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How to Get Young Adults to Wear Diapers (Chapter 1)
🕑 Added 2016-10-07 14:30:55 +0000 UTC Let me backtrack a little bit, to where all of this started. My name is Joanne Stuart, but my audience knows me as Joanie on my Youtube Channel. A few months ago, I was just a normal 20 year old. I had just moved from the US with my mother to London, for her to pursue job opportunities.I made vlogs, talked about my life in front of my camera for a few minutes each day. I gathered somewhat of a fanbase, almost 5000 people. Even though I’m not the most interesting person in the world, I guess people feel like I’m sort of their virtual friend.
My friends attribute my success to young males being attracted by me. I guess that’s part of it as well. I do have the classic “girl next door look”. Maybe it plays a role since it makes me seem like I’m someone they might run into in the street, the tube or at their schools. Some even say I look like Clara from Doctor Who… whoever that is.
I like to think my subscribers like me because I’m relatable. I don’t try to invent crazy stories about myself. I’m honest with my fans and always tell the truth… or I used to.
My journey into becoming famous… or I guess “viral”, would be more accurate, began in a rather unexpected way. You see, I used to wet the bed as a child. This problem plagued me well into my teens. It wasn’t a regular thing, but it came with stressful events and situations, ever since my father passed away when I was 10.
Whether it’d be a difficult exam at school, a play I had to act in or a job interview coming up I would wet myself in my sleep for a few days. Sometimes for as long as a full week until the event. Then it would stop naturally. I would wash my sheets everyday of the week during that time. It was embarrassing, but I was now used to it. Plus, it had been a few years since the last occurrence. I was accidents free since 2013.
Unfortunately I had to reset that count in May 2016. I was about to apply for an internship at my mother’s prestigious PR Firm. She had managed to get me an interview with them for a communication paid internship two weeks later and I was afraid I’d disappoint her.
It was a Saturday so I woke up around noon with a feeling of doom… and humidity. I guess the stress brought back that old habit and I got up shamefully soaked in my own urine. I sighed, promptly changed out of my wet pajamas and knickers, then stripped off my bed.
I got down the stairs with my wet sheets and PJs in a basket. My mother was in the living room, talking with her friend Nicole, but interrupted her conversation when she saw me.
Mother: Oh sweetheart… not again?
Joanne: It’s nothing mom… just the stress.
I was trying to be dismissive. I did not want to discuss my personal issues in front of Nicole, even though I knew her for a long time, I was ashamed. My mom sensed it right away, but did nothing to help.
Mother: Don’t be embarrassed sweetie, Nicole is used to that sort of thing, she works for a company that deals with that kind of problem, right Nicole?
Nicole looked at me with a sharp glance of curiosity.
Nicole : Just so. Tell me, Joanne… does this happen to you often?
I climbed down the staircase, a bit shocked by her question. I’m 20 years old! But I was polite.
Joanne: No it doesn’t! It’s the first time since a few years now.
My mom didn’t allow me to finish my sentence.
Mother: It happens when she’s stressed. It’s occasional, but not irregular.
Joanne: Mom! It’s been 3 years…
Mother: And last night honey. Don’t worry, we’re on your side. We’re trying to help.
Nicole kept looking at me like she had just found a golden goose.
Nicole: Do you have any friends with the same problem, Joanne?
I was puzzled by her question.
Joanne: Not to my knowledge… Why?
Nicole: This problem may be more common than we think… If you have it, why not others? Right? No need to be ashamed of it. Only… Deal with it.
Joanne: Deal with it how?
She paused for a while, her eyes fixed on me. I sat on the last steps, put down my basket of wet things on the floor. Maybe she had a sort of medicine I could take, something to make me stop wetting the bed.
Nicole: Are you familiar with the company Kimberly-Clark, Joanne?
I shook my head.
Nicole: We’re a multi-billion dollar company that produces hygiene products. Like Kleenex, Kotex… and Huggies.
I didn’t like where this was going.
Joanne: Wait, those are baby… diapers.
Nicole : Right, nappies. But we don’t only make baby nappies. There’s also Pull-Ups training pants… and Goodnites. That’s my division. They’re special underwear for teenagers with that kind of… problem.
Joanne: I know what they are.
Mother: Joanne wore them at summer camp a few years ago.
Joanne: I was 14 mom! I’m not wearing diapers again.
I got back up with my basket.
Nicole : Wait a second Joanne, please. I wasn’t finished. We are trying to develop a new product, made for older teenagers and young adults. We noticed that there is a market for a wider target-audience, but the current product is not adapted for their needs. We’re testing out our new product, but we have to experiment a little, with older… bed wetters. I order to test the real use.
Joanne: I’m sorry Nicole, but I don’t want to be your lab rat and I certainly don’t want to put on diapers every night.
With that, I was ready to leave to finally reach the washing machine.
Nicole : We would pay you very well…
I stopped.
Joanne: How much are we talking about?
Nicole : A thousand pounds for the first week. How does that sound?
It sounded like an awful lot of money.
Joanne: And what would I have to do exactly?
Nicole: Simply report what you think of the product. How much it absorbs, how comfortable it is, how discreet… Anything you can think of. Your mother told me you make videos everyday? How about you create a video log of your routine. Every night before going to bed as you put on the product and in the morning… when the product’s been used. You record everything and send it to me.
Joanne: What if I don’t wet the bed all week?
Nicole : One way or another… the product has to be tested, so you will need to use it. 7 days, 1000 pounds. You just do what you usually do with your camera, but talk about the product.
What would you have done in my shoes?
