Armpitted against the world

I always enjoy reading the Goa newspapers. Here's one reason. Here's another.

But today I might just have stumbled on the mother of all reasons I enjoy reading the Goa newspapers. This was an article in the Navhind Times titled "The Bright New Side of Advertising", and it is really an ode to ... armpits.

This is true.

It starts by telling us how there are ads on TV in which "a woman is seen thrusting her extra clean underarm at unsuspecting fellow male passengers with a super confident demeanour."

I assure you this is not easy. All day today, I've been going up to people and thrusting my underarm at them. By way of response, they tell me: "Your demeanour is not super confident." (They also wrinkle their noses, but let that be).

Then I learn that "traditionally the marketing discourse had been about making people feel inadequate. It was almost the flag bearer of the cruelty of capitalism." Apparently capitalism was intent on making everyone's "self-image extremely low", and in that endeavour, "armpits … had an important role to play."

That's right. It's why some of the world's most fervent capitalists -- your Gateses, your Buffetts, your Ambanis, your Nooyis -- have been known to flash their armpits in the hope of selling their products, and in the process make you feel crappy about yourself.

But all this has changed in India. Why? "What led to the unabashed flaunting of great-looking armpits"?

Comes the answer: India has "started believing in a euphoria called 'our time has come'".

Got that? India has arrived, complete with armpits. The world better take note.

(The article is here, though for some reason the second half has been sliced off).