Notes and other things

KY Intense commercials focused on male orgasm?

December 1, 2009 at 1:55 am (Thoughts) (female orgasm, feminism, ky intense, sexism)

So every time that I watch a tv show online (usually the old standby of Castle), the little 15-30 second commercials interrupt. And of late they have all been the two for KY Intense, the “female arousal gel”. Both show a nice young-but-not-too-young heterosexual couple, discussing how fantastic their sex is now that the woman is stimulated by the KY product. And each commercial cuts to a symbolic scene to suggest the sex that occurs. Well and good enough, nothing to arouse (ah ha, sorry) any anger at the portrayals (as a heterosexual woman)… until the fourth or fiftieth time that I saw one of these commercials and realized that each time the sex act (or fulfillment thereof) was depicted with images that seem awfully connected to… male ejaculation. Commercial one, with “Mr. and Mrs. Gignac,” depicts the big moment with Mrs. standing by a boat’s steam chimney thing (sorry, completely blanked on the word…funnel?) as it lets rip a jet of steam. Commercial two, with “Mr. and Mrs. Mark”, shows Mrs. Mark standing next to a geyser for its moment of intimacy.

Why this depiction of “female satisfaction”? The images, especially the geyser, are traditional images for male ejaculation (and thereby, male sexual satisfaction). Why are they being used to show how satisfied the woman is by the sex? I find the question of whose satisfaction we are witnessing even more problematic when the woman in either couple is depicted, more or less unperturbed, standing beside the gushing whatever. That doesn’t look very satisfying to me, even if they do both smile a bit.

The KY Intense site has such reassuring information as “The K-Y® Brand’s market research team understood the link between a woman’s physical pleasure from intimacy and her overall intimate satisfaction.”

Also it seems a little confused as to whom the product affects: “K-Y® Brand INTENSE™ was specially formulated for a woman’s use, but will not affect a male partner when used as directed.”

OR DOES IT? “K-Y® Brand INTENSE™ allows a woman to experience a whole new level of sexual satisfaction and helps her partner enjoy a more intense and pleasurable sexual experience.” (my emphasis)

Beneath the whole fluff of advertising, there may be a decent product. There may even be a necessary product. That is not what I am remarking upon. Rather, the issue is how even a product for female sexual satisfaction is still marketed using images that portray male satisfaction. Can’t it be just about me, even for a moment?

I wonder what images our society even has for female orgasm. Fireworks seem appropriate, although they still carry the phallus /rocket idea. The so-called “reaction room” at the site features this image (fireworks around a phallus the Eiffel Tower). This site also shows such unambiguously male ejaculatory symbols as a cork popping out of a bottle and a volcano exploding. Also odd are the portrait of a couple on a beach that, when administered with KY Intense, expands to include a child, or the bunny slippers that breed like rabbits. The prize for creepiest attempt at depicting female satisfaction goes to the item on the bookshelf, presumably a stereo or some sort. Wave the magic KY intense wand over it and you are treated to a few seconds of an extremely deep man’s voice (“Baby-ahhh”), some “fat beats”, and a drawn-out male gasp/sigh.

An odd advertising strategy over-all. Kudos to KY for considering us lowly females’ sexual satisfaction, but couldn’t they find a way to sell it without limiting the occurence of female sexual pleasure to male orgasm?

For those who want to watch the commercials, the links are here and here.