www.incontinentsupport.org

Wow. Just saw the video of Mike McGee. Very impressive. This may very well turn out to be a good thing after all.

Over and over again I keep hearing that the ab/dl crowd is what "improves" the diaper market. If I was a betting man I would bet that the ab/dl group is a tiny number of Americans wearing diapers. The VAST majority of people in diapers are just everyday people. Age, accidents, life, cancer, disease, mental problems, etc. are the main reasons we wind up in diapers. Yes, yes the ab/dl people may be responsible for a wider assortment of things (colors, prints, useful garments, etc) but sellers look for the big sales market - and that is us! WE drive the market. And we should remember that. I also would bet that a lot of ab/dl's are people who are in fact incontinent and have found some comfort in that lifestyle, using it as a way to deal with something that we all know is very hard to deal with. Papa

That is very a interesting point of view Papa and you very well may be on to something. Reading your thoughts about how small the abdl group may be reminds me of other groups and how the stereotypes seem to always prevail. A few examples would be how all police are power hungry bullies that only want to push you around. Sure there are some out there but because that is all we hear about, we assume this is the majority. Same with Muslim extremist. This is what is all over the news but its a shame it blurs the reality of the truth. One mor example would be some of the Mormon follows that believe in polygamy. This is no longer the stance of that church but a few screw jobs out there give the whole church a bad name. Maybe its the same with incontinence. All we have heard or seen in the past is how some not job did something bad and was wearing a diaper. Media is horrible for painting picture like this and farther strengthening those stereotypes. Very thought provoking. Thanks.

Pap's point is an interesting one but my bet is that the majority of diaper purchases are by healthcare providers. I think I am right in saying that that healthcare providers in the USA have to change a patients diapers every 2 hours. That accounts for a lot of diapers - and dire one's too as the manufacturers, like Depend, depend (pun intended!) on the large healthcare market and keep the price down to match the usage.

In Europe, the tendency is to use catheters / sheaths in healthcare surroundings so nappies (diapers) are marketed more at individual users which is why everyone was impressed in the USA when European nappies made there way there.

Just a thought...

The Depend Underwareness campaign has made it to TV. I saw an ad last night, but I neglected to check the time or channel. The ad followed the "Drop Your Pants" video on the website fairly closely, but didn't have any rappers, and if it featured any women, they were seriously in the background. There may have been some women on the Segway scooters, but the riders were sort of grayed out.

Wetters

I'm somewhat conflicted by this commercial.

On one side, I think the intent of this campaign is good. Incontinence, frankly put, sucks. This is before you even add the stigma associated with having to wear diapers and change without raising an eyebrow. One of my biggest fears is that I'll get careless one day, and the top will be sticking out, and some punk teenager will be with his friends and see it, take a picture, make a meme out of it and post it on the internet and it would spread like wildfire.

I want the stigma to go away, and the only way I think this will happen is by tackling it, head on, like KC is doing. I'd imagine that if there was enough exposure (no pun intended) and celebrities that came forward about their incontinence, it would start to be accepted, similar to what has happened with the LBGT crowd.

On the other hand, KC is a multi-billion dollar corporation. I can't imagine they are doing this unless their ulterior motive is $$$. I checked out the website, and seeing the comedian and poet in a diaper was just......weird. I would be more ok with it if they had celebrities who wore diapers come forward about their incontinence, but not show them IN those diapers. The fact that it seems like half the purpose of the campaign is to show people in diapers in an attempt to normalize it seems like the wrong approach to me.

Depends sucks, and I never wear them. I wear either Dry 24/7 or Molicare Super+, depending on the situation and how long I'll be wearing it. What I wish they'd really do is have one of their representative come on the site and say "How can I design a diaper that works?" If they did this, the feedback they'd get would be invaluable and I bet they'd create the best diaper on the market.

Like others have stated on here, I can see the ABDL crowd taking this and running with it. They'll start taking pictures of themselves in soaked or soiled diapers that aren't even make by KC, and posting it on the internet with a hashtag. This would be even more weird than the celebrities in the videos on their new site. As a result, ALL diaper wearers would be "painted with the same brush" and branded as weirdos.

But something DOES need to change. I don't see the stigma going away by itself. They aren't going to stop the campaign because we're sitting here complaining about it, so I guess we'll just have to see how it works out (Fingers crossed)

Ski, I agree with everything you wrote......I don't think any of us want to be the subject of a meme out there on the internet.....as a diaper wearer and as a catheter patient, I always think of the "people of Walmart" website where somebody photographed a person in Walmart with their leg bag clearly visible while they were shopping. I don't have the luxury of being able to be locked up in my house when I have my catheter sometimes I have to go out and public with it and when you're in public with a catheter it can be hard to hide...... Some days a leg bag is not feasible for me so I have to use the bedside bag until tote with me...... That is impossible to hide, everybody knows what that is. I also agree that the only way to change the stigma of incontinence is to tackle it head on as you have suggested. The problem is that none of us wants to be the first person to make that move and "out" ourselves because this is such a private thing. I still have a problem telling people that I am incontinent I usually leave it at I have problems with my bladder and leave it at that. I think there is a note of benevolence in their campaign, but no doubt there is some financial gain to be realized by them by calling attention to our plight and their products......celebrity endorsement would certainly work as you have suggested also but probably not with photos of them in diapers. I think that is way too personal I am not sure anybody that is in continent, celebrity or not would like pictures of themselves in their diapers plastered all over the Internet.

Hi guys and girls,

Sorry I have been away for so long but I needed to stop by real quick and bring back an old thread. I have been contacted again by the folks at Depend wanting to know if I would be willing to share my story on video for their Real Stories project. Right now for me, I am going through some pretty major personal issues and now would not be the best time for me. Besides, this is a big step and I am not quite ready to "out" myself about my incontinence.
Anyways, I have been asked if anyone would be interested in talking to Depend of be at a place where they are willing to go on camera to give support for those like us. If you want to think about it, the link for the videos they have already done are on their web site and I am pretty sure a link has been posted here in this tread.
This was something I was going to go but chickened out of at the last minute when the film crew was planning to fly out to meet me. If you have any questions please PM me and I will answer what questions I can and if you want I can get you in touch with the contact person with Depend. I wish I had the courage to do my part because I am sure my story could help a lot of other men and women out there feeling alone with this but like I said, right now would not be the best time for me do take this step. I hope some here may be ready to make a difference.

Thanks for your time and I hope to be back fully soon.

Rope

Rope,

Wow, doing a video would really take guts - I don't think I could do it. My hat is off to you for even considering it.

I was not aware of the Depends videos. Is anyone allowed to express good comments toward any product other than Depends? Or are products even mentioned by brand?

We hope your personal issues are resolved soon. You are missed here.

--John

Rope, Hope your personal issues work out in your favor.