We talk a lot here at Bitch about the ways in which certain products are marketed to women, and with good reason (there are some weeeeird lady products out there). However, for every product that bizarrely targets women there is one that bizarrely targets men as well. Here are a few that have come to our attention as of late:
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While the racecars and Danica Patrick indicate that this is a product for dudes, it is surprisingly gender-bendy (what with the gynecomastia and the woman athlete signing fans' breasts and all). Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? On paper it seems like it shouldn't be offensive, and yet...
NPR reported on a new candy bar from Mars--its first in 20 years--called the Fling. Wrapped in a shimmery pink and silver package, it's not just its low calorie count that is catering to women.
The campaign behind it has taken an unsubtle approach to marketing the candy bar as more of a marital aid than an item from a vending machine. While "finger" may be an industry term for a thin and slender, it takes on a whole different meaning with the catchphrase "Pleasure Yourself" (Also gross and awkward: "Serving Size: 1 Finger"). Other taglines like "Naughty, but not that naughty," "Have a FLING™ in private, or wave it all around town; in the office, the bedroom, or the great outdoors," make no ambiguous implications that the Fling satisfies better than a Snickers. But how?!
Pop-sensation lifespans have been shrinking since the dawn of pop sensations, but the power of the boy band has proved enduring. These prefab crews of scrubbed, smiling teens busting a synchronized move to manufactured beats have a special place in pop – music history and in the hearts—and notebooks and lockers—of their (mostly female) fans.