Oh, sure. It sounds sweet: Therapy Llama Visits Children at St. Jude. Coverage of that might even include a picture of bandaged or bed-ridden toddler with his arms wrapped around a long, hairy neck--the perfect photo op. In fact there is exactly that picture, floating around in cyberspace, attached to an article explaining the benefits of therapy llamas.
I want to be charmed--llamas are cute, and I'm all for cheering up a sick kiddo. But honestly, I can't get past what a bad idea it is. Llamas are big. They're hairy. They're germy. They spit. They fight--brutally actually--with those huggable necks.
I'll be the first to admit they're cute, and I can understand the temptation. They're trainable enough to forced into the drudgery of servitude (or is that alpacas?), and to stand still long enough to be woven into a lovely sweater (that might be alpacas too...); wandering around the sterile corridors of a children's hospital ward, then, shouldn't be that far of a leap. But for my precious itty bitty, I think I'll keep petting zoos and medical emergencies separate--at least insomuch as I can control it.
Here's the thing. You and I would both appreciate a good segue into the other bad idea I want to talk about, but the link is weak. It's just weak. So here are the commonalities: animals in the media, animals doing things they really shouldn't be doing. Insert cutesy transition here. And then enjoy this picture:
This is an ad currently running in Women's Health. The sticky note is my mom's addition. In case you can't read it, it says: Can you believe this ad? So disrespectful of beavers!
So disrespectful of beavers. And women, I think. I mean, it's true--women should clean their, well, you know. Hygiene is important. But can't a girl (and a beaver) keep herself fresh for herself? Not according to Tampax. You'd think a group of people writing a marketing campaign directed exclusively at women would have, you know, some women on the team.
But women don't belong in advertising, llamas don't belong in hospitals, and Tampax don't belong in beavers. I think you know which one of those is true.
I want to be charmed--llamas are cute, and I'm all for cheering up a sick kiddo. But honestly, I can't get past what a bad idea it is. Llamas are big. They're hairy. They're germy. They spit. They fight--brutally actually--with those huggable necks.
I'll be the first to admit they're cute, and I can understand the temptation. They're trainable enough to forced into the drudgery of servitude (or is that alpacas?), and to stand still long enough to be woven into a lovely sweater (that might be alpacas too...); wandering around the sterile corridors of a children's hospital ward, then, shouldn't be that far of a leap. But for my precious itty bitty, I think I'll keep petting zoos and medical emergencies separate--at least insomuch as I can control it.
Here's the thing. You and I would both appreciate a good segue into the other bad idea I want to talk about, but the link is weak. It's just weak. So here are the commonalities: animals in the media, animals doing things they really shouldn't be doing. Insert cutesy transition here. And then enjoy this picture:
So disrespectful of beavers. And women, I think. I mean, it's true--women should clean their, well, you know. Hygiene is important. But can't a girl (and a beaver) keep herself fresh for herself? Not according to Tampax. You'd think a group of people writing a marketing campaign directed exclusively at women would have, you know, some women on the team.
But women don't belong in advertising, llamas don't belong in hospitals, and Tampax don't belong in beavers. I think you know which one of those is true.
THAT advertisement. Noooooo! I want the man (it was obviously a man) who came up with this to be fired. Or something.
ReplyDelete