the advertisement, product, and related products targeted for women in the United States. A question to consider, did anyone feel embarrassed while watching the video?
While I am hesitant to analyze Poo-Pourri, I will provide a gendered lens analysis of their advertisement video and relate it on a broader scale to women and perceived beauty. After reading reviews and asking people their opinions on this product, I realize it does have positive effects on women, but this advertisement has broader implications in gender roles that I will discuss. If there is a Facebook group called, “Girls Don’t Poop” that has 13,864 likes, I start to question how big is this problem?
The video and website are obvious in their target audience – women – but the symbolic representation of how a woman should correctly present herself was clearly stated. One can see how clean, stylish, modest, and proper the petite English woman, Bethany Woodruff, is presented in the advertisement. The female representation also symbolizes privilege. Countries without proper plumbing and bathrooms would have no need of this product, so the privilege also represents this products target audience.
There is a pressure for women to appear flawless. As seen from the name of the video, “Girls Don’t Poop,” realistically one would think – this is ludicrous – both sexes have bowel functions. The video supports this gender performance when the woman said, “How do you make the world believe you never poop at all (Poo-Pourri, 2013)?” The purpose of this advertisement is to appeal to women through comedy in order for people to purchase the product. Underlying gender implications are clearly stated in the title of the video. I will discuss four main points on how this product and other feminine products, affect women as a means to control their body, performing gender, and economic and psychological impacts.
This video represents a hardship for women’s autonomy: lack of control over one’s body. In the U.S., whether at work, high school, or home – many females suffer and encounter societal pressures to look and act a certain way. Performing gender is an act readily accepted by society and while women have more leeway to experiment outside their construct than men, depending on your vocation, privilege, location, and other indicators – women are still expected to perform. While this product is simply a bathroom spray, I view it as another product targeting at women to present themselves to another’s standard. Looking beyond the spray, there are accessories and beauty products also targeted at women in order to make them appear differently.
The United States is the biggest cosmetic market in the world, with an estimated total revenue of about 56.63 billion U.S. dollars in 2013. There was a report released in 2013 showing the average women spends $15,000 on makeup during her lifetime (Statista, 2016). Along with money, the time consumed buying and using products is another factor. Why spend approximately $10 on this bathroom spray, when one can spend $2 on an air freshener that has the same effectiveness but doesn’t focus on women? Why does the more expensive product target women?
Makeup and even this spray have allowed women to function normally in society. Whether it is the actual product, moving discussions of the bathroom from the private to public sphere, or the comical element of the advertisement – women have reported positive reviews not only on the products effectiveness, but its role as a “stress reliever”. The spray has had over 7,700 positive reviews on Amazon.com (Amazon.com, 2016). The marketing director of Poo-Pourri said - "We want people to talk about it," says Story. "It's hilarious! I've been [working] here coming up on a year, and before I started this job, I didn't poop in public. I held it all day long. I was ashamed. This has changed my public habits (Friel, 2013)."
On the opposing field, a heavy reliance on cosmetics and aesthetic enhancers negates from the beauty of one’s natural features. Using our feminist curiosity – I question who is the target
audience for this portrayal of beauty and how far are women supposed to divert from their natural image to be considered beautiful?
References
Amazon.com (2016). Poo-Pourri Before-You0Go Toilet Spray 8-Ounce Bottle: Customer Reviews, Amazon.com. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Poo-Pourri-Before-You-Go-Toilet-8-Ounce-Original/product-reviews/B001D0IXVY. Viewed on 30 October, 2016.
Friel, Katie. (16 October, 2013). Are those Poo-Pourri ads for real? Yes, and they’re from right here in Texas, Culture Map: Austin. Retrieved from: http://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/10-16-13-poopouri-is-real-and-it-is-from-texas/
Poo-Pourri. (10 September, 2013). Girls Don’t Poop – PooPourri.com, YouTube Video. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKLnhuzh9uY. Viewed on 30 October, 2016.
Statista. (2016). The Statistics Portal: Revenue of the cosmetic/beauty industry in the U.S. 2002-2016. Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/243742/revenue-of-the-cosmetic-industry-in-the-us/
