Tampon ad makes fun of tampon ads, still can’t say “vagina”

Via The Sexist, it looks like Kotex finally got the memo that birth control ads are weird:

Transcript from The Sexist after the jump.

I’m glad we’ve reached the point where it makes sense to sell tampons by making fun of what Sarah Haskins calls period control ads. When a company’s tampon ad mocks its previously criticized ads you know feminism is working. But apparently tampons must still stay in euphemism land:

The New York Times reports that the above ad–in which a young actress mocks traditional tampon ads for their condescending, euphemistic tone–originally referenced the “vagina.” When three networks rejected the spot, Kotex subbed in the euphemism “down there” for “vagina,” and only two of the three networks rejected it. Now, the commercial contains no direct references to female genitalia–you know, the place where the fucking tampon goes.

I guess period control ads aren’t just euphemism-happy so as not to offend our delicate lady sensibilities or burst the illusions of man folks. You actually can’t say the “vagina” word in an ad for a product that goes in your vagina. And two out of three network censors still feel icky when they hear “down there.”

TRANSCRIPT: How do I feel about my period? We’re like this [crosses fingers]. I love it. I want to hold really soft things, like my cat. It makes me feel really pure. Sometimes I just want to run on the beach. I like to twirl, maybe in slow motion. And I do it in my white Spandex. And usually, by the third day, I really just want to dance. The ads on TV are really helpful, because they use that blue liquid, and I’m like, Oh! That’s what’s supposed to happen!