-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
Gillette ad features an unapologetic fat woman in a swimsuit; heads explode (See Staff Post)
- Thread starter PixelatedProphet
- Start date
No one's going to start packing on weight because of this ad. Society has a very clear bias about this. It's just a little sunlight for people all too aware of their issues.
I've seen tons of ads explicitly saying pop this pill to seize the day.
I've seen tons of ads featuring drinking alcohol.
I've seen countless movies starring drug addicts, AND obese people.
She's not gorging herself in this ad. She could be a year into her weight loss journey. It might be a life long struggle.
But dont get it twisted. Almost constantly people who have destructive habits are featured on TV, ads, and movies. Obese individuals just have a very forward facing issue. Which I guess empowers a staggering number of users on this board to think that they should hide in shame, or simply not be given opportunities, because they are not the epitome of health.
Do you only speak in sarcasm? It's really annoying trying to carry on a conversation like this.
I don't think we should be promoting morbid obesity, at all, full stop. A quick cursory google search brings up that obesity causes 111,909 to 365,000 preventable deaths every year. For comparison, smoking causes 480.000. I don't think it's responsible to normalize this. Whether the line is crossed by "showing a happy obese person in an ad", I don't know. I just don't agree with the seeming implicit message of "acceptance of obesity".
oh you'll find some women out there jumping at the chance to stand by those men.
oh the utter "glorification"...you jambon, they're trying to shill personal hygiene products to overweight women. They're not glorifying anything and the fact that you think they are means you lack perspective among other things.
My reservations about this ad arent about this one woman or what she looks like for clarification's sake.
Rather our society and the issues we have regarding normalization of self destructive behavior such as overeating, lack of exercise and such and the baggage that comes along with that such as mental crippling diseases such as depression, something i have struggled through my entire life. There are plenty of hereditary factors for a percentage of people who are overweight which are inevitable, but taking the health factor out of a statistical reality such as America is just impossible.
In this thread, i don't think people pointing out their concern with normalizing health issues on a societal basis is saying "look at that woman she so fat hahaha! why dont u go on a diet fatty" Its completely out of bounds to generalize people's statements like that.
Seeing obese people in advertising isn't what's making people obese. But if seeing a fat person in an shaving ad makes you uncomfortable, channel that energy into advocating for public access to dietitians and gymnasiums or subsidies for lower income families to purchase fresh ingredients and healthier pre-prepared meals. We've tried shaming and hiding the obese. It doesn't work.
I question the motives of a fair proportion of those on the internet who are 'concerned' about being seen to promote overweightness purely on health grounds of the models when many of the same folks wouldn't care if they were a size zero
Some would, sure, but let's not pretend this conversation is being driven by kind hearts
I was an overweight child who worked hard to lose it, which I did. I still remember the spite underpinning the comments after all these years though, and lo they never appear to change
Some would, sure, but let's not pretend this conversation is being driven by kind hearts
I was an overweight child who worked hard to lose it, which I did. I still remember the spite underpinning the comments after all these years though, and lo they never appear to change
Oh, the pain. Someone is swearing at me on the internet. Whatever shall I do?
People like me, eh?
I've been fat. Still heavier than I'd like to be. I'm not saying this as some perfect Adonis looking down upon the chubby masses.
I've been there, I know exactly how much it sucks. Which is why I think glorifying it is a pretty dumb idea.
I also find it funny how people whine about promoting obesity because of it being unhealthy and yet..are any of you who are saying still eating red meat and junk? Are any of you getting angry at the constant dairy and meat promotion that leads to serious health issues for many?
We have so many causes for being overweight and instead of calling out the real issue you all get upset by peoples bodies.
We have so many causes for being overweight and instead of calling out the real issue you all get upset by peoples bodies.
Ah you're the typical used to be overweight and instead of coming out of it with empathy you became judgmental and shitty like so many do.
Idk from their twitter page they've been doing this for a while. Doesn't seem to line up with your post.
Fortunately I don't see it as much lately, but it reminds me of the discourse over Amy Schumer, where people always had to explain how not funny she was. I mean there were fucking YouTube essays on how she was not funny. It was pretty clear it was because she was a successful woman comedian.
People like to shit on Jeff Dunham, Dane Cook, and many others but good lord Amy Schumer got it like no other, and it was so obvious it was out of mysoginy.
I think people see what they want to see because ewwww fat ladies. I am repulsed therefore I must find an excuse to justify my reaction. This "promotes" obesity because it has to be bad for no other reason than you find it gross to look at.
Everyone's up in arms about the obesity issue, playing right into Gillette's scheme.
Body hair is natural. If we're going to encourage people to be comfortable in their own skin, then we shouldn't be OK with the idea that you need an expensive razor to feel attractive. It's the continued normalization of adolescent hairlessness that's of real concern here.
Body hair is natural. If we're going to encourage people to be comfortable in their own skin, then we shouldn't be OK with the idea that you need an expensive razor to feel attractive. It's the continued normalization of adolescent hairlessness that's of real concern here.
As much as ERA likes to pretend it's as "woke" as it thinks it is, when it comes to the topic of weight almost half this board will bend over backwards to put down people with obesity. This thread will inevitably break down into nothing but fat jokes and "subtle" blaming of the people affected by Obesity. ERA hates fat people, plain and simple.
it's almost like they're not mad that obesity has health implications, they're mad because it presents itself in a way that disgusts them"It's about promoting something unhealthy" yet, we never have any threads hating on things like this...
:focal(1321x587:1322x588)/https://public-media.si-cdn.com/filer/e3/2f/e32f8b51-d1de-427f-a465-b74237cbe230/juul.jpg)
Or
Maybe people are just desensitized since this stuff is so common, but it doesn't change the fact that singling out a large woman who's not advertising anything that actually made her unhealthy is hypocritical... More so since following the comments on the ad, it's pretty clear most people aren't trying to hide the real reason.
it's a very childish, feels-based reaction
Oh look insecure people on ERA being fatphobic, what a fucking surprise.
OT: Good on Gillette. Need more body positivity.
OT: Good on Gillette. Need more body positivity.
This is actually a good point. I think corps making bank on promoting their unhealthy junk in chips and soda should be moderated just like the tobacco industry had to be.
Lol wait.
Gillette twitter person posts a picture that a fashion blogger did as paid content for ModCloth. That's all it takes for people to get upset. You folks should go after ModCloth. How dare they promote this lifestyle by making clothes for people.
Gillette twitter person posts a picture that a fashion blogger did as paid content for ModCloth. That's all it takes for people to get upset. You folks should go after ModCloth. How dare they promote this lifestyle by making clothes for people.
Of course not. I don't think they will.
Eh, that's a fair enough point.
Although when I was fat the last thing I wanted was people (let alone companies trying to sell me shit) telling me "Being fat is okay! Go out and slay the day you chubby wonder!"
Like I said in my opening post, I don't think being overweight should mean people aren't allowed to be happy and enjoy their life. However there's just also the reality that being overweight, and especially extremely obese like this woman, is a very unhealthy way of living. We don't promote other unhealthy lifestyles this way, so I don't see why we should when it comes to this one.
Staff Post: Regarding body shaming
Hey I don't know if anybody told you, but great job! I hope you are proud of your achievements because its not easy to lose weight! I am happy to hear that you are proud of who you are and at the same time are working on a healthy livestyle. Respect!
"Did you know it's unhealthy and will likely lead to an early death?" omg no way you're the first person ever to say that to an obese person. Congratulations you cracked the code
They know, they just want to insult and troll someone to make them feel superior while also appearing like they're the good guys. They know that these comments won't help and will only harm and depress the receiver, they'll do it anyway and I'll think they're trash for it.
Well, I was reading the tweet over and over again and I've come to the conclusion that Gillette has very carefully worded what they're saying about the person in that photo. Kudos to them. They could have easily botched it.
I just hope it doesn't turn in to a slippery slope and other companies take the wrong approach and normalize it.
Like others, I don't like fat shaming. It's very dehumanizing. And like others, I don't like the normalization of obesity through commercialism. The latter is not being done so stop being so angry.
I just hope it doesn't turn in to a slippery slope and other companies take the wrong approach and normalize it.
Like others, I don't like fat shaming. It's very dehumanizing. And like others, I don't like the normalization of obesity through commercialism. The latter is not being done so stop being so angry.
We promote all sorts of unhealthy lifestyles directly, including eating super high calorie food which leads to obesity. This isn't promoting obesity. It's promoting the idea that obese people can be happy and visible without feeling ashamed.
All the posts in here about not normalising obesity. I don't know if you've looked around but being fat is pretty normal nowadays. Seems kind of odd that fat people, especially fat women don't feature much in our media.
Manufacturers and marketers are right to target what amounts to almost 50% of the population. They are an undeserved demo.
That said this all feels slightly manufactured this time around.
Manufacturers and marketers are right to target what amounts to almost 50% of the population. They are an undeserved demo.
That said this all feels slightly manufactured this time around.
These kinds of woke marketing campaigns are cynical as fuck, I hate them.
Aside from that, good on women for being confident.
Aside from that, good on women for being confident.
I have a hard time feeling anything but dismissive of a corporation using a fat woman as controversy fodder to sell their product. They don't give a shit about body-shaming or whatever. She's just an object to be used in their marketing campaign. On the other hand, good on her for being confident. Putting your body out there isn't easy when it strays from the typical idea of attractiveness.
This isn't """normalizing""" anything other than being happy and enjoying yourself at the beach. Obese people can do those things too and the only inherently unhealthy people are the ones that fantasize about insulting her for her own good. If only their life altering shame was heaped upon her and took her happiness away, could she be saved.
She can lose weight if she chooses; they however, cannot gain a fucking heart.
If only self hatred could be induced over the internet, why, no one would be obese, the fatties. Its place-putting time!
She can lose weight if she chooses; they however, cannot gain a fucking heart.
If only self hatred could be induced over the internet, why, no one would be obese, the fatties. Its place-putting time!
I'm a man and I've started swimming and exercising a lot. I decided to get rid of most of my body hair not because of worrying about how I looked to other people but just for me. Easier to deal with and feels better.
I disagree with the first half of your post. Yes, companies in certain sectors are (for now) allowed to promote unhealthy things like fastfood or alchohol. I personally don't think they should be allowed to do so. However I also wouldn't equate commercials for a burger or a beer to be the same as promoting a lifestyle of excessive eating or drinking, to the point where people become morbidly obese or alcholics.
For the second half, I get that. That's why I said I was torn on this in my first post, and have reiterated that again in another post. However there simply is also the flipside of this. Which is the very real fact that the woman is not average weight, or slightly on the plus side of things, but morbidly obese. Promoting that kind of unhealthy extreme body image I do think is wrong, for the same reason I would think it to be wrong if the promotion was about a dangerously thin and emaciated person. Obesity being an epidemic affecting large numbers of people I don't think is a good reason to promote people with that type of body in a positive way.
Quite cynical getting people to talk about your brand in the name of being "progressive". Having an overweight person in your ad campaign is fine, but this seems to be done in a way that will get the most reaction out of the internet so it feels like exploitation to me.
Now this I have a problem with, because it's a common misconception. What genre in media do we, the public, often see fat men partake in? Comedy. Sometimes they're the witless sidekick of a handsome more capable protagonist or the obnoxious buffoon we laugh at, not with. Or both. In other genres, they're the creeps, the slobs, the pervs, the goons, the morons, the losers, etc and etc. They're hardly portrayed in a positive light, methinks.
This should be required viewing. These corporations aren't trying to garner good will.
Okay... I understand that people might be afraid of normalizing obesity and it's certainly a problem with American society. I mean I'm lucky to be a human garbage can and still be thin somehow. So I'm speaking from a position of privilege. And yeah, obesity literally costs us millions and millions in emergency rooms and hospitals all over the US. Being in that state is probably hell for that person too. Plus this is another example of companies using people as props for their advertising campaign.
That said this is an ad about shaving and deliberately worded to avoid approving of obesity. I mean... fat people shave too. Constantly shaming them isn't going to do shit and we as a society can give them resources to help themselves without shaming them so they don't accept help until it's too late. 'You get more flies with honey than vinegar' right? There's comparisons to addicts in here and studies have shown that providing clinics open for addicts have helped them more than demonizing them and throwing them in prison.
Like you want them to become thinner but you don't want to see them outside at all? Going outside and to a beach and swimming is exercise right? We don't even know if that woman is on a diet or medication to slowly lose weight. And there are fucking health risks to going on crazy diets that aren't approved by nutritionists/doctors (skin is an important part from what I hear)
But also I ain't seen y'all blaming the true enemy, the fast food industry or the sugar obsessed soda conglomerates. There was literally a fucking thread celebrating Taco Bell's latest fucking garbage. Plus this fucking consumerist 'give it to me NOW' culture lionizes these types of cheap garbage food companies.
Seriously fuck Coca-Cola even if they're in Atlanta.
On a more positive note, Gen Z (from my own personal perspective and experience) seems like it's heading toward vegan and organic healthy foods over fast food. This is influenced by Instagram. Though I suspect this generation is gonna have major body issues due to these Instagram models and stuff but that's another topic.
That said this is an ad about shaving and deliberately worded to avoid approving of obesity. I mean... fat people shave too. Constantly shaming them isn't going to do shit and we as a society can give them resources to help themselves without shaming them so they don't accept help until it's too late. 'You get more flies with honey than vinegar' right? There's comparisons to addicts in here and studies have shown that providing clinics open for addicts have helped them more than demonizing them and throwing them in prison.
Like you want them to become thinner but you don't want to see them outside at all? Going outside and to a beach and swimming is exercise right? We don't even know if that woman is on a diet or medication to slowly lose weight. And there are fucking health risks to going on crazy diets that aren't approved by nutritionists/doctors (skin is an important part from what I hear)
But also I ain't seen y'all blaming the true enemy, the fast food industry or the sugar obsessed soda conglomerates. There was literally a fucking thread celebrating Taco Bell's latest fucking garbage. Plus this fucking consumerist 'give it to me NOW' culture lionizes these types of cheap garbage food companies.
Seriously fuck Coca-Cola even if they're in Atlanta.
On a more positive note, Gen Z (from my own personal perspective and experience) seems like it's heading toward vegan and organic healthy foods over fast food. This is influenced by Instagram. Though I suspect this generation is gonna have major body issues due to these Instagram models and stuff but that's another topic.
I think we can all agree that all those comments towards her are disgusting and no person who suffers through anything should have to deal with that. I get what they're trying to say that you can be happy no matter your weight, and I agree with that. Obesity is currently the #2 cause of preventable death in the USA and should not be glorified like this, regardless of intentions by the company.