Madison Rathburn

April 20th 2015

UWRT 1101
Rebecca Agosta
A Few Bad Words For A Good Cause
A few may not be the correct description for the language used throughout FCKH8s
Potty Mouthed Princesses videos. In fact I counted over 30 swears used throughout the two
videos. The Wolf of Wall Street set a new Guinness World Records record for most swearing in
one film, using the f-word expletive 506 times an average of 2.81 times per minute. So whats
the big deal? Ill tell you what has loads of peoples panties in a bunch over the viral videos
about feminism. The company FCKH8 used girls ages six to thirteen to bring awareness about
the evident sexist issues in our culture by having them yell and swear at the camera. There has
been a lot of controversy surrounding the videos saying FCKH8 exploited the young girls for
their own gain. Many people raised up their voices and brought forth the issues behind teaching
little girls to swear. However, FCKH8 has one thing to say to that, Quit b*tching about us
saying f*ck and do something about it.
The subject of these videos ranges from issues such as pay inequality, rape, domestic
violence, sexualization of females, and societies views of women. The first video starts off
innocently enough with little girls dressed up as princesss posing and dreamily saying pretty.
But cut to the next frame and youll dive deep into the world of feminism. Im not some pretty
f*cking helpless princess in distress. The video continues on to talk about things more f*cked
up than the word f*ck. The second video specifically focuses on violence against women,

starting off with a young boy in a stained wife-beater drinking a beer telling a sexist joke. What
do you call a women with two black eyes? Nothing, you already told her twice! The two videos
cover a wide range of subjects, touching each with the same energy and knowledge as the last.
What occasion could prompt a company to produce such a controversial video? How
about the fact that one in every four women will be beaten, the fact that women get paid 23%
less than men for the same job, or the fact that one in every five women will be raped. The
company lists off many statistics like this and follows them up with their own opinions and
arguments against the sexist ways society barely lifts a finger.
As I said before these videos have sparked quite a controversy in the media, but the
people writing the bad reviews, shaming them in articles, and reporting on them on the television
are not FCKH8s audience. These videos are meant for a younger generation, one that has been
starting a movement toward equality that will shape how future Americans live forever. Its
their future one of the adults at the end of the video says. These three words made it clear to me
that FCKH8 is trying to reach a younger audience, they are trying to compel us to make a
difference for our own generations growth. Another supporting reason as to why the audience is
my generation is that FCKH8 sells anti-sexism, anti-racism, and LGBTQA+ tee-shirts. I dont
know many middle aged men and women who would wear a shirt boldly sporting the phrase
This is what a #Feminist looks like. Or Some dudes marry dudes. Get over it.
The purpose of this video is split two ways. The first purpose is to raise awareness of
societys issues and to start a conversation about feminist values. The second reason they created
these videos was to sell their tee shirts, this originally was off putting to me and came off as a
marketing plot. However, in the second video they changed the original fives dollars they gave to

charity to 100%. The company now gives all of their profits from the tee-shirts to charities that
are fighting every day to make the world more equal for women and girls.
There were many strategies used throughout the two Potty Mouthed Princess videos,
the first and most obvious would be the use of young girls swearing. All were shocked but many
were offended. If you were not offended by the little girls language you are, as the Washington
Post quoted, An Occupy Wall Streeter, an atheist, or a sexually confused and anti-American
angry woman. The company uses pathos by shocking the audience with not only abundant
swearing but with the use of having little girls talk about such serious issues. The majority of the
videos have music playing and the little girls making arguments against anti-feminist issues.
However, following the statistic that one in five women will be raped a question was asked that
changed the whole mood of the video. Which one of us will it be? Seeing little girls with
bruises, having to imagine then in sexually violent and abusive relationships makes the watcher
uncomfortable and proves its point that society needs to change. The video also used the strategy
of ethos by listing off many supporting statistics for their statements.
This video may be controversial but it certainly proves its point that there are far more
important things in life to worry about then a little girl saying the word f*ck. This video may
have caused a few waves in the media but by doing so it managed to become viral, spread its
message, and raise some money for a good cause with quite a few bad words.