"I Want to Be One Less": The Rhetoric of Choice in Gardasil Ads

It is nearly impossible to watch television without encountering advertisements for pharmaceuticals that purport to ease a plethora of medical concerns. From restless leg syndrome to heartburn, there are new drugs available for a wide variety of health-related conditions. One of the more controversial remedies on this list is the Gardasil vaccine. Gardasil was designed by the drug company Merck to protect against 4 strains of the sexually transmitted disease human papillomavirus. According to the Gardasil website, one of the human papillomavirus strains that Gardasil protects against causes 70% of cervical cancers. Marketing Gardasil as a miracle product and an anticancer vaccine, Merck in 2006 launched a massive public relations campaign to encourage all young women between 9 and 26 years of age to receive Gardasil.