Gillette Venus’ anthropomorphised pube sings about the taboo and stigma it faces down there

Some like it hairy, some like it trimmed, while others like to shave it off. Everyone has an opinion on the state of pubic hair. But nobody has asked the pubic hair itself about what it feels like down under, until now.

“All I wished to be was just another hair. But when they got one look at me, the ruling from the society was, ‘Ewww’, ‘Not You!’” sings the pube like a seasoned artiste for Gillette Venus, P&G’s feminine hygiene brand.

Illustrated by London-based Sacha Beeley, the 66-second spot by Grey is an attempt to “finally get comfortable with the word ‘pubic’ and the whole area down there,” as per its YouTube description.

Whilst incredibly creative, this spot was born out of Venus’ survey of 250 women in the United States. It revealed that while almost half of the women agree it feels more accurate to use anatomical terms, like pubic, only 18 per cent are actually using them.

An interesting aspect of this spot is the nod towards the role of the advertising community in spearheading biases towards certain body parts. Read this line from the ad: “All the ads are showing shiny skin and perfect hair. But what about this other world inside your underwear?”

Kristin Monaco, a senior product research engineer for Venus, said, “We’ve found that more women are dissatisfied with caring for the pubic area than anywhere else on the body. In fact, 56 per cent of US women wish there were more accurate descriptions and imagery in society of women grooming their pubic area.”

“It’s not surprising. Pubic hair is coarse and the skin is delicate. So, for many women it requires a different approach to help avoid shave bumps, ingrown hairs, redness, and itchiness,” she added.

This campaign is also timed to reveal Gillette Venus’ new ‘Venus for Pubic Hair & Skin Collection’.

This spot is part of an increasing trend of spots busting stigmas and taboos. Last year, Bodyform, a feminine hygiene brand, received praise for its spot that depicted the highs and lows of lives with a womb.

Closer home, Nobel Hygiene’s heavy duty pad RIO, in a first for India, released a sanitary napkin ad that showed red blood instead of the standard blue colour.