By Shweta Patwardhan
Of late I have been watching a strange phenomenon on prime time television. There are at least three advertising commercials in which a woman is seen thrusting her extra clean underarm at unsuspecting fellow male passengers with a super confident demeanour.
Yes, the brands/products in question are antiperspirants and deodorants, and traditionally armpits have played very significant roles in creating the selling arguments. The only thing I am a little baffled by is why on earth would an otherwise fine woman proudly flash her armpit? We have heard of flashing a smile aided by the able assistance of a toothpaste brand or even flaunting a great body with some support from a low-fat dietary supplement product. But flaunting one’s armpit?
This phenomenon could actually be an indicator of something significant. No, I am not for once saying that armpits may have gained greater significance in our beauty code. But it’s actually about how product marketing is trying to change its course and trying to build a different relationship with consumers.
Traditionally, the marketing discourse had been about making people feel inadequate. It was almost the flag bearer of the cruelty of capitalism.
Advertising had ridiculed people on every possible shortcoming and at times created shortcomings out of thin air. Advertising unabashedly told the dark girl that her father would have been better off having a son (remember “kash mera ek beta hota” ad for a fairness cream?), the short boy in the school was routinely ridiculed by a brand of health drink. It was necessary for advertising to create an image of low self-esteem for every viewer. Chapped lips, cracked heels and dandruff-ridden hair was always portrayed with alarming social consequences - be it being unworthy of love or coming up short in a job interview. The capitalist’s argument was simple: I will make your self-image extremely low and just in case you want it back you need to buy all the products and services and in that process fuel the economy. Perceptions of beauty and fashion, in particular, have been terribly distorted - advertising has almost invented parts through which people can be made to loathe their own bodies. Pimples, wrinkles, grey hair, bad breath, yellow teeth, oily skin were advertising’s tools to make people feel inferior. Armpits in that scheme had an important role to play. It played on people’s lack of self-confidence and a tentative self-examination of one’s armpit led to serious doubts. And then, of course, the fabled deodorant would come to the rescue and the hapless protagonist would get back a spring in her steps and confidently get closer to the world. Why did this discourse change? What led to the unabashed flaunting of great looking armpits?
It all started with some visible symbols in recent India that clearly indicated that India is no longer worried about the collective memories of scarcity, tentativeness and self-doubt. As a nation, we started believing in a euphoria called “our time has come”.
