Get Skinny.
"You should NOT spend your girlish days worrying about your weight. But you want to be skinny and wear all those cute little dresses - so we have come up with a simple solution for you."
"Use the Pink Patch daily for 24/7 weight loss and appetite control so you can look fabulous while you have fun. No more worries about the freshman 15 or sitting at your new desk job snacking all day long. You have enough to focus on besides your weight. Look in the mirror and smile — without giving up your busy social life! The Pink Patch will help you get skinny: we guarantee it."This is one of the most obvious marketing ploys targeting girls' anxieties around weight. I found this product advertisement on MySpace, where loads of teenage girls spend their free time. When I clicked
the link I was appalled that this company was so blatantly marketing to girls.
Their tagline is: "Be young & have fun with the body you always dreamed of." Just the fact that it's a PINK patch reminds me of the Victoria's Secret Pink Campaign - where they lure girls into the lingerie stores full of padded bras and thongs and give them a pink teddy bear if they make a purchase.
Pegged as "FAST, FRESH, and FREE-SPIRITED", this marketing scheme reinforces
Packaging Girlhood authors Brown and Lamb's claim that marketers are co-opting girl power and words like freedom and independence to mean the power to shop and the freedom to look great.
If you're as angry as we are - send a letter to the company:
USA Herbals
500 Bic Drive
Bldg #4 Ground Floor
Milford, CT 06461
Or call:
1-866-468-3300
Monday - Friday
8 AM - 6 PM EST
Sold in junior sizes at your local Wal-Mart - makes us wonder if Wal-Mart can stoop any lower or be more perverse?
