back to article Brazilians slap health warnings on knickers

Brazil's Congress has decreed that in future underwear must come with warnings of the perils of cancer, a healthy 12 years after the idea was first proposed by former congressman Barbosa Neto. According to the Telegraph, packaging for bras will advise women to examine their assets regularly, while chaps unwrapping pants will …

COMMENTS

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  1. Steve 48
    Joke

    Can't resist, but...

    I say knickers to this pants idea!

  2. Efros
    Coat

    They need to be told

    that they shouldn't be smoking the damn things. Speaking of smoking, I wonder what the proposers of such a measure were smoking when they came up with it. I wonder if you can get cancer from secondary contact with knickers, or worse tertiary contact.

  3. The Alpha Klutz
    Megaphone

    WARNING: YOU MIGHT GET CANCER.

    Did you ever think that maybe people don't want to spend all of their Cancer-free years being reminded of Cancer every day?

    Or what if you do have Cancer? Are you going to consider it helpful or appropriate that everything you buy has a big fat Cancer warning on the box?

    Since I'm going to die anyway, should I just stay at home all day and not do anything except eat my 5 portions of fruit & veg and cry softly about Cancer? Well sorry, I'll have all day for that shit when I get Cancer. But now, I'd rather not think about it, if that's alright with you, my Lord and Savior.

    1. BristolBachelor Gold badge

      Warning you might HAVE cancer (and not know it)

      "...what if you do have Cancer? Are you going to consider it helpful ..."

      If you DO have cancer, and you find out about it because you checked yourself because of one of these things, then you might have a chance of getting rid of it before it kills you...

      So I guess that you might find it helpful.

      If however you want to remain ignorant, I'd suggest going back to eating all your food uncooked, never washing your hands and drinking everything you find in a bottle.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Coat

        It worked for Ozzy Osbourne

        so why not? ;)

    2. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD

      @Alpha Klutz

      Slippery slope thinking on your part now, I reckon.

      Personally I think it's a loopy idea, adult women should (but probably don't all do) check themselves out regularly and elderly men should be probably visiting their GP's for regular check-ups anyways.

      But it's not a bad idea in itself.

      People don't often do what is good for them.

      If it even saves only *ONE* life, I think we can all agree it might be worth it putting up with an extra ugly tag or panel on the packaging of one's knickers.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        why I downvoted you.

        the cost of the additional labeling vs. the cost of 1 life.

        Shit! take mine, and stop wasting time/money.

        1. sT0rNG b4R3 duRiD

          cost?

          All you're adding is a box of text on the packaging.

          Shrug, I don't know, maybe you'd charge something outrageous for some minimal change to package printing.

          I still can't say it's a bad idea.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Elderly men?

        Men in their thirties and up.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "Men in their thirties and up."

          obsolete.

  4. Mad Mike

    Oh yeah......

    São Paulo gynecologist Gilberto Goncalves Gatti, though, reckons the plan will work the same way cigarette pack health warnings do. He said: "People do not look at it every time, but it always has people talking about it. I think the project will aid in the prevention of these cancers."

    is it really true that nasty pictures and warnings on cigarette packages works? I thought they didn't really work at all. After all, a person with a nicotine habit is hardly likely to worry about a picture of a cancerous lung or a few words. If he doesn't already know what cigarettes do, he's really pretty think anyway.

    1. david 12 Silver badge

      do nasty pictures and warnings work?

      It's always hard to predict if a particular advertising campaign will work well, but yes, anti-smoking campaigns based on nasty pictures and warnings have long been known to work well.

      The cigarette companies fought successfully for many years to prevent negative advertising because it worked so well against them.

      In contrast, it was well known that eliminating cigarette company television advertising was not going to have immediate effect on smoking rates, and indeed it did not. Here in AUS, the advertising budget was redirected from TV to print media, leading to a golden age of magazine publishing, and a massive increase in female smoking rates.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Nanny state

    So what else are they going to slap a warning on next?

    On car windscreens to warn people to put their seat belts on?

    On the bottom of glasses to warn about the dangers of alcohol?

    On fast food/pisa boxes warning about gluttony?

    On bank notes to warn about the problems of overspending?

    Etc.

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Nanny state

      Warning: Moderating may produce the following side-effects

      - Persistent headache

      - Eye strain

      - Brain strain

      - Loss of temper

      - Loss of faith in humanity

      - Indigestion

      1. TeeCee Gold badge
        Coat

        That's a long list you have there.

        Everything in moderation I guess........

        1. Marvin the Martian
          Troll

          Generalize this!

          Gloves reminding you to cut your nails, shoes warning to look right or left (depending on the country you are), and toothpaste telling the correct pronunciation of "vitamin".

      2. BristolBachelor Gold badge

        Re: Sarah

        Yeah, but you missed the best side-effect:

        - Deciding that you don't like someones post, squashing it out of existance and having a smile from ear to ear :)

      3. Elmer Phud
        Happy

        But not

        "Loss of faith in humanity"

        But not 'loss of faith in the Baby Jeeezus'. Good to see you haven't lost faith in oursouls.

    2. bhtooefr
      Unhappy

      They're already doing that...

      ...at least with the car warning stickers. Big huge warnings on the sun visors, and on my 99.5 (I'm in the US, our 99 was still a Mk3, 99.5 was a Mk4) Golf TDI, there's a small sticker on the windshield, too.

    3. Robert Carnegie Silver badge

      It already says on the bottle and in the TV advert (UK)

      "Enjoy Meths Responsibly"

      (Americans note, not "meth".)

      Google that and the first raesult is http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

      I'm not the person to say that they seriously mean it, but it's there.

      In the advert space on the right, however, there is this:

      Methylated Spirits

      Low prices on Methylated Spirits.

      Free UK Delivery on Amazon Orders

      amazon.co.uk is rated * * * * *

      www.amazon.co.uk/methylated spirits

    4. Galidron
      Thumb Up

      @Nanny State

      "On car windscreens to warn people to put their seat belts on?"

      This is very likely and not far away. They are working on HUDs for cars. This will likely be better then the annoying bell and the flashing light on the dash.

  6. Ian Ferguson
    Thumb Up

    Kind of a good idea

    Proper organised education would be better, but it's hard enough teaching adults (or even schoolchildren) how to inspect their naughty bits in this country let alone Brazil.

    A bit of a gimmick but a good one. Of course, effectiveness will reduce as people get used to it, much like cigarette warnings.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Thumb Up

      I too rather like the idea.

      This is really health advice rather than a health warning, so it is not quite the same as the fag packets. It is a nice idea to raise the public's awareness of some important health issues.

      Have a regular grope of your sweater puppies / chicken skin handbag, and go to the doc's if you find any lumps.

      The fact that it is conveyed via the medium of pants does not diminish the usefulness of the advice.

    2. Shonko Kid
      Alert

      Victorian Prudishness KILLS!!!

      "...but it's hard enough teaching adults (or even schoolchildren) how to inspect their naughty bits in this country..."

      Proof right there, with the word 'naughty'

      Now, if we can somehow construct a class action suit against Wacky Smith and her ilk, that would make my day.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    suspension of sales

    suspension of sales of suspenders?

  8. Adam Trickett
    Thumb Up

    As someone who has had cancer, I think it's a good idea.

    It's a damn good idea to check your bits for cancer.

    It's easy to check, the cancers are common and the treatment is painless in many cases. How effective it will be long term I don't know...?

  9. Steve the Cynic

    Important difference...

    Important difference between these labels and cigarette pack labels: you only look at underwear packages a couple of times at most (when you buy, when you open) and then not again until you replace the enclosed item(s), which is presumably not the next day. The label on a pack of cigarettes will be in front of your eyes every time you take out the pack for another smoke...

    And besides, who actually looks at anything beyond the size, type, and price on a pack of underwear?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    IT Angle

    I'm sure the one in here somewhere...but who cares! It's Beer o'clock and it's funny!

  11. Graham Marsden
    WTF?

    Ok, so...

    ... checking yourself or getting checked for cancer is a sensible idea, but sheesh, talk about Passion Killers!

    (There again, given the size some of the underwear sold, the warning would have to be printed in a 6 point font otherwise it simply wouldn't fit...!)

  12. 4HiMarks
    Paris Hilton

    Wrong warnings

    If they want people to read them, they ought to put warnings for blokes on the women's underthings and vice versa. Look how well it worked putting advertising on beach volleyball player's backsides.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Prevention?

    "I think the project will aid in the prevention of these cancers."

    Prevention of DEATHs possibly, but merely fondling ones fun bits won't ever prevent cancer.

  14. Bounty

    This is my title, there are many like it, but this one is mine.

    "São Paulo gynecologist Gilberto Goncalves Gatti, though, reckons the plan will work the same way cigarette pack health warnings do."

    I remember when warning labels on cigarette packs finally ended all smoking. What year was that... ohh right nobody has ever quit smoking because of those labels. But hey, while we're putting random unrelated health warnings on clothes, I think all food should labeled to remind us to brush our teeth. Maybe we could print warnings on toilet paper to check our assholes for lumps. Maybe we could put warnings on beer that remind us to hold our breath while we drink etc.

  15. Mr Young
    Happy

    What about me!

    Buying pants happens maybe every 10 years or so. Should I check me bits again today or wait for a reminder?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      Likewise

      If you're like me, you'll know you need new pants when the holes are so huge you can check your bits without taking them off.

      What? Too much information? oh, ok...

  16. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    the icon...

    ...says it all.

    1. Mr Young
      WTF?

      the bootnotes section...

      ...says it all.

  17. Michael 28
    Coat

    This is my title, there are many like it, but this one is mine also.

    At work, there's a regular campaign around november for men to check for testicular and prostate cancers. I've always said "that sounds like a good-night-in"!!

    Mine's the one with the pair of period pants and the tube of Germoloids in the pocket.

  18. Andrew 99
    Joke

    logical deduction

    Its suggested that to reduce the risk of cancer, one might stop smoking.

    Does the logic follow that if one stops wearing underwear, your cancer risk is reduced? Is it reduced more if you're female?

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