A ten-year-old little girl acting as a “Camp Gyno” for her summer camp is taking YouTube by storm. Hello Flo, a tampon-delivery service company, launched the controversial ad just three weeks ago, and it has already received over 5 million hits.
The video features a unpopular, ten-year-old girl camper, but this changes when she is the first one of her friends to get her period, or as she calls it, “the red badge of courage.” She then feels it is her responsibility to educate her fellow campers on all things menstruation.
Many people are raising their eyebrows at the ad, wondering if the seemingly sweet, little girl should be using the abrasive language. At one point, she refers to Hello Flo products as “Santa, for your vagina!” Disregarding the language completely, others are worried this girl is too young to be talking about menstruation.
“I was sort of confused after viewing the advertisement” commented Armi Grace Cortes, senior at the University of Illinois. “The language and tone used by the actress did not seem suitable for her age group.”
Hello Flo is a tampon delivery service that sends discrete cardboard boxes to your house, dorm room or even camp cabin. So for Naama Bloom, Hello Flo president and brainchild of the new ad, it was only natural to use innovation in the commercial. Bloom knew that some people would be outraged by the ad, but she felt comfortable with the age of the actress once she talked to other women about the product.
“I spoke to women who were 20 and 21, and they said they started using tampons as soon as they got their period, which wasn’t how it was when I grew up,” said Bloom. “Moms corroborated it with their experience with their daughters.”
Some college students are agreeing with Bloom. Linnea Mengar, a rising U of I senior, thinks this advertisement is a great way to show young girls that getting their periods shouldn’t be a taboo topic.
“I don’t think [getting your period] should be stigmatized, especially for young girls,” said Mengar. “The commercial was a cute way to talk about your period, without the topic being uncomfortable.”
The directors and writers of the ad, Pete Marquis and Jamie McCelland, wanted to make sure that despite the fact that two men were behind it, the ad had a woman’s perspective. “The whole time we were mindful that this product is for women,” said Marquis. “We asked friends and coworkers and girlfriends about it to make sure that what we wrote would be funny and not make people cringe”
This lightheartedness isn’t new in tampon advertisements. Brands like Kotex U are now using satirical advertising where women mock the classic blue liquid that is so often used in feminine care commercials. For the last 30 years, tampon and pad companies have tried to find ways to make having your period look not so scary.
Maggie Briggs, a senior at U of I, commends Hello Flo for creating a relatable education tool for young women. “These commercials are good for moms, too,” Briggs said.“ Being aware of these websites can help direct their child to a good learning place instead of sweeping the whole topic under the rug.”
Despite national controversy over this ad, viewings of the video continue to increase, and it has received acclaim from major news outlets. The “Camp Gyno” video has been called the “best tampon ad in the history of the world” by The Huffington Post and “funniest period commercial ever” by ABC News.
Despite your viewpoint on this video, there is no denying that the way we talk about our bodies is changing. Period.