The midterm elections are looming over everyone’s heads in America. Tomorrow, November 8, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate will be challenged. This midterm election, as with many before, is critical for many reasons. One, in particular, is the fact that there is a conservative majority in the Supreme Court (that struck down Roe v. Wade) right now—if Republicans take Congress, it could result in a total abortion ban across the country.
To help encourage female voters to submit their ballots, Boulder, Colorado-based agency Fortnight Collective has released a parody campaign. Dubbed “Votex,” the movement inspires females through an abundance of period-related puns, including “flow to the polls” and “soak the ballots.”
The agency discovered that women in their 20s received half of the total abortions in the country; in numerous states throughout America, their reproductive rights and access to safe abortions have been jeopardized. The Votex campaign includes a long pamphlet, mimicking that in a tampon box, with instructions on voting. The box features blue hues and a pop of pink paired with typography and a layout that imitates a genuine tampon box.
While the campaign was created to inspire 20-something females to get to the polls, there remains a slight condescending nature about the campaign. If the point is to inspire women to be in charge of their reproductive rights and to feel in control of their sexual well-being, it seems it would make sense if the campaign had condoms and emergency contraceptives at the root instead of tampons.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with inspiring voters, particularly when women’s rights are up for grabs. If tampons are a way to spread the word, then I am here for it.
