The Q-Tip Conspiracy
I’ll openly admit. I LOVE tipping as the kids are calling it on the street. I am hardcore. I look forward to showering just so I can Q-tip my ears. Little secret: my mom’s nickname at work is even Q-tip but that is because of her cute little afro.
Sounds great huh? Life is perfect.
link to photo
Problem? Q-Tips are in fact harmful to you!
Say it isn’t so;( My friend told me this and my life went into a downward spiral. I had to find out the truth. Searching “Q-tips = evilness” and I found an article from WebMD called “In Praise of Earwax“:
- Ears are self-cleaning and need the acidic ear wax to protect from bacteria
- The waxy surface will keep the ear smooth and water will not adhere
Shame. My pride of flame yellow orange sticks are no longer. So what does this all mean? It is all marketing! Huh? Really.
Yea, crazy but I realized how did they convince the world that you must remove with such pride the yellow gold that comes from our ear. Is it cause your parents do it? Is it similar to smoking that we know its bad for us yet it feels really good in the present?
How did Q-tip (cotton swabs) do this great marketing?
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Noah Kagan wrote The Q-Tip Conspiracy on February 12th, 2008 and there are 17 comments. There will be one more after you add yours, though. Read more posts by Noah Kagan.
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17 Responses to “The Q-Tip Conspiracy”
February 12th, 2008
11:01 am
I keep telling Rachel I don’t want to clean my ears… there’s a reason the stuff is there!
February 12th, 2008
11:04 am
The article does say that booger picking is completely healthy;) woot!
February 12th, 2008
11:28 am
I don’t know how they did it, but I’m telling you, I was truly addicted for years. Then, I visited my ENT and he commented that I had absolutely no ear wax. I was patting myself on the back for doing such a good job-until he informed me that it was necessary. So I quit, cold turkey. But every time I see that box in my wife’s bathroom drawer (yes, she’s cruel), I can’t help but get a little jittery.
February 12th, 2008
11:56 am
It’s a simple formula.
(natural characteristic of human body x making people feel self-conscious about it) + product to curb said characteristic = millions
Just look at deodorant, hair removal, etc. (not that I don’t participate in these things anyway).
I would like to develop a palm-wrinkle removal cream. I’m sure I would be a thousandaire in no time.
February 12th, 2008
11:56 am
The cigarette analogy might be even closer than you think: In small lettering, right on most boxes, it says NOT to use them for cleaning ears, they can burst an eardrum!
February 12th, 2008
12:12 pm
Lol. Noah, this is classic! It’s funny, because I just started using Q-tips more thanks to my lovely wife. And now I, too, am addicted. I love the feeling when you get out of the shower and clean out all the wax. It is indeed satisfying to see the tip covered in yellow, orange, or even (shudder) brown goo. But now…it can be no more!
Thanks for the hilarious post.
Andrew
February 12th, 2008
1:54 pm
The Q-tip represents a slippery slope of personal hygiene. First, one starts by cleaning the outer rims of one’s ear. After all, who wants to look at visibly crusty ears? Then, as the Q-tip gets closer and closer, it becomes incredibly difficult to avoid the temptation of cleaning just around the edge, followed by a quick dip. Then, satisfaction at the visible results of one’s efforts.
I did find this little tidbit at languagehat.com:
Utterly unrelated, but I have to share something I ran across in the OED…They give the etymology of Q-tip as “the initial letter of QUALITY n. + TIP n.” and then add in small type: “The product was app. invented in 1923 by Leo Gerstenzang, a Polish-born American, who initially named them Baby Gays. In 1926 the name was changed to Q-tips Baby Gays, and later shortened to Q-tips.” I’ll bet they thank their lucky stars every day that Gerstenzang decided to change the name.
February 12th, 2008
2:59 pm
yeah, nowhere on the box does it suggest using it to clean ears. i looked into this several months ago, and i’m not sure if they changed the box, but a suggested use is keeping your baby’s umbilical cord clean (???)! i don’t think the q-tip-for-ears thing was necessarily a marketing ploy by q-tip.. it’s prolly something people just started doing because earwax seems icky and q-tips happen to be so suitable for cleaning out that gunk… and if ur the q-tip company… would you really put a big sign telling people not to do that? :oP “hey, stop buying our product.”
February 12th, 2008
6:47 pm
Noah, I am absolutely distraught! This is terrible terrible news. I read the article in hopes that there was some loophole and so I’m wondering - how often do you think that one could legitimately consider their ears to be impacted with wax? Would it be a stretch to assume that kind of thing happens daily? Maybe there’s a way I could get my ears to impact themselves right before every shower so I can clean without guilt…
Once again, I think I missed the point…
February 12th, 2008
6:51 pm
Well I suppose using Q-Tips prevents getting ear wax all over your earphones.
February 13th, 2008
7:51 am
Rachel,
I am truly sorry. Your best alternative is to
a) pick your nose more often as a substitute
b) you can tip around the outside of the ear just not the ear
or here are some things to do with your extra q-tips:
# Little barbells for those who do not want to overexert themselves.
# Cannon plungers for your miniature cannon.
more here: http://www.webmd.com/content/Article/42/1685_53158.htm
February 14th, 2008
2:46 am
Hey Noah,
Saw you somewhere other than your blog the other day….
Been meaning to call you then couldn’t find your previous emails…
Can you send me your contact info again to the address plugged in here?
Hope all is awesome with you and look forward to getting in touch again
Colin
February 14th, 2008
9:22 am
The ear wax is definitely there for a reason. And as more is produced, the ear;lier wax is moved towards the outside. You should never try too hard and clean out all the wax in your ear. Just the part that is towards the outside and is easily reachable.
February 18th, 2008
9:32 pm
this is clearly a case of substance abuse by the masses, rather than clever q-tip marketing. have you ever gotten a raisin stuck in your ear? you can’t use your fingers to get that out, fingers are too big. use a tiny stick. with some padding on the end. that’ll help. q-tips were developed to help us scratch the tiny itches that our fingers are too fat to reach, metaphorically and literally speaking. only you can choose to use these magic little wands for good (not for evil). leave the canal alone. your addiction is a shame but recognizing you have a problem is the first step to healing. good luck
February 20th, 2008
4:51 pm
i just q-tipped and thought of you.
if q-tipping is bad…then I don’t wanna be good!
February 20th, 2008
8:24 pm
u lost ur chance to work for Q-tip
March 19th, 2008
11:01 pm
I really found that odd also that it doesn’t say anywhere on the box to use on ears, I didn’t believe it when I read the above reply so I actually had to go check. Weird what we become addicted too.
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