Last week, household cleaning company Method apologized for and withdrew a web video it had created as part of a campaign for more stringent labeling of household products. The video, made by Droga5, depicted catcalling chemical bubbles ganging up on a naked woman in a shower.

The Ad Age story all but comes out and blames the harridans for ruining the creative fun:

Household cleaner marketer Method has pulled down a viral video roundly applauded by marketers at the Association of National Advertisers annual conference last month and by most viewers who've seen it because of heated complaints from some women who view it as sexist and even condoning rape....

The video got more than 700,000 views in a week on YouTube and a five-star rating from viewers before Method pulled the plug. Method competitor Unilever seemed to like it, too....Little did attendees at the ANA or most commenters on YouTube and Twitter know, however, that the Shiny Suds were really about degrading women and promoting rape, at least in the opinion of commenters on one blog, Shakesville, which posted the video in its "Today in Rape Culture" section.

Feminist blog commenters (yes, on Shakesville, but also on Feministing, and on Feminist Law Professors and right here on Jezebel, and on uncounted emails to us and to Method) must be bigger bullies than... chemical soap bubbles? Fellow officers of the P.C. police, let us use our powers responsibly. Or maybe, just maybe, a commercial that visibly alienates your ostensible core consumer simply isn't good business.

Method Pulls 'Shiny Suds' Ad After Sexism Complaints [Advertising Age]

Earlier: Cleaning Company Pulls Shiny Suds Video, Apologizes For Any Offense We Caused

The video was part of a campaign the natural cleaning products company launched to support the Household Products Labeling Acts, which would require full disclosure of harmful chemicals in cleaning products. Method hired Droga5, an agency known for its successful use of digital and viral video campaigns. It went viral, all right, but probably not in the way the company hoped.

We've been getting emails all week from disgusted consumers, who were put off by the image of a woman cowering naked in the shower, victimized by her use of chemical-based products. As Hortense put it when she posted the video last weekend,

I'm really tired of the "advocacy" that relies upon humiliating women to push a point (see also: PETA). Why couldn't the dirty bubbles get drunk on their own chemicals and trash the bathroom? Why couldn't they leave graffiti all over the shower walls? Why couldn't they "move in" and start stinking up the place? Why does a woman have to get in the shower and get naked in front of a bunch of pervy bubbles, who essentially tell her she deserves it for putting them there in the first place (sound familiar?) so that Method soap can scare us all into switching over from Scrubbing Bubbles? The woman is seriously humiliated by the bubbles, who compliment her on her "core" and scream "Loofah! Loofah!" over and over again as they watch her wash up. It's supposed to be funny. So why does it make me feel so gross?

To its credit, Method appears to be responding to each of the complaints in detail, and on Wednesday, representatives informed emailers that the video had been taken down. (It's still available on some blogs, and we grabbed it just in case). We also contacted Droga5's CEO, Andrew Essex, for comment, but he said he would be unable to comment on the record. Here's a statement Method's spokeswoman just sent us:

"Thank you for your sincere feedback about our "Shiny Suds" video. It was not at all our intent to offend or promote any form of harassment. We understand the concerns associated with our video and are removing it from YouTube and all other controlled sources.

We heard and understood all of the feedback and concerns we received about the Shiny Suds video. We have removed the video from YouTube and other controlled sources, and we have reached out to every person who contacted us to let them know that we removed the video. We also apologized for any offense we caused.

Our intent in this campaign was to raise awareness for transparency in cleaning product labeling, and we will continue to push for that. I'm not sure if you recall, but at the end of the video, there was a link to a page where people could learn more about the Household Products Labeling Acts and submit letters to their representatives in support of the proposed legislation. Shortly after the video was released, more than 600 people had sent letters.

Method is a brand that is constantly growing and striving to improve. We've learned a great deal from this experience, and those learnings will certainly help us as we work on future projects."

So what do you think? Those of you who vowed to switch to Seventh Generation, is this good enough?

Earlier: Ladies, It's Your Fault That The Perverted Bubbles In Your Shower Exist

In this first commercial, which Margaret posted last week, the woman promoting the shoes is checked out twice by the cameraman, who just can't help but zoom in on her backside. "Excuse me," she says to the cameraman as he blatantly checks her out, "I take it you agree?" She then smiles as if being objectified by some cameraman is the best thing in the world. Charming.
Here, the shoes show a female body, without a face, to promise that using the shoes will ensure that "88% of men will be speechless, 76% of jealous, and 0% will know the reason is on your feet." Because those are the only reasons women care about fitness, right? Not because heart disease is the number one killer of women, and not because they want to live healthy lifestyles and feel good about themselves, silly! Women only work out for the benefit of men and to ensure that other ladies are "just jealous."

This super classy ad, the worst of them all, shows a woman's breasts—and only her breasts—complaining about being jealous of her butt, which has improved since she started using EasyTone sneakers. "Make your boobs jealous!" a male announcer says at the end of the commercial. So now it's not even enough to make other women jealous, you have to make your own body parts turn against each other. My boobs actually felt sorry for my brain when it had to process the amount of bullshit in these three ads, and my eyes were jealous of my toes for being tucked deep in my socks, away from this sexist mess. Thanks, but no thanks, Reebok. You can kiss my butt, and my money, goodbye.

To push their "Love's Embrace" collection, Kay has decided that true love is best represented by a man who appears to be a psychopath and his ridiculously co-dependent girlfriend. I'd blame Twilight for this mess, but honestly, Twilight looks like a romantic comedy filled with healthy relationships compared to the scene that unfolds in the Kay Cabin of Doom. I'm pretty sure we're supposed to find this commercial incredibly romantic and dreamy, but jiminy crickets, is that guy's voice the creepiest voice of all time or what? When he says, "I'm right here...and I always will be," my instinct is to yell "Run, you idiot, run!!! Every kill begins with Kay!!!" The woman, however, swept away by her stupid pendant, instead chooses to embrace the man and say, "Don't let go...ever." Ah, creepy, creepy co-dependent psychopathic cabin love. Isn't that what the season is all about?

I had to watch this commercial a few times to really get a feeling for it; my first reaction was, "creepy, but I get it," though on subsequent views I started getting creeped out to the point where the joke simply wasn't funny anymore. I understand the point of the commercial: you'll pay the price if you don't know what kinds of chemicals you're spraying in your house. But I'm really tired of the "advocacy" that relies upon humiliating women to push a point (see also: PETA).

Why couldn't the dirty bubbles get drunk on their own chemicals and trash the bathroom? Why couldn't they leave graffiti all over the shower walls? Why couldn't they "move in" and start stinking up the place? Why does a woman have to get in the shower and get naked in front of a bunch of pervy bubbles, who essentially tell her she deserves it for putting them there in the first place (sound familiar?) so that Method soap can scare us all into switching over from Scrubbing Bubbles? The woman is seriously humiliated by the bubbles, who compliment her on her "core" and scream "Loofah! Loofah!" over and over again as they watch her wash up. It's supposed to be funny. So why does it make me feel so gross?

Perhaps I'm missing something. What say you, commenters?

Get Naked, Say The Pervy Scrubbing Bubbles [AdFreak]

• On the heels of reports that Going Rogue confirms there was tension between Sarah Palin and John McCain's aides during the 2008 campaign, Ann Coulter says, "Wow, I hope she pays them back in this book, and I can't wait to read it. No, I mean, McCain — he was the media's favorite Republican. So, any criticism his side made of Palin was instantly printed, and now we finally get the payback. And I'm looking forward to it." • Palin will visit Fort Hood next month as part of her book tour for Going Rogue. She planned the visit before last week's shooting, and a representative from the base called her and said she should still make her planned appearance on December 4. • The British government has proposed a ban on people under the age of 18 using tanning beds to reduce the risk of young people developing skin cancer. It was reported today that in some areas of the U.K. up to half of all girls aged 15-17 are tanning, which doctors say significantly increases the risk of malignant melanoma. • In February, Jen Ivers will become the first female student to participate in the Mr. Yale contest. Ivers prefers to dress as a man, is openly gay, and doesn't identify as a man or a woman. Her residential college overwhelmingly voted for her to represent them, but initially the college rejected her application. Yale claims it was a miscommunication and a rep says, "It'll be really cool and unique to have her compete." • Scientists from the University of California tested the pain threshold of 25 women in various situations and found that they didn't hurt as much when their romantic partner was holding their hand, and experienced even less pain when just looking at his picture. Researchers say the person's picture brings up pleasant thoughts, but when they're actually in the room they may be upset that their partner is worried about them. They recommend patients bring loved ones' pictures to painful procedures. • Jill Berry, president of the Girls' Schools Association, says that schools should tell teenage girls that they don't need to beat themselves up if they decide to take time off from their future careers to raise children. ''They will need to realise that there may be times when they might not want to work, or they might want to take a lesser job because their priorities have changed. It is important that they leave school at 18 with their eyes open," she said. • Kirsty Moore, who became the first woman admitted to Britain's Royal Air Force display team, says she hopes her position will make girls "think that this is something they could be part of and they should go for it." • Caster Semenya says after the international controversy over her gender, "People want to stare at me now. They want to touch me. I'm supposed to be famous but I don't think I like it so much." • Oreo, the dog who was nursed back to health after her owner threw her off the roof of his six-floor Brooklyn apartment building, was killed today by lethal injection. After Oreo's owner was convicted of animal cruelty many people offered to adopt her and pay for her medical care, but the A.S.P.C.A. said she was a danger to the public because she was "unpredictably aggressive." Supporters had requested that the organization delay the euthanization and negotiate the dog's transfer to an animal sanctuary. • No African country has developed a program to give the cervical cancer vaccines to girls, even though 71,000 of the 500,000 who are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year are from Africa, and 78 percent of cases result in death. Professor Lutz Gissman, one of the researchers who discovered the virus said, "If you can persuade [African] girls to get a vaccine shot, the problem will be drastically reduced in the next 10, 20 years." • Police are hunting for a Brazilian blogger they say posted the names of 300 people who are cheating on their partner in the small rural town of Lagoa da Prata on Orkut. "This is not a very nice joke – for people to say that your boyfriend or your husband is a cuckold," says one woman whose boyfriend's name was on the list. "I don't really know what to say to people." • Police arrested a Florida man who repeatedly called 911 and made sexual comments to the dispatcher, asking to come to her house. There's a perfectly reasonable explanation: He told police that he'd run out of cell phone minutes and 911 was the only number he could call. •

As always, the ads change, but the message remains the same: If you're a woman, you're never safe: You're a potential victim; you shouldn't trust anyone, and if you act now, a prince will save you from your tower hunky security guys - or policemen - will rescue you from any scary situation.

Sarah Haskins in Target Women: Broadview Security [Current]
Target Women: Broadview Security [HuffPo]

Earlier: We Hate It When That Happens
Security Systems And The Culture Of Fear
Brinks: Home Security For Modern Day Damsels In Distress

You've seen it: a middle-aged mom, presumably moving her son into his dorm room, and the son's nerdy roommate, share a Halls Refresh lozenge and a weird moment of sexual connection. Then her menfolk walk in and are suitably appalled. ("Surprisingly mouth-watering," leers an insinuating voice-over.) The American Decency Association has called the ad "perverse" and its founder explains, rather oddly, that "I believe that an advertisement like this really does grease the skids and does further promotion and legitimization of elderly ones with younger ones — and it's like putting fuel before the fire."

"Elderly ones with younger ones" are also the theme of Cougartown, of course, during which the lame ad ran, and presumably the show's fans were neither unduly shocked nor influenced. But the ad is, certainly, problematic, albeit for a number of different reasons. Slate's Seth Stevenson, while he finds the add bizarre and silly, thinks this is a bit of a tempest in a teapot - that it's in the tradition of recent absurdist candy campaigns and too outre to be taken seriously. The bigger question, for him, is who the hell the commercial is targeting: boys or moms? Candy's aimed at kids, but the spot's placement - and its virtuous lack of sugar - suggest that it's playing to mom tastes, which Stevenson finds duly dubious.

In a way, I'm with the ADA, because the continuing perpetuation of the cougar/MILF thing is indeed creepy. If the ad featured a dad and a young female nerd, it would be universally shunned and it's time we stopped pretending that the reverse is always the stuff of harmless fantasy. That said, the ad's a send-up of the cougar phenomenon's absurdity, and if that's a signal of shark-jumping (or, as Hortense has suggested we rename it, "pulling a Scrappy-Doo"), bring it on.

But what bothered me most was sort of exactly this: this isn't a MILF and a strapping stud: it's a frumpy middle-aged woman and an Asian nerd, shorthand for "NOT SEXY!!!" That's why it's funny, you see: these are two groups whom no one would ever find attractive if not under the influence of the cough drop! (Note the action figures and equation.) That, after all, is what the husband and son are reacting to: not just the inappropriate dynamic, but the fact that these non-sexy types are breaking out of their designated roles. "Surprisingly mouth-watering," is after all, the tag-line. One can only imagine what other treats Hall's Refresh has in store!

Of course, at the end of the day, Stevenson's right: it's just a dumb commercial, and these people occupy Commercial-Land, in which all husbands are single-digit stupid, all moms are knowing, all kids are sassy and precocious, and everyone, given their bizarre enthusiasm for fast-food promotions, is apparently stoned, always. All this, presumably, makes us want to buy stuff. And if that's true, Stevenson shouldn't even question the targeting: we are, it would seem, morons. Who eat cough drops for pleasure.

Can Cougars Sell Cough Drops? [Slate]
Halls Refresh Commercial - Mom [YouTube]

Volvo just launched WhatDrivesEdward.com. Because nothing says says "vampire" like a shiny Swedish "crossover" vehicle. (Watch out! The dramatic violin music on that website might… put you to sleep.)

Writes AdWeek's Kenneth Hein:

"Presumably with Twilight being a tween girl franchise, they are hoping that the message might be picked up by moms to use the Volvo to take their adolescent little vampires to soccer practice," said Lucian James of the brand strategy consultancy Agenda.

Wow, that sounds… absolutely ridiculous! Here's how they're tying together Edward Cullen's creepy obsessive need to take care of Bella with a $34,000 hatchback:

There's more to life than a Volvo. There's having the power to keep safe what you hold most dear.

Lame.

Just like there are 7 vampires better than Edward Cullen, there are at least two spooky cars better than his dumb Volvo:

The Munsters' car.

The Addams Family car.

Because just like Edward, a the Volvo XC60 doesn't have any bite.

Twilight's 'New Moon' Rises For Volvo [AdWeek]
WhatDrivesEdward.com [Volvo]

Earlier: 7 Vampires Better Than Twilight's Edward Cullen

As Kate Harding points out at Broadsheet, the mom-themed commercials are aimed mainly at dudes, who are apparently compelled by colds to seek out a "fantasy of perfectly coddled convalescence." Now, I myself have been known to crave momly care during times of illness, though these days I tend to visit Postcards From Yo Momma rather than bugging my actual mom. While she did nurse me through a college bout with appendicitis, she generally took sort of a strict approach to sickness when I was growing up. My brother and I pretty much went to school unless our symptoms included vomiting or visible boils, and while I might have spread some colds in my day, I also learned to tough out sneezing, sore throats, and other minor afflictions without too much complaining. It's something of a stereotype that men never learn this, and that women must thus baby them through every sniffle. I'm not sure if I buy it — but luckily, as Harding writes, Kleenex has so many more stereotypes to choose from!

The Get Mommed website offers eight mothers to choose from, including Jessica the best-friend mom and Veronica, a hard-driving career woman who knows how to get organized. Then there's Asian-American mom Sue, who believes in "hard work" and "tough love" — and just in case you didn't get that Asians care about achievement, there's a report card right next to her face. The most ridiculous example of racial stereotyping in the name of rhinovirus relief, though, is Ana Maria, a Latina mom with a big family. She says, "I grew up with an extended family of aunts, uncles, great-aunts, cousins, grandmas, you name it" — which sort of implies that there are other types of familial relationships we haven't even heard of. Just to be clear, Ana Maria explains, "I learned so much from my family. They were from different cultures." But these poor different cultures might not have "antiviral" tissues — and Ana Maria is here to make sure that (in Harding's words) "strange young white men who show up at her door unable to cope with the common cold" never have to suffer their fate. Which is, um, just blowing your nose like a normal adult, and not relying on a creepy panel of ethnic caricatures to teach you how to do so.

"Get Mommed"? Get Real, Kleenex [Salon]
Get Mommed [Official Site]

Well, luckily for us, Broadview Security (formerly Brinks) knows the risks that come with being a successful young woman who owns her own home. They've already made it pretty clear that every dame's a potential damsel in distress - especially young, hip ones! - and that the world's full of lurking psychopaths who are invariably instantly deterred from malevolent intent by a beeping security system. Now, they're driving home that you can't trust anyone. Oh, except, of course, the cute cop who answers the alarm.

Because being a candle-loving, yogurt-lapping lady, you'll want to be able to adopt the inappropriately flirty body-language we all favor mere minutes after a violent scare! And Broadview (emphasis on 'broad') gives you that freedom!

Related: Security Systems And The Culture Of Fear