Through my jamming, I added the text “I’m also at risk for kidney disorders, migraine headaches, hypertension, liver tumors, blood clots, and much more. Ask your doctor about the possible side effects of this drug and review your health history together before starting this drug!” I also blanked out the word “boys” and replaced it with “folks,” as well as blacked out the faces of the men gazing at the woman.
My intent with the added text was to show consumers that there is much more to the pill than this ad lets on. Now, the ad includes a fraction of the possible side effects of Yasmin (retrieved from https://www.drugwatch.com/yaz/) as well as encourages the consumer to have a conversation with their doctor about previous health issues before committing to this pill. The original ad dismissed the conversation of health almost entirely, and instead, focused on sexualizing the woman and convincing consumers that if they go on the pill, they too will be safe and “desireable.”
Another intent of mine was to get rid of the gender-mold issue that I previously discussed. Deciding on a contraceptive method should be a personal, individual decision. By using the word “boys” and by including four gazing men within the ad, it leaves the impression that in order to go on this pill, you must be a heterosexual, feminine woman. It also suggests that the woman pictured is simply going on the pill to please these other men watching her. By blanking out the faces and changing the word “boys” to a gender neutral word, this ad is now recognizing that women choose to go on the pill for a lot of reasons other than to have sex with men. Moreover, it gets rid of the idea that you must be heterosexual in order to go on this pill.