Fear and loathing: the message at the Women’s Show was clear – don’t age

Billed as “The Ultimate Girls Day Out,” the National Women’s Show was jam-packed with vendors and presenters trying to sell their goods and services to the thousands of women that flocked to the April 20-22 event to sample, savour, get makeovers or shop to their heart’s content. But, did the event live up to its hype? That depends on what you like.

Never in my life have I encountered so many representatives from plastic-surgery clinics talking about procedures, both invasive and non-invasive, using lasers, freezing (cryotherapy), and even vacations to Tunisia for cheaper surgical procedures. Maybe it was because I am pushing 40, but it felt like that these vultures were preying on women’s insecurities about aging. I couldn’t take a step without a rep talking to me about Botox for my crow’s feet or laser therapy, the new Botox. I can’t say my visit was great for my confidence, but there were some good finds.

My personal favourite was “Easy Day”, a pad that can be used for both menstruation and incontinence. I`ve never seen something so absorbent. The rep pulled out a pad, poured a quarter cup of water on it and then handed it to me. It felt dry as a bone. The product was breathable and had a mineral-based substance in its core that killed off bacteria, thus eliminating odour. If I saw this product in a store, I would buy it, hands down. For more info: www.easyday.ca

For the woman looking for the next Younique, Tupperware or Princess House, Pure Romance was pitching its own brand of small, pyramid-type businesses for women to sell lingerie, sex toys and accessories. Like the others, its marketing approach is similar – invite your girlfriends over for a few glasses of wine and then sell them items from the catalogue. For more info: https://www.pureromance.com

My favourite weird and creepy product this year was the Quantum Wave, which was being presented by Cindy Robin.

“This is cold laser with a scalar wave technology,” she told the crowd gathered at her booth. “It basically takes your body and unwinds all of the stress. It works for pain, inflammation, circulation and it is anti-aging. The Quantum Wave shifts your body from being sympathetic to parasympathetic so from being super stressed out to being super blissed out. It is a great way to start and end your day. Plus, you can use it on your pets!”

No, I did not try it out. It reminded me too much of those e-readers from Scientology. If it were worth anything a pharmaceutical company would have been selling them already.

Having visited this show 10 years ago, one major change is the large number of sex toys being sold. The entire event was a weird bombardment of make-up, lean health-food products (because we all should be skinny), clothes to make women look thinner, vibrators, jewellery and accessories, and cosmetics to make you look younger.

It was at times titillating but ultimately not life-changing. I didn’t drop a dime on anything because there was nothing that jumped out or that I absolutely needed.

The show’s message was very clear – don’t get old, don’t get fat, stick stuff on your head to look pretty and if that doesn’t work, get surgery. If you want travel to Tunisia for some discount work – I’m not judging – the website is www.medcare-vacances.ca