by Reid Fitzsimons

Recently I've been seeing a TV ad that involves a goodly number of overweight and black people, all women, dancing about to rap music while joyfully applying a 72-hour full body deodorant (“pits, package, feet, and beyond!”); apparently overweight and black ladies and females in general are highly susceptible to malodor, along with commercial exploitation. I fear I am far removed from what our society has become. Does a 72 hour deodorant especially targeted for overweight women, black women, and women overall reflect a new cultural paradigm, or are the marketing people trying to create one? Is it simply more convenient to smear and spray redolent chemicals on our bodies than go through the hassle of bathing?