Why do TV ads for laxatives always feature women?

its all about dieting!

?

dieting? Im with kevbo, what does that have to do with the difference in women and men using laxatives?

No, I was saying, “huh? please explain.”

Amy Poehler: And now, it’s time for the latest installment of Women’s News with special Women’s News correspondent, Tina Fey.

Tina Fey: Thank you, Amy. I think we can all agree that it’s a great time to be a lady in America. And not just because of that new yogurt that helps you poop. Although, on the serious, thank you for that yogurt.

Hahahahaha! Way to tie it together jz1220. Nice SNL reference by the way.

Isn’t there that great commercial with the guy at the construction site who takes some medicine to become regular… but all the while in the shots behind him there are ibeams coming out of holes, barrels rolling off of dump trucks, you get the picture.

@kevbo laxitives speed up the transit of food through your bowel so there is less time for nutrients to be absorbed. Not an overly great idea for the long term.

I remember seeing that commercial, andrew, and laughing my head off. You also reminded me of the commercial for overactive bladder medicine, with imagery of streams, rivers…

Oh wait! I almost forgot about the one with the three guys going into the stall everyday. Doesnt sound as good as the one Andrews talking about, but none the less, its guys.

as far as I knew…. Girls didnt poop….poor marketing in my opinion. I think they should have a man sitting on the seat and sighing in relief. Much more effective way of getting the point across. Heh

Again, not answering kevbo’s question, but I couldn’t resist searching for the construction worker commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwX8MzOKOzI&feature=related

@shockvalue: small correction-it’s all about eating disorders and the target demographic for those products…good point though

Okay, that’s a brilliant ad.

Any hope for an answer?

It seems to me that laxative ads feature more women, but fiber ads feature a mix of women and men. Maybe it’s just something that (stereotypically) women worry about more? I mean, laundry and air freshener ads seem to involve more women than men too.

Because women are their market. Womens metabolisms tend work slower than men and yeah, then there’s the diet thing…

Or because men are more likely to ignore the symptoms than women.

I have given this question some more thought, and speaking from personal experience, I can say that during the week of PMS, things are slow going down there, which is one of the reasons why women feel really bloated. When the period starts, the cramps are caused by contractions in the uterus, which also helps to stimulate bowel movement. So, I guess women are more sensitive to bloating/constipation because it happens to them on a monthly basis?

@jz1220, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

I think in general because women are better targets. If a guy ever feels not so fresh, his response is probably to just light a fart or deal with it in some other practical fashion. Likewise, if he has a problem, he’ll just take two issues of some girly or science magazine and have a good time instead of buying a laxative to cheat himself out of extra “reading” time.