Dec 02 2008
Fisking ‘One A Day Teen Advantage’
“Did you know there are gender specific teen multivitamins to address the top health concerns of moms and teens? Complete Multivitamins for Teen Boys & Girls to Support:*”
Because dads really couldn’t give a crap of the little tykes die of rickets.
“Healthy muscle function with Magnesium (for Him)”
Because girls don’t need muscles. (And besides, a son who rates an initial capital has to be taken rather seriously, methinks. Wouldn’t want a wimpy-looking second coming).
“Healthy skin with Vitamins A and C, Copper, and Iron (for Her)”
“Healthy skin” for those who are not and have never been a teenage girl is code for “no acne”. Because although boys and girls suffer acne at the similar rate, and boys normally experience slightly higher rates and greater severity, only girls have to have perfect skin. Oh, and the male and female versions of the pills have the same amount of A, C and Copper. (But at least the second coming is going to be co-ed).
Oh, and: “*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
I can’t help but notice that the advantages, and listings of ingredients, both give male specifications first–and the picture has a boy in the foreground. Just saying. because, honestly, who is going to buy a gender-specific vitamin that can’t claim to have any measurable effects? I personally think the most likely demographic is Mom’s buying for daughters and older teen girls buying for themselves.
For a start, as of right now the girls version is sold out at drugstore.com, the male version is not. And I am thinking it is the perfect`triumph of exploitation over function. A pill that implies, but never actually claims, to cure acne–but if you stop taking it you might just get spotty. Brilliant–especially as girls tend to get acne earlier than boys and have it naturally resolve during their most neurotic mid-adolescent years.
Behold the power of the pink placebo. Of course the blue placebo my be equally powerful if “healthy muscle function” is code of “bulking up like Me-Man of GraySkull” making Advantage for “Him” basically a gateway vitamin to steriods (I kid… sort of).
Let me repeat, for emphasis not truth, the slogan: “Complete Multivitamins for Teen Boys & Girls to Support”. (Not, for example, the reverse).
See also: feministing.com, WomensHealthNews, AppetiteForEqualRights.
What I wonder, is that since adult-onset acne seems to be even more prevalent than teen acne, why isn’t the women’s version marketed with the same claims/non-claims?
The problem with the boys’ is that they are playing on muscle mass. Boys these days care more about computers and video games than strength. Maybe if they said “builds hand dexterity and mental alertness.” That hand dexterity could come in handy for many things…
I can’t handle the his and her multi-vitamin. The commercials are aweful! They answer the question “Do you think Men and Women should have the same vitamin?” The Man says “Of course not!” All pompous while playing golf and then in the other question the woman says “There’s a choice?!” Shocked and surprised along with her friends! I hate those commercials.
They have been bugging me too, but the addition of a line targeting gender-specific adolescent anxieties strikes me as particularly low.
Actually, the “Him” one has more B vitamins than the “Her” one and B vitamins (with A and E) are the vitamins that help you have better skin…ironically enough. I’m an 18 year old girl, and I think I’m going to get the Him one just cause it has a higher amount of the vitamins I’m looking for.
where do i find this commercial??
I am taking the vitamin. Not for healthy skin, just for the vitamins. It’s the first teen focused vitamin I have heard of, so I bought it. It just happens to be seperated by girls and boys. This is completly understandable, boys and girls bodies have different needs; so why not have different vitamins.