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Douche Company Flushes “Racist” Talking Vagina Ads

Ay-yi-yi:

Summer's Eve pulled three videos off its website and YouTube on Wednesday following claims that they were racially insensitive.

The videos (scroll down to watch them), part of the feminine-care company's new "Hail to the V" campaign by The Richards Group in Dallas, featured talking hand-puppets representing women's vaginas. Two of the spots in particular, featuring black and Hispanic characters, were criticized by some viewers, who complained that the voice work was racially stereotypical.

The black woman is "Pam Grier and Lil' Kim all wrapped in to one," wrote one online critic, while the Latina woman opens with the cry, "Ay-yi-yi."

Under pressure, agency and client stood by the videos last week, with agency founder Stan Richards saying they were meant to be "relatable," not stereotypical. But on Wednesday, Richards PR executive Stacie Barnett told Adweek that the criticism had begun to overshadow the message and goal of the larger campaign—to educate women about their anatomy and break down taboos in talking about it—and that the online videos had to go.

"Stereotyping or being offensive was not our intention in any way, shape, or form," said Barnett. "The decision to take the videos down is about acknowledging that there's backlash here. We want to move beyond that and focus on the greater mission."

Yeah, well . . . get back to that mission.

Dan Collins

Dan Collins is a dude who blogs. He used to blog elsewhere. Now he blogs here.

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