Carefree Wants to Talk About Vaginal Discharge

Hoo-ha. Vajayjay. Cooch. Bearded clam. Box. Mulva. There is just no good substitute for  “vagina,” which apparently is a word that easily freaks people out and is why there are so many euphemisms for it in the first place.

Carefree just aired a new ad in New Zealand for panty liners starring a naked (but tastefully obscured) actress talking about how “even that bit of discharge in between our period is our body working to keep the vagina healthy.” The Advertising Standards Bureau received complaints almost immediately from people offended by the use of “vagina” and “discharge.”

Are these people also offended by ads for Irritable Bowel Syndrome? How about pills for Erectile Dysfunction? Seems like the poor vagina is being singled out once again for its magical powers to stir controversy.

"It’s the first time a major brand has had the guts to use real words, not euphemisms or diminutive terms," said campaign spokeswoman Debbie Selikman. She also said that Carefree had done research showing that “most women wanted ads to refer to their anatomy using proper terminology.”

Had this occurred in the U.S., we could understand it. In fact, we’d be surprised if the Family Research Council or Focus on the Family didn’t immediately start having kittens. But this is New Zealand, a land of sheep and hobbits that we thought was more laid back. Turns out you should never underestimate the vagina.