Got PMS? Drink Some Milk, Says Sexist Ad Campaign

Thank goodness for the California Milk Processor Board's new ad campaign. Once a month, some women have this pesky thing called PMS that turns them into raging demons if their boyfriends dare look at them wrong, or even, as the campaign says, if their boyfriends don't read between the right lines. But, even a out of control female monster can now be placated, thanks to milk! Oh, glorious PMS-relieving milk! Both females and males should just take one giant calcium-enriched sigh of relief.

The Board's new ad campaign, conceived by creative agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners is entitled "Everything I Do Is Wrong." It consists of several frightened-looking men holding cartons of milk as offerings for their better, angrier halves. Slogans include "I apologize for letting you misinterpret what I was saying," "I apologize for not reading between the right lines," "I'm sorry for the things--or things--I did or didn't do," "We can both blame myself" and "I'm sorry I listened to what you said and not what you meant."

In case the ads aren't enough, scared boyfriends can also visit EverythingIDoIsWrong.org, where they can check the current global PMS levels and monitor "key PMS indicators" such as cocoa futures, silver futures and gold futures. Because, obviously, when a woman is a PMS-ing psycho, chocolate (especially milk chocolate) and pricey jewelry make everything better.

Ad Week argues that the campaign "presents women as more uncontrollably irrational than ever before!" and Salon believes the campaign has gone "that extra offensive mile."

Steve James, executive director of the milk board, told the New York Times that the "humor will allow people to laugh at themselves." Unfortunately, we women are too busy screaming at our boyfriends and craving milk chocolate to laugh along with whoever he's talking about.

Comments

[Bear Toffoli]

05:47 PM on 09/08/2011

LOL! I thought this was hilarious as I just went through PMS with my GF. And just about everything in these ads happened to me. In fact she was so emotionally out of control that she almost killed the relationship with some things she said.

Luckily I had just done my research on periods and so I had some knowledge of how to navigate the waters so I didn't make is worse but still. So I knew this was only temporary and that she would calm down and return to her former self. Women do get more moody and emotional and some do rage during their periods. It isn't wrong or right it just is. And I find that a majority of women can't admit it changes their behavior. I also find many women feel guilty afterwards because the have said things they regret and don't know why in these fews days they totally lose control of themselves. I also know that each woman's period is different some feel nothing and some go crazy with cramps and back pain.

My suggestion to women is when that period of the month hits call up your GFs and have 'em over for a bitch fest and leave the men out of it. Don't ask you man to comfort you or hole up with you and live with something he doesn't understand and can't handle. It isn't fair and it's too much pressure.

[Heather Cyr 71]

09:31 AM on 07/28/2011

Not sure how I feel about this add campaign.

On the one hand PMS stereotypes perpetuate the idea that women are over-emotional crazy people who are unable to function and should not be taken seriously for at least one week out of every month.

On the other hand, I am a little crazy at times (though still fully functional) and humor is a necesity.

I excpect ,however, that if men had to deal with raging hormones every month they might get a little irritable as well.

[kindcruelty]

11:23 PM on 07/22/2011

Idk, what all the fuss is about. I found the ads funny. My husband in no way waves me off as an irrational being who can't be taken seriously when I'm pms-ing...but he can tell when I'm due to start. I got mad the first couple of times he said, "oh, it's that time of the month" until he was consistently right and there were only 3 times he wasn't. I was pregnant in those instances. Irritability is really the only symptom I get on a regular basis and he notices. As for the comment about "the idea of PMS making women hysterical­/irrationa­l/emotiona­l has been used for many years to dismiss and devalue women" I know plenty of women who have used pms as an excuse to get away with bad behavior/get out of doing things they don't want to do. I have seen it in high school and the work place and had it admitted by female friends/coworkers that they have blamed something on "feminine issues" or to quote them as reasons for not doing something. Many women do it every day. Also, if we can laugh at exaggerated stereotypes of men in commercials, I think we should be able to laugh when the same thing is done to us.

[ebranson]

09:21 PM on 07/22/2011

For all you saying that PMS makes women irrational, I find that it gives me the grumpiness to say what I really think once in a while. PMS brings out the truth! It's like beer that way.

[DDay52]

08:41 PM on 07/22/2011

I would like to know why my comments on ANY Huff Post site are being blocked. What did I ever do?

[fastgixxer22]

02:57 PM on 07/22/2011

Those are pretty funny ads, if you're a guy. Of course, since men's feelings about dealing with a woman PMSing aren't valid..... these are sexist. Note to self: only women's feeling count.

[ebranson]

09:18 PM on 07/22/2011

Well, I should think that the feelings of the person suffering physical pain and discomfort would count a bit more, yes.

[fastgixxer22]

07:03 AM on 07/23/2011

Perhaps if you were such a caring person, you would validate the fact that men often are subjected to greater mood variations of the women around them during that time of the month. Instead, your argument is that women suffer more and so men should put up with it.

[thelilithian]

02:37 PM on 07/24/2011

Let me illustrate a point that you clearly missed in your rush to be contrary here. The supposed "medical benefits" of milk in this case only pertain to medical problems experienced by women, not men. Yet this entire campaign is directed toward men, with milk being promoted as a "cure" for their hurt feelings during a woman's pre-menses. So let's flip the script: Would p.nile dysfunction pills, peddled to women (not men) as a "cure" for their chronically disappointing sex lives (and accompanied by a website full of erroneous, generalized stereotype enforcing jokes about p.nile dysfunction, a very real medical condition, in order to make those women laugh) be sexist? Yes, it would. A spade's a spade, my friend.

[fastgixxer22]

06:11 AM on 07/25/2011

Interesting argument, however IF there were an advertisement peddling little blue pills to women as a cure for their disappointment in the bedroom, I would actually think it appropriate. Lets face it, if men had problems with their penises (and which they had no control over), yet the result of those problems had a direct affect on their partner/spouse's happiness, then of course there is a valid argument. If I were to think that it was somehow sexist or inappropiate or male-bashing, then I suppose I would be saying that women's feelings on e.d. were invalid. You're right, a spade is a spade, and men are affected by PMS the same way women are affected by ED...my friend.


I think you failed to anticipate that my response to your scenario would

[thelilithian]

04:49 PM on 07/21/2011

Whatever you think about these ads: dictating to women what they are and aren't supposed to be offended by, as if they lacked the mental capacity to make the "right" choice themselves, is textbook sexism. I'd venture to guess that women will be able to "lighten up" when they can state an opinion contrary to a man's and not be called silly/stupid/hysterical/etc for doing so.

[MushroomTurncoat]

01:08 PM on 07/21/2011

The bad science being promoted here is far more offensive than the perceived sexism over something that's demonstrably real.

[mdsco]

03:39 PM on 07/16/2011

Wow sounds like some women on here need some milk

[JRZGRL1]

05:50 PM on 07/16/2011

Wow, sounds like some men on here need brains.

[OliviaBolivia27]

01:39 PM on 07/16/2011

I hate everything about the nationwide campaigns that American media uses to sound the alarms about "PMS." They've invented this narrative in which women magically turn into unrecognizable raging lunatics once a month for no good reason other than their uteruses, and everyone around them is totally burdened with dealing with it.

I mean, really? I'm pretty sure the majority of women can function just fine, thank you, menstruating or otherwise, and we don't need society telling us that just because we're women and we can menstruate, we automatically suffer ridiculous mood swings, lapses in judgment, and periods of rage toward our loved ones all the time.

This picture that mass media paints of temporary menstrual insanity is just not the reality, so can you quit trying to invent pathologies that 1) give MEN what they think is "scientific proof" that women are crazy and therefore should be disrespected, and 2) set girls and women up to think there's something biologically wrong with them and therefore they need to buy these stupid anti-PMS products to make them less hysterical so people will like them more.

It's all so ridiculous!

[Bianca S]

12:57 AM on 07/18/2011

Wow. If this is you being rational, then I would hate to see you during 'that time of the month'. Oh, yeah I forgot, nothing changes and you're always this charming.

Ladies, we are more irrational when we're PMSing! Why is it totally okay for our girlfriends, Cosmo, Sex and the City, female cartoon writers and female comedians to make jokes about going through it themselves, but not the men who have to live with it? When a man dares mention it, all of a sudden it's this 'imaginary' condition perpetuated by the media to further discriminate against women? Give me a break.
Obviously, we don't turn into 'raging lunatics', that would be the satire of it, but many women do become moodier during specific times of our cycles and men have been picking on it for years. So now we're blaming them for noticing this?

If women want true equality, then they have to learn to take a joke at their expense. You don't have to see the humour in it, but stop calling things sexist when they're not. Just like all the 'forgetting to put the toilet seat down, forgetting your anniversary, getting lost, and not asking for directions when your wife already told you to pull over ask for directions 1 hour ago generalised jokes that women make at all men's expense, we have to lighten up about these ones too.

[fastgixxer22]

03:09 PM on 07/22/2011

Wow, one of the few sensible comments on here! Thanks for being honest and open about this whole PMS sexism issue. You are right, not all women turn into raging phsychos during that time of the month. But lets be honest, its a reality that women are more emotional and have greater variations of mood during PMS. So why is it that when men point this out, all of a sudden they are being sexist and brainless? There is a double standard out there (Sex and the City, women's magazines, comedians) where its okay for women to make light of the situation, but its unacceptable when an advertisement points out that men have to deal with these same issues. I think its time we (read between the lines: women) lighten up a bit..... and have a glass of milk.

[mangohombre]

05:30 PM on 07/14/2011

Now the guys just need to put a picture of their wife/girlfriend in "happier" times with the words "Have You Seen Me?" on the side of the carton.

[aychrist]

01:48 AM on 07/14/2011

http://www.change.org/petitions/california-milk-processor-board-got-an-apology-drop-sexist-ad-campaigns

[mselizadivine]

11:47 PM on 07/13/2011

I don't know how offensive I find these ads to be, but I know I find them far from funny. They're just kind of lame and in poor taste.

[2FewRealNewz]

11:46 PM on 07/13/2011

what a farce. . .Alkalyzing the blood helps PMS not added synthesized hormones from pasturized cowmilk.

[Jeannette Lacey]

10:15 PM on 07/13/2011

Although I know these ads are meant to be jokes - and I am usually pretty laid back about things - I do find these offensive. I think if the Milk industry had pictures of women feeling better after having ingested milk, it might not have seemed sexist. But these ads simply continue to enforce the myth that we women "abuse and mistreat" men during a certain time of the month when our hormones are so out of whack, at which time we are barely human.

I don't use milk products much anymore in favor of soy and almond varieties. These ads make me want to use less.

[Stephen Abeyta]

11:52 AM on 07/14/2011

Myth?

[Jeannette Lacey]

08:11 PM on 07/14/2011

Yes, MYTH...I find it interesting that a man thinks he KNOWS how I feel every 28 days. You don't know - and won't in this lifetime - anymore than I know how it feels to get an erection.