I’m always amazed at what innocuous things get a full-on national holiday.
OK, so holiday is likely the wrong word here—it’s not like we get the day off to watch The Price is Right reruns with the Barker, but it seems curious and a touch opportunistic to see National Whiskey Day or its sweet counterpart Ice Cream Day. Really, these are just events for editors of publications so they can create content, right?
Well, no disrespect to grilled cheese or pickles or any of these other wonderful things that didn't-need-a-whole-ass-day, but masturbating gets a whole damn month to itself. That’s right. If you weren't in the know, May is National Masturbation Month, and K-Y wants you to celebrate with a little “me” time.
To mark the occasion, the brand created a sex-positive campaign aimed at women alongside the design agency Elephant, where they handpainted signs reading “Hand up if you masturbate.” Other signs read, “let’s give ourselves a hand,” or simply contained a veritable listicle full of winks and knowing nods to viewers with euphemisms like “polishing the pearl,” “buttering their own muffin,” and “slapping the oyster.”
“It’s 2021, and society is done with the male gaze,” Elephant said about their work on the advertisements. “It’s high-time we do more to champion the female one, especially when it comes to sexual wellness. While stigma keeps the topic taboo in the mainstream, the only visibility masturbation gets in pop culture is through “bro” comedy. Until now.”
The brightly painted signs heavily feature pink and blue and boldly stand out, encouraging folks to dispel shame around masturbating and celebrate sexual health and wellness and, yes, buying a little K-Y for the uber-special month.
While the billboards went up in swinging and sex-positive New York City locales like Bushwick and Williamsburg, I’d wager that the campaign would be far more relevant in, say, Branson, Missouri, or perhaps next to a mega-church?
Anywho, call me, K-Y. I'm available.