Ads Promoting Products To “Reverse” PCOS Put Women To Shame Daily. Stop Playing With Our Insecurities To Make Money, Guys!
The screaming and strikingly visible evidence of a lack of research in terms of women’s biological problems is PCOS and it’s extremely shocking that most women are still not aware of the fact that no cures have been invented for this condition, yet. Perhaps this is why we end up being fooled when pharmaceutical companies claim to have found the magical solution that can reverse the effects of PCOS. Alas, these solutions are mostly nothing more than false hope and they end up screwing with both our mental as well as physical health.
These advertisements are very prevalent on social media and we come across them so many times that most of us are eventually compelled to give into experimenting with them. Such an incident occurred with a friend of mine who was compelled to experiment with a magical drink because she thought that seeing its advertisements everywhere was a positive sign but she ended up suffering an unnecessary allergic reaction to this “magical drink”. You see, the real reason why they seem to be omnipresent is that they are very well-targeted so people who search for things related to PCOS literally see them everywhere.
Before we delve into the capitalistic gain made with the help of a severe cause of the suffering of women, let’s get to know a bit about what PCOS is. PCOS or Polycystic ovary syndrome is a condition that affects a woman’s hormone levels. In this condition, their body produces higher-than-normal amounts of male hormones, i.e. androgens. This hormone imbalance causes their body to skip menstrual periods and makes it harder for them to get pregnant. PCOS also causes hair growth on the face and body and baldness. And it can contribute to long-term health problems like diabetes and heart disease. This World PCOS Awareness Month, let’s make sure we start spreading awareness about PCOS and how these awful advertisements that not only shame and fool women but also make money by playing with their mental health and insecurities.
Shaming People Living With PCOS Has Turned Into The Norm
People who have PCOS tend to have it worse than you can imagine. They have to mould their lives and lifestyles according to this medical condition, or else their ovaries start acting up extensively. Almost 70 per cent of women suffering from PCOS develop insulin resistance which results in the accumulation of sugar in their body. This accumulation of sugar causes them to always be on the verge of getting type 2 diabetes. Another effect of PCOS has increased inflammation due to increased androgens therefore it is easier to connect the dots that obesity is a common effect of PCOS but, it isn’t the other way round but, people with PCOS get shamed regularly for their body weight. Alas, shaming women is the norm even when they are the ones who are suffering.
Companies and healthcare firms seem to have taken the shaming up a notch and are now advertising that they can help ‘reverse’ PCOS with the help of a regime, some health drinks, a balanced diet and diabetes drugs and that, my friends, is extremely insensitive. They are advertising that the cause of this disease is your way of living and your weight which is nothing more than a cheap marketing strategy. They are shaming you into buying their memberships or their products. The motive of these companies is not to make your life healthy but to create the illusion of exactly that which is insensitive, traumatic and very painful for people. What’s worse is that they’re doing this by playing with your insecurities and fears!
It’s essential to realise how awful this manipulation can actually get. I mean, they literally aim to exploit your emotions and insecurities to use them to market things to you. I remember feeling awful about the way I looked due to a massive period of bloating and just then, I came across an advertisement which claimed that their pill can help remove the bloating and weight gain caused by PCOS. What do you think I did next? I bought the damn pill and tried it out. I was really depressed when I realised that it was a waste because they weren’t working. This happens to way more women than you can realise, on a daily basis and this needs to stop.
How Can We Bring A Positive Change?
We need to stop shaming and blaming women for having a gynaecological problem like PCOS. NGL but they’re already suffering a lot because of it, they don’t need more. Companies shouldn’t pile up on the suffering to make them think they are the problem or that they must be doing something wrong. And giving this false promise of curing PCOS is only making their sufferings worse. On top of that, these ads influence not only the women suffering from PCOS but also those around them. These ads make them think that PCOS is not a big problem and that it is treatable. And this usually results in people around the women suffering from PCOS, to directly or indirectly suggest that they are careless and unhealthy. Therefore it is of utmost importance that everyone is aware of this scam of the pharmaceutical companies.
For a better and more informed future, we need better sex education at the school level which should be upgraded with every new finding. We need to spread awareness among the women suffering from PCOS about its technicalities and how to accept it as a part of their life. Most importantly, we need to fund research and studies on hormonal and biological issues affecting so many women.
Also Read: From Kareena Kapoor Khan To Masaba Gupta, 5 Bollywood Actresses That Spoke Up About Their PCOS Journeys
As a society, we should be more supportive and compassionate to our members, understand their sufferings and certainly not shame or blame them. It’s time to call the wrong stuff out when you see it and nip it in the bud. Isn’t it?
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