Jack in the Box commercial about menopause--funny or offensive, or a little of both?
I was watching TV the other day and saw an ad for Jack in the Box that stars a menopausal woman and Jack. I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen an ad for a fast food restaurant that stars a woman in menopause.
If you want to view it, go to www.jackinthebox.com and then click on "commercials" on the left and it should be the ad on the far left. You can see the lady in her pink dress.
Frankly, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. I thought they were making fun of menopausal women. My take was that menopausal women are not taken seriously because we're just hysterical. But it's no laughing matter as I know first hand that very few people take us seriously and that it's a real problem for lots of women.
This may be because I've lived it and seen and heard too many women who are silently suffering that it's hard for me to find the humor in it. But it goes to show you how many women are menopausal when Jack in the Box dedicates a commercial to it.
Then again, I have a dear friend who saw it and thought it was really funny. But she's a bit younger and hasn't hit menopause yet so maybe that's the difference.
I'd love it if you'd follow the link and watch the ad and then post your thoughts below. Is it funny to you, or offensive, or somewhere in between? Michelle
Add A New Comment Report Abuse
Add A New Comment62 Comments
I am a menopausal woman and I laughed my butt off.
Thank you so much everyone for all of the replies so far! What amazes me is that there is obviously no gray areas for you when it comes to this commercial--either you love this ad or you hate it. I keep waiting for Jack himself to weigh in. So Jack, if you're out there, what do you think?
I have lived with and through menopause with three women, my mom, my first wife, and now the woman I have been with for six years. Menopause affected them all (and me) and the only way to deal with it is to acknowledge it and treat it with humor and compassion. It is a passing chemical condition that makes once normal women nuts in one way or another. As you will note,most of the woman who have had to deal with it, think the commercial is hysterical. People, it is a commercial...it is satire. It is only an invitation to buy a cool fruit drink that will help deal with the human condition....CHILL. It is really funny. Thanks to Jack, I laugh every time I see it because it reminds me of all the funny crazy things I have experienced living with menopausal women!
I have been through menopause, surgical -- nothing gradual about mine. I found the commercial funny, funny, funny! This is not meant to be an attack on menopausal women - when was the last time you saw a real woman in menopause like her? There's nothing real in that commercial. If you haven't been there, lighten up. Once you've gone through menopause yourself, then you might have a truer perspective.
in my opinion it's not even a very funny commercial. i think the ones with the stoned guy are much funnier...anyway, it is somewhat borderline offensive, meaning i wouldn't have been the one to say 'wow, great idea for a commercial'. fact is jackinthebox isn't asking menopausal women to buy the drink, they're targeting younger people who will think the commercial is funny.