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Loopywafflehead ([info]loopywafflehead) wrote in [info]otf_wank,
@ 2012-08-27 18:31:00


Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:feminism: you're doing it wrong

It's a ladies pen, for ladies


Many thanks to the anon on wank_report for this one!

Bic have released Bic For Her, a line of pens for just ladies. They are your everyday ballpoint pens except that the outer casings are in pink or purple, so that is how you know who can use them.

The first customer review is from Andrea, who is a very clearly a Bic employee:

OK - so I admit it, I have a pink diary, pink laptop and even a pink phone. But now I have a really good quality pink pen!! - It is really comfortable to use, writes smoothly and lets face it, it is great to have a pen that is distinctive. It stops your friends from pinching it as you immediately recognise that it is yours!! (although as it comes with 11 others, I have given my BFF one! Great price for 12 pens of this quality.


She gets called out for being a plant. Reviewers then proceed to have lots and lots of fun in the comments. A small selection of reviews:



1. My man friend helped me to order this product as he said it would be very useful for me, and this morning it dropped onto my doormat. I was very disappointed to find that this isn't a pair of shoes, an oven, or dishwashing soap. I don't really know what you expect me to do with it/them, to be honest - which is a shame, because I like the colours. I've arranged the thingies into a pretty glass vase for now xoxoxox


2. I am a huge fan of the gender binary. Without it, it's very hard to work out who to oppress … I write things, but not often enough to require 12 pens. Seriously - the only feminine person I can think of who produces that many words is Barbara Cartland, and she lies on a chaise longue while someone else writes down her dictation in any case. How many thoughts do you think I have in my pretty pretty head, bic?

Even if I did have a moment of wisdom, I would feel ashamed, keep it secret and hope like hell it would pass before anyone noticed.


3. As a MILLIONAIRE AUTHOR of BESTSELLING TECHNO-THRILLERS, I have to say that I was very disappointed with this pen. Whenever I tried to write punchy, in-your-face prose about the nuclear payload capabilities of the B-2 Northrop-Grunmann stealth bomber, I found myself instead writing about shopping, cocktails and friendship. And when I tried to write the title 'OPERATION CRISIS POINT' at the top of the page, I found myself writing 'DIARY OF A THIRTYSOMETHING' instead. Is Jeremy Renner gonna want to star in the movie adaptation of that? IS HE HECK.


4. I feel I must complain in the strongest terms about the sexism of this item. Where are the "For Him" pens? How can I embrace my masculinity, when there is no pen for me? Am I destined to just watch all of the women around me falling into a sparkly dream of ponies, crochet and butterflies, while I pace angrily here, unable to access the manly world of construction vehicles, barbeques, motor racing and science? I can barely adjust my crotch, I am so angry.


5. I can't help but be disturbed by the phallic symbolism of these pens. As a lady of refinement, the last thing I want to do is to be seen holding something resembling a gentleman's "member" in my expensively manicured hands. What happens in the bedroom is one thing but what happens in public is another!


6. Before I bought this product I couldn't write but now I'm an engineer. Mind you, I only design pink, flowery bridges, motorways and sewers. Blue ones would be wrong wouldn't they.


7. I can't recommend this product at all. I didn't pay attention to BIC's blurb and didn't realise they were designed for female hands and not male ones. It just didn't work but when I gave one to a female colleague she had no problem using it, obviously BIC are onto something here but I don't know what it is.

All was not lost however, I found that by removing the ink cartridge the outer layer is great for smoking crack as the rubber sleeve prevents it slipping from my fingers once I'm blazed.


8. I bought this pen (in error, evidently) to write my reports of each day's tree felling activities in my job as a lumberjack. It is no good. It slips from between my calloused, gnarly fingers like a gossamer thread gently descending to earth between two giant redwood trunks.


9. I tried these on a whim, and I have to say I wasn't very impressed. The applicator mechanism is far too fiddly, and the plastic tampon inside far too thin (not to mention uncomfortable and non-absorbant) - I'm sure there must be a knack to using them, but I couldn't find it. They also stained my knickers blue for some reason. I really wanted to like these, but it's back to pads for me.


10. How could I have missed my own deep inner need for such a product? It's just perfect for ramming straight up the hogs' eye of any sexist man I happen to be oppressed by - no more tabasco-dipped nasty old medical catheters for the misogynists in my life!


11. Pray, what is a 'pen'? I do like it so, because it is so pink, but I remain ignorant as to its practical use. Father says not to ask questions because it might give me wrinkles, and to carry on practising my charming giggle so I can one day ensnare a Duke - but I cannot help but be intrigued by the delicate pinkness of this curio. I can only assume that because it is pink, it is intended for a woman's useage. I am a woman, therefore perhaps I should have this pink so-called pen?


12. Despite the hype, and the colour, and the talk of buttons and tips moving in and out, this was the worst dildo ever.

ETA: The people on Metafilter are also having a jolly good laugh over this.



(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)


[info]full_metal_ox
2012-08-27 10:55 pm UTC (link)
It's like that ad campaign for Dr. Pepper Ten, proclaiming the product's MANLY MACHO MANHOOD, with NO DIET GIRL COOTIES ALLOWED, no siree!

(Pretty tough talk about a beverage that tastes like a carbonated Twinkie.)

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]rosehiptea
2012-08-28 04:24 am UTC (link)
I remember talking to a guy who said in his family Tab (is that even still around?) was called "Ladies Soda." So when he was a kid one day he walked down to the store for the family and asked for some, and the store owner had no idea what he was talking about.

Unfortunately I think this guy really did think diet drinks were a woman thing and I don't think I can entirely blame the Coke company in his case. His wife also once took my real booze away and tried to give me something flavored. But I digress even further.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]full_metal_ox
2012-08-28 11:45 pm UTC (link)
I'm quite aware that such a prejudice exists--possibly encouraged by Tab's advertising, which famously focused upon the female figure (and its appeal to the Girl-Watcher's Gaze); the Diet Coke commercial that inverted the convention pretty clearly featured Lucky Vannous as eye-candy rather than a placeholder for potential male consumers.

I suppose my point, though, is that Coca-Cola has successfully established Coke Zero as a Guy Diet Soft Drink without recourse to any such "NO GIRLS ALLOWED" sign on the clubhouse.

(And I already have an Action Hero Beverage of choice, thank you.)

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]rosehiptea
2012-08-29 01:56 am UTC (link)
I somehow missed that Diet Coke commercial when it first came out but I agree with your analysis of it.

(Now that I remember it, I didn't have a TV that year. Long story.)

However thanks to this discussion (which I have barely coherently contributed to really) I discovered this bizarre Pepsi commercial involving German footballers: I don't even know.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]gerorin
2012-08-29 02:24 pm UTC (link)
Afraid they're not German footballers at all.

Okay, so I saw Beckham, Henry, Ronaldinho, Raul Gonzales and Lampard(!), I might be missing somebody, but they're not from the Die Nationalmannschaft. I think 'the team' was a reference to 'the Pepsi team' or smth (the comments mentioned Torres, but I think I missed him). /footie blabber.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]rosehiptea
2012-08-29 05:55 pm UTC (link)
Ahahaha, sorry about that, shows you what I know. (Even I should be able to recognize Beckham, but I guess I didn't.) I was just going by the title.

The only German footballer I really recognize is Mats Hummels, and that's because my friend on Tumblr likes to post pictures of him and I like to say "Wow" and reblog them.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]gerorin
2012-08-30 07:23 am UTC (link)
Oh Mats is gorgeous, even though he's depressingly young. I've a soft spot for a lot of the German NT players.

My team (Chelsea) has been steadily increasing the amount of eye-candy in the squad over the years; to the point that I'm left wondering if 'ridiculously attractive' is in the list of things our scouts look for. I mean, look at our bb Bertrand. I still remember him in our Youth being adorable, not... hot. It's a bit disturbing ^^;

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]rosehiptea
2012-08-30 04:49 pm UTC (link)
That is definitely one handsome man. And are those tattoos?

I'm just going to not think about how I'm presumably old enough to be his mother.

(I wonder if they've ever had a football thread at hot_daily?)

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]gerorin
2012-08-30 05:22 pm UTC (link)
Those are indeed tatoos.

I don't hang around hot_daily, but ontd_football regularly pay tributes to the beautiful men playing the beautiful game (and the beautiful women playing it too, ofc)

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)


[info]rosehiptea
2012-08-30 06:10 pm UTC (link)
They look really nice close up.

... I might have to take a peek, though I don't actually watch sports. (Maybe I should try...)

(Reply to this)(Parent)


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