It made me think of Californian ideology. For those of you who haven’t heard of it –it comes from an article by Barbrook and Cameron published in Mute magazine in 1995 and it’s basically an ideology evolving around technology being able to fix anything. According to Aibnb’s above advertisement – is this a platform that can save the world?
Platforms such as Airbnb drive the digital economy forward. Airbnb runs a marketplace where hosts can rent out their houses. Its nonprofit project, Airbnb.org, provide free housing to people in need. Despite its seeming altruism, is it really?
The video highlights qualities like generosity, community, and inclusiveness rather than profit or the platform’s effect on property markets. This storyline draws attention away from the platform’s profit-driven basis and presents Airbnb’s crisis management role as normal – even essential.
Barbrook and Cameron critiqued such occurrence. They think it assumes that everyone has equal access to technology and that the internet alone can fix big problems.
By presenting individual hosts who provide accommodation, Airbnb.org highlights the superstructure – the intellectual and cultural framework that supports and explains the economic system. These hosts are portrayed as unselfish contributors to a worldwide solution, which is consistent with the concept of “techno-utopianism.”
‘Information technologies, so the argument goes, empower the individual, enhance personal freedom, and radically reduce the power of the nation-state. Existing social, political and legal power structures will wither away to be replaced by unfettered interactions between autonomous individuals and their software.’
Barbrook and Cameron, 1995
One of the main issues is that hosts don’t know who is going to stay at their property. Since it’s voluntary, there’s a third party taking care of booking details. Some hosts seem to be unhappy with this solution.
Hosts are being compensated by various organisations supporting Airbnb.org idea or offer a discounted rate for those in need stays. However, are the hosts actually prepared to handle such difficult situations? People in need tend to be different customers than regular Airbnb users due to their urgent circumstances/states. They tend to be distressed, whereas, some hosts might not be equipped enough to deal with such difficulties.
Additionally, there are costs like utilities, homeowner’s insurance, and a cleaning charge that Airbnb will not pay for. Airbnb benefits from free PR and the satisfaction of having assisted thousands of people without charging them anything. In the meantime, the host may experience some property damage or other liabilities. The liability is almost passed onto volunteers instead of reliable sources.
When was the last time you saw a TV ad talk about periods without the typical blue liquid? For decades, menstruation has been treated like a big secret – something to hide and not talk about.
In recent years, Bodyform’s campaigns have moved far beyond product demonstrations to starting a social conversation. They’re telling real and relatable stories about periods and reproductive health.
Let’s unpack how Bodyform’s bold approach is breaking taboos and why it’s such a big deal.
This ad caught my attention when I saw it on X. Why? Bodyform shows ‘real’ blood instead of blue liquid and is transparent with the audience portraying periods as something natural.
Such a brilliant video. Saw it with my daughter who has just started her periods and we both were just glad that someone is trying to say how complex periods can be. It’s never just a period. Thanks for sharing
Growing up I also experienced a stigma around periods and was terrified when I first got it. My mum was never transparent about it, same with my friends and family. What’s more, social media wasn’t that big when I was younger, so I never had an opportunity to see a campaign showing young girls how normal and natural periods are. School ‘sex-ed’ was too embarrassing to focus on and they didn’t teach me much. The only source of information I had was Bravo magazine (which also was not perceived well by adults). They wrote about taboo and coming-of-age topics. They educated me and most of my friends.
Lodged between the ads for tampons, zit concealers and mobile phone ring tones is a weekly sex advice column splashed with photos of teenagers, au naturel — kind of like Penthouse Letters for kids. It’s the kind of thing that would land the publishers in jail were it to hit newsstands on the other side of the Atlantic.
So, if you hadn’t had Bravo – how do you know what’s going on with your body if no one’s willing to tell you?
Bodyform is fighting this occurrence and trying to be as clear as possible to both, young girls and misunderstood in the society women. It empowered many women and should continue to.
It encourages sisterly encouragement – likes, shares and stories told in 140 characters are easily digestible, and a soft way to get adolescents, in particular, hooked on the movement – and, of course, your brand.
What’s more, people are less likely to seek treatment for conditions like PCOS, or irregular cycles when women’s health is taboo.
Millions of people are still affected by period poverty, which is the lack of access to menstruation supplies, although it is frequently disregarded due to the stigma associated with periods. Although Bodyform’s commercials don’t completely resolve these problems, they certainly stir conversation. And the first stage towards change is that.Their campaigns, according to critics, are part of a broader trend known as “femvertising,” in which companies use feminist messages to promote their goods.
Bodyform’s campaigns focus on the human experience rather than just pads. They demonstrate that, whether it’s about the heartache of miscarriage, pregnancy, or the IUV, we should start paying real attention to it.
Contrary to popular belief, women don’t bleed blue liquid, they bleed blood. Periods are normal. Showing them should be too. #bloodnormalpic.twitter.com/zc9eoFvocQ
Bodyform gains by presenting itself as an advocate for empowerment. Although their advertisements make us, women, feel good, they also link those feelings to purchasing their goods. This is a valid question is it possible for a brand to benefit from the very problems it draws attention to while still genuinely campaigning for change?
To anyone who’s interested in the commodification of feminism I recommend Popular Feminism and Popular Misogyny (2018) by Sarah Banet-Weiser. She speaks about popular feminism and critiques how feminism, has been commercialised and repurposed to fit within capitalist frameworks.
How do you feel about Bodyform’s strategy? Are they pushing the boundaries or are they just another company embracing the empowerment trend? Leave a comment below with your opinions. I’d love to know what you think!
