Why is there a surge of deodorant products mostly advertised to women in the US?

So I have balls and yeah they’re the first thing on my body to start to smell. I can skip a shower if I’m in a hurry and I don’t smell much. That’s with working a job that’s usually physical. I was a punk kid fucking punk girls when I was younger and we didn’t bathe every day. I didn’t notice much smell then.

Now I see these ads regularly that are like hey women you stink after 12 hrs 5/10. What’s up?

200ok,

You guys are seeing ads?

MutilationWave, (edited )

Believe it or not I watch regular TV! I travel for work constantly and I have TV on in the hotel room. It makes me feel less lonely. That’s how I’m seeing these ads. On my PCs it’s Firefox+ublock origin.

Zeppo,
@Zeppo@sh.itjust.works avatar

Why not just play videos on your computer?

MutilationWave,

TV is constant background noise that I don’t have to pick.

Zeppo,
@Zeppo@sh.itjust.works avatar

The problem for me is the blaring, irritating, repetitive ads. I guess anything without that would be fine.

MutilationWave,

Part of the background noise really. I grew up with it so I’m used to it. I’m not really watchig the thing anyway, it’s just background noise while I do other shit. When it comes to PC, or something I’m actively watching, I don’t do ads at all.

nick,

Actually traveling today. Watching tv and three minutes in it’s an ad for female all body deodorant. Christ.

neidu2,

Greetings, fellow traveler. May I ask what is your line of work?

MutilationWave,

I’ve already been overly specific on this account and I don’t want to get doxxed. I install and service computer networks of a certain kind.

neidu2,

Reasonable enough. I do something like that myself. When a piece of remote and highly specialized computer system shuts itself, I’m the one who flies in to fix it, in addition to the occasional mobilization and servicing.

200ok,

Ahh, that makes sense, definitely.

nick,

Same here brother. When im on the road, its ads for dick pills and antidepressants on tv for days

NineMileTower,

Hey, guys, check this out! This guy doesn’t see ads ever. He must be super smart and cool!

Blizzard,

You don’t need to be super smart to use an adblocker, you just need to be relatively smart and have some selfrespect. He’s definitely cool, though.

200ok,

My mom says I’m cool 😎

christian,
@christian@lemmy.ml avatar

I use an adblocker, but I also drive a very old car and unfortunately my cd player just broke. I can confirm that there are tons of vaginal deodorant ads on the radio, always presented as a conversation between two women. There’s no intention to be funny, they’re trying to sound like a natural conversation two women would have in private and completely failing at coming across as anything short of awkward.

“So it works well for you?” “Yes! It lasts up to 24 hours, and four out of five gynecologists recommend it!”

200ok,

Good point re:radio.

I can’t imagine the conversation between the client and the ad agency in these cases.

dbilitated,
@dbilitated@aussie.zone avatar

capitalism preys on insecurity 🤷‍♂️

NataliePortland,
@NataliePortland@lemmy.ca avatar

I’ve been seeing those too. And one of them says “72 hour protection” like what? You’re not showering for three days but you’re just going to febreeze you vageeze and call it good ? Insane behavior

bionicjoey,

Upvoted for “febreeze you vageeze”

newbeni,

Omg, I’m still laughing 5 minutes later, that was too awesome

KingJalopy,

True story after the pandemic sort of settled down I had been laid off for my job as so many others had and I started doing Uber and I noticed that people smelled bad when they got in my car but nine times out of 10 it was women that smelled bad like with body odor more than men and it was mostly younger women in their early twenties that were smelling this way so maybe it’s just that women of a certain age tend to have more body odor than guys nowadays fuck I don’t know It was just something I noticed to the point that I appointed it out to my wife

nick,

I’d like to buy some punctuation, please.

KingJalopy,

No thanks run on now

southsamurai,
@southsamurai@sh.itjust.works avatar

Because unscrupulous assholes know they can prey on insecurities and sell a shitty, over priced product to people that don’t know any better.

Those ads are utter bullshit. nobody needs that crap. They particularly don’t need it on their genitals. It causes more problems that it helps.

sh.itjust.works/comment/11186190

I responded in detail about the whole genital odor thing and how to care for one’s genitals

Jimmycrackcrack,

But why would they not have thought of doing this before. I haven’t noticed this uptick at least in my country but I’m curious now OP has asked. It’s strange that they’ve decided now that they could prey on people’s insecurities when it’s been an option all along and it’s largely already what they do anyway.

Hazzia, (edited )

There was actually a push a number of decades ago (I wanna say 50’s-70’s?) Where LYSOL was advertising itself as a genital cleaning agent for women.

So not new perse, but considering how much more culterally considerate we are now about women’s health and self image than, say, the 90’s, it is weird that we’re getting these now as opposed to that time period.

southsamurai,
@southsamurai@sh.itjust.works avatar

It’s not that new. As another user mentioned, there’s been campaigns about smells going back to the radio and print only days. Summer’s eve has made millions with their bullshit “freshness” mentality. The only thing that’s really changed is the ability to directly talk about the product being applied to genitals/the crotch.

The entire deodorant industry trades on implying that any smell is a bad thing anywhere on the body. We can indeed produce some funky smells that are unpleasant, but it really isn’t something that can’t be handled without deodorant for most people. Deodorant is just a ton more convenient and longer lasting for the armpits. Even there, it can sometimes cause problems, though it’s less common for it to be as problematic as at the groin.

I mean, I use antiperspirant on my armpits because washing them as often as needed to get rid of the chemicals the bacteria there produce that cause odor is a time sink if you’re prone to a lot of sweating, or don’t have the freedom to do it when it’s ideal. But you can handle pit odor by cleaning rather than using deodorants.

The difference is that we all know that armpits produce unpleasant odor that isn’t from an infection, so we’ve gotten used to the idea of covering it up, or preventing out by controlling sweating and reducing bacterial presence. But the various makers of the products have been advertising their stuff for ages in a very similar way.

tearsintherain, (edited )
@tearsintherain@leminal.space avatar

A fundamental tenet of marketing, the art of separating dollars from your wallet, is to make you feel that you are less. That you are deficient, unless you look like so and so, have such and such, so buy this and that. Consume baby, consume.

But specifically saying there is a surge across all America is anecdotal. People from different regions get different advertising, broadcast wise and different search results.

MutilationWave,

This is on cable TV. I don’t see ads online because I’m not a fucking idiot. I think cable ads are the same across the country but I’m not sure.

SPRUNT,

Cable ads aren’t the same across the country, and very soon won’t be the same across the city. Addressable TV will bring personalized ads no matter what you’re watching.

As to why you may see a bunch of ads for similar products all of a sudden, there are a couple causes. When a new company/product comes on the market, they may flood the airwaves with ads to get their name out there, or they may not be familiar with how buying and scheduling TV ads works and will cluster things together so it seems like a barrage instead of spread out over longer periods. Also, when new competition comes to the market, the current leaders get nervous and increase advertising to retain their customers and try to keep them from changing brands. Lastly, it’s the phenomenon about noticing something which causes you to notice it even more (I.e. “there weren’t as many of [my car] on the road before I started driving one.”)

tearsintherain,
@tearsintherain@leminal.space avatar

Cable tv ads are def not the same across the country. Differ region to region, city to city, age group to age group, time slot to time slot, and are highly targeted just like online ads.

reddig33,

You’ve obviously escaped the Old Spice full body deodorant for men commercials running perpetually on YouTube.

user224,

The one with toes?

MutilationWave,

Yeah I don’t watch much YouTube. I do have regular TV on in the hotels I stay in for work which is where I see these ads.

Aussiemandeus,
@Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone avatar

Bro shower at least once a day

meekah,
@meekah@lemmy.world avatar

People produce different amounts of body odor. Also it’s better for your skin to not use shampoo every day. 4-5 times a week is totally fine.

Aussiemandeus,
@Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone avatar

I never use shampoo, only soap. I live in a place that is always hot and humid. We’re in out coldest time of the year now and it’s currently 27 degrees Celsius outside at 0830

Trust me people nee to shower once a day or you can smell them across the street

lud,

Maybe people from those extremes shouldn’t advise the rest of the world what to do then.

meekah, (edited )
@meekah@lemmy.world avatar

I meant to write soap, not shampoo, my bad.

Probably has to do with the temperature where you live though… It’s different in colder climates, which is apparently most of the world if that’s really the coldest time of year. I’d suggest to try showering with just water once in a while. It should remove most of the sweat and odor, without attacking you skin.

RBWells,

Yeah I think when most people say they shower every day, they don’t mean they are literally washing everywhere with soap. I shower every day (yes it’s hot here too) but shampoo hair maybe twice a week, soap on my whole body usually only once a month or so and usually because I want to exfoliate. Most showers I am very selective in what actually gets washed.

meekah,
@meekah@lemmy.world avatar

Hmm fair point.

BendyLemmy,
@BendyLemmy@lemmy.world avatar

Haha marketing is what it is… a joke I made up some 30 years ago was that, despite what we see on the surface - the evidence proves that women are disgusting, dirty, fat, ugly animals that need a vast array of products to be created so that they can go outside without offending everyone…

So yes, you’re right to find this ridiculous and offensive - but at the heart of it is simple greed, which is the real meaning of the American Dream.

muntedcrocodile,

U see ads?

SaltySalamander,

I'm guessing you don't watch sports.

MutilationWave,

I have cable TV on in the background in my hotel rooms. Shocking I know!

muntedcrocodile,

I just Carey one of those google hdmi plug things with a remote and jellyfin client.

Sanctus,
@Sanctus@lemmy.world avatar

You’re doing manual labor without showering?

jeffw,

Reminds me of an old roommate I had. He didn’t think he smelled either… he did… it was rough

MutilationWave,

Been there with two coworkers back when I managed a restaurant. They couldn’t believe they smelled when I had to have that terrible conversation with them. One improved, the other didn’t. I actually had to fire the second guy.

SaltySalamander,

Certainly wouldn't have been my roommate for very long.

MutilationWave,

I don’t smell if I skip a shower. It doesn’t happen often. Believe me my wife and my coworkers are very direct, they would tell me if I stink.

NoIWontPickAName,

I make sure to tell people that my sense of smell is fucked and to tell me if I stink.

ccunning,

The ads I’m seeing have been for “full body” deodorants. Targeted at both men and women…

jordanlund,
@jordanlund@lemmy.world avatar

The full body deoderant people are expanding into the male market. Not sure why they felt the need to change the name, I think it’s the same stuff? 🤔

Women:

lumedeodorant.com

Men:

shopmando.com

Note, same company. I haven’t tried it, some reviews say it smells funky, like sour milk or bad cheese, which, you know, I don’t need to spend money to smell funky. LOL.

selfmagnitude.com/…/brutally-honest-product-revie…

I did learn, after buying a hot tub, that men and women have a pH difference, so that might have something to do with it.

…wiley.com/…/j.1600-0846.2001.70206.x

“A statistically significant difference in skin pH between men (mean pH=5.80) and women (mean pH=5.54) was found, with women being more acidic than men (P<0.01). No difference between right and left arm was found. In men, the area closest to the wrist had significantly lower pH values compared with the proximal sites. This was not the case in women. Skin surface pH decreased during normal working hours in both genders.”

Since Lume and Mando started their big marketing push, other known brands are doing the full body treatment, I think I’d trust them over Lume and Mando which look to be mostly marketing.

Secret (guessing for women):
secret.com/…/aluminum-free-whole-body-cream

Old Spice (guessing for men):
oldspice.com/total-body/

intensely_human,

If it’s for competing brands it’s either evidence of either a gaslighting cartel, or tons of mimicry and breeze testing in the ad teams’ thinking.

Making women feel uncertain is an old tactic for body care products.

CoffeeJunkie,

That’s interesting. I avoid ads…so I’m not seeing what you’re seeing. I think my balls get a bit of a smell after a day, but like a nice, mild balls smell. My pits, man, my fucking pits…they go rancid in about a day’s time, definitely in 2-3. Simply stating as a matter of fact, gotta deal with my pits before my balls.

MutilationWave,

I’m talking ads you can’t avoid on TV. Yeah I’m so old I don’t have a screen in my face but across the room.

Maybe switch to antiperspirant? I did that many years ago and it really helped.

CoffeeJunkie,

Well it all goes bad anyway, it’s just good to clean up. I do not use antiperspirants, I don’t like the idea of shoving stuff into my pores to block bodily functions. Those are kind of addictive, like if you’re on them & don’t use them, sometimes I feel like the problem is even worse. Like your body is purging because you stopped it up with aluminum.

I used antiperspirants until late HS, early college; it stained, discolored my shirts. I stopped using antiperspirant, and the staining stopped, too.

exanime,

Switch from regular deodorant to an Alum block

Looks like a piece of ice. Shower normally, dry up, then run the block on cold water and apply… Let it be a few mins and dry your pits

You can thank me by passing the tip to the next person in need ;-)

gimpchrist,
@gimpchrist@lemmy.world avatar

I don’t know but I’m honestly convinced that they put something in women’s deodorant so that we need to buy more of it and it makes us stink more because when I start using fancy women’s deodorant I fucking stink like God awful and I can’t even stand my own smell but when I stop using deodorant or can’t afford it for a while I don’t smell bad and I can’t figure it out

TheAnonymouseJoker,
@TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml avatar

Maybe use essential oils from Asia instead?

Aussiemandeus,
@Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone avatar

You become used to the bad smell. Everyone else doesn’t

gimpchrist,
@gimpchrist@lemmy.world avatar

I said I can smell myself and it’s more bad smelling when I wear the deodorants then when I don’t… I didn’t say I don’t fucking smell I said it’s worse when I’m wearing deodorant compared to when I don’t

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