Spot the Hoo-Hoo:
Vagina Imagery In Advertising
by J. Barker
Now it’s time for a brief look into the other side of sex in advertising: the vagina.
For some odd reason I thought it would be difficult to find ads that utilize this aspect of female anatomy. But I was wrong. Oh, so wrong.
Turns out that as an eye-catcher, the “Hoo-Hoo” is used even more than the “Weenie.” What you’ll see below is just a hint of what’s out there. I’m gonna start tame… but I would probably send the kiddies out of the room if I were you.
Vagina Image # 1: Suva
Porn for Terminators and Robocop
Okay, I understand that this ad is trying to make the top of the helmet look like the scary mask from the Scream movies. And it succeeds. It also succeeds in looking like a robot’s vagina.
Vagina Image # 2: Playboy
I find this ad quite clever in showing the way that hair styles have changed over the past three decades…
Vagina Image # 3: Tara Magazine
I hope my girlfriend doesn’t have all of that stuff in there…
Vagina Image # 4: Anti-Rape Ad
If so, it works. The image is evocative of something being ripped and torn, though why they chose the metallic color scheme is odd. I could make a joke concerning Image # 1, but even I’m not that callous.
Vagina Image # 5: Energizer
It took me a moment to understand the gist of the ad; I was too distracted by the blatant “subliminal” use of the Hoo-Hoo.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never torn open a pack of batteries and left that shape. Ever.
Vagina Image # 6: Act Up Paris
I think I dated her once…
Hmmm… What’s missing here? I guess genetically engineering women with no Hoo-Hoo would be one solution to reducing the spread of AIDS. A little extreme, perhaps? Yeah. I think so, too.
Vagina Image # 7: Dior
Vagina Image # 8: Lactacyd
Okay, so in this case we, the viewer, are the vagina. Whoever came up with the idea to shoot a commercial for feminine hygiene products from the point-of-view of the Hoo-Hoo itself deserves an award.
Vagina Image # 9: Children of Chernobyl
Perhaps some meta-text concerning how “the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree,” so move the hell away from Chernobyl? Or a Christian reference to Eve and the Apple? Or recommendations on what I should pick up at the market tomorrow?
I’m confused.
Vagina Image # 10: Pro-Choice/Anti-Abortion
C’mon, little fella. We won’t bite.
You can’t get more blatant than this. Well, okay. After some of the other ads above, maybe you can.
At least it doesn’t cross that line that some anti-abortion campaigns love to tinker with. You know, the ones with the potentially crazy old lady carrying around a stick with bloodied baby limbs dangling from it? If you’ve never seen that, you’re in for a treat. They usually hang out downtown near the library.
I rather like this ad – though I’m not sure I like the sinister look on the kid’s face…
SOURCE: Ads of the World
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John Barker
Clever Ads, Promotions and Marketing
InventorSpot.com