Comments on: Be Chic While You Barf

By: Alia

Alia — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 19:20:48 +0000

I am pregnant with my 3rd child and this is probably the most ridiculous thing i have ever seen in mu life….

By: thewhatifgirl

thewhatifgirl — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:26:46 +0000

To commodify something is to take something that is not bought and sold and turn it into something that is.

A little nitpick: according to your definition quoted above, this ISN’T commodification. Barf bags do not occur naturally, you know. ;)

By: thewhatifgirl

thewhatifgirl — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Why does everyone have to frown upon morning sickness and treat it like it’s something that should be behind closed doors. These bags say to me, ‘it’s okay if you’re feeling sick.’ It’s similar to how putting cute packaging on sanitary products makes you feel less inclined to need to ‘hide’ them.

But why do you need a pretty bag to do that? Can’t you just say, “So what? I have morning sickness!” and throw up in an undecorated bag?

By: kfredie

kfredie — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:33:39 +0000

This is quite the postfeminist product. In a world where celebrities (the “ideal” feminine – slender, chic, fashionable, etc.) are glorified in pregnancy (the ultimate act of doing difference and doing gender), we “must” have products that make women look similarly chic, stylish, and lavish ($7.50 per trash bag!), even while in the literal act of barfing. I agree that women should not be stigmatized or feel like they have to hide behind closed doors during bouts of morning sickness. But, to me, the implication that women must look chic and glamorous while vomiting is further implication that we are in a postfeminist world, where doing difference by being pregnant/mothering awards women significant status – especially if they look impossibly chic through it all.

And now that marketers suggest that the barf bag expectant women use should be cute, what sort of implications follow on how are the women themselves (who are undoubtedly tired and miserable) supposed to look??

By: Links of Great Interest 8/21/09 | the Hathor Legacy

Links of Great Interest 8/21/09 | the Hathor Legacy — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:58:18 +0000

[...] women must ALWAYS be cute. At least you’ve got something to puke in while you panic about [...]

By: NancyP

NancyP — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:00:25 +0000

To me these look like little gift/candy bags for a ladies’ AA meeting….

By: Elena

Elena — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:23:10 +0000

She had a severe form of morning sickness, called Hyperemesis Gravidarum

That posh Latin boils down to “excessive vomiting of the pregnant woman.” Heh.

By: Meep

Meep — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:54:51 +0000

I’ve never been pregnant, I will say that. I’m of two minds about this: one, damn, will people just commodify everything, but two, when I’m sick and unhappy (whether or not you’re happy with you’re pregnancy, I can’t imagine throwing up is fun, no matter why you’re doing it), I do like things that are cute – so if I was going to be throwing up a lot, I might want something kinda cute to be throwing up into.

By: Cathleen

Cathleen — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:56:15 +0000

After watching an episode of Intervention about a bulimic the other night, i think there might be a real market for these in the eating-disorder community. The new “It” accessory for fashion magazine staffers perhaps??

By: JOhn Woods

JOhn Woods — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:19:15 +0000

Wow, you have to admit that is pretty hip!

RT
http://www.online-anonymity.net.tc

By: EKSwitaj

EKSwitaj — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:20:33 +0000

I’m not entirely sure that the original reason for using the line changes the message it sends, especially since the whole story isn’t printed on the bags.

By: Mad Men ’s Misogyny Based On True Stories • Marriott’s Lawyers Not To Blame For Victim-Blaming [Leftovers] by Funny Celebrity . info

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 07:05:57 +0000

[...] according to race and closely monitored (read: peepholes) by SS officials. • Get a load of this: “Morning chicness” barf bags. Because if you have a vagina, even your vomit has to be pretty. • A study of women’s [...]

By: Anush

Anush — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 06:12:36 +0000

There’s no need to “cute-ify” a biological process, but why not make it a little more attractive? I’ve never been pregnant, but I imagine that vomiting every morning isn’t all that fun. Maybe throwing up into a slightly kitschy, colorful little bag makes some women feel better about it. This product seems completely innocuous to me.

By: Emily

Emily — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 03:03:27 +0000

Who would pay $7.50 for something they’re going to puke in?

By: hoshi

hoshi — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:19:38 +0000

i haven’t thrown up in over a decade. so uh… i can’t really relate to desiring pretty barf bags. however, i DO understand wanting to make an illness acceptable and a part of every day life.

i was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago and suddenly i had lancets, syringes, pen needles, test strips, and alcohol swabs that i needed to use every day. for a while i wrestled with where to put it all. if i put it under the counter, away and out of sight, it would be inconvenient for me. but leaving a plastic tub on the counter just felt… cold.

my solution? i took my favorite decorative box, arranged all my supplies inside, and left it on the counter. sure, it looks a little out of place. but ya know, opening the lid to a wooden box sure feels better to me than popping open a plastic lid. diabetes is undeniably a part of my life. but i feel that “dressing up” my disease in that box helped me accept the drastic changes.

so yeah, i can understand why some people would want a decorative barf bag and i understand why some people wouldn’t. no matter what, other people will still think “ewww!!!” when they hear someone puking. i don’t think a pretty bag is going to change that. if anything, i think the bag is more to benefit the one who is ill.

but that’s my opinion. ^_^