Gillette ad features an unapologetic fat woman in a swimsuit; heads explode (See Staff Post)

[Reeks]

The message it sends to me is to be happy and to go outside to enjoy a day at the beach.... it's a total action shot. It's promoting physicality. Everyone should get out and about, but people are angry because she is overweight? So we're concerned about someone's weight on one hand and on the other hand, we don't want her represented as being active? I'm so confused.

 

[Fierro]

It is extremely hurtful reading some of these comments. WTF do people mean when they say society shouldn't accept obesity. My wife is in that category, she is much healthier than me. So fuck of with this shit.

You think shaming people is going to help? Don't you think she is aware that she is overweight? Are we giving people with other types of disaseases and addictions the same treatment?

How about this is non of your damn problem. I'm reading this like we are back to witches and burning forks.

Click to shrink...

When I see this line, I see it as society should do what it can to promote healthier options in life. Like not making the easiest and cheapest food be so unhealthy. Limit the amount of sugar and fructose that is put in food. YMCA and rec centers should be free for people who are overweight. Food delivery for people who are overweight to ensure they are eating better.

This does not mean you should shame someone, or call them worthless just because they can't make the change.

Obesity is an epidemic, that will cost society as a whole many issues and health care is already feeling this. Which is why society needs to aware that this isn't an individual issue.

 

[HammerFace]

Obese people deserve to be treated with respect, and they also deserve not to be lied to by corporations.

Click to shrink...

I'm sorry what?

 

[Deleted member 16908]

I'm sorry what?

Click to shrink...

I think corporations who tell obese people that they should love the bodies they have and that they don't need to change a thing are lying to them.

I'm not saying Gillette is doing this.

 

[Deleted member 15737]

First of all, no, many people don't regularly see obese people to that percent. People surround themselves with like people. Second, there certainly aren't obese people in 35% of all ads. Then you have to consider the degree of obesity displayed here.

Click to shrink...

What are you talking about. I hardly leave the house in a suburb of a medium sized city, and I see obese people literally every day. THIRTY FIVE PERCENT. One in 3. Saw 3 people today? Odds are, one was obese!

No, there arent obese people in 35 percent of ads. So something that a third of the country lives with daily, and that the other two thirds sees daily, only becomes normalized if they see a still photo of an obese person online?

The post I responded was defining it as simple exposure, which of course 99.9% of comes from knowing and seeing people in the real world.


"It's about people getting used to seeing whatever is being normalized in any context." ONE. THIRD. Obese people are being seen dude. By the definition I quoted above, this ad should have literally 0 impact on normalization, as it's already normalized (by that definition). ONE THIRD. Odds are, some of the two thirds who arent obese have close relations with someone who is. 35 percent is a huge number. You thinking a social clique has any bearing on that boggles my mind. You can hang out with your group of all slim friends, but you will still, absolutely, be seeing obese people if you go out and leave the house.

 

[Books]

I wonder what hot button issue Gillette will leech next?

Gillette believes games shouldn't be released until they're ready, unless it's a vertical slice for e3! Now, go kill each other on the Internet and buy our Quattro blades.

 

[HammerFace]

I think corporations who tell obese people that they should love the bodies they have and that they don't need to change a thing are lying to them.

I'm not saying Gillette is doing this.

Click to shrink...

Seems rather weird to say if you don't think Gillette is doing this.

What is the alternative to saying that they shouldn't love the bodies they have? To continue to shame them? It's not a lie to tell someone who already constantly hears that they're disgusting or unhealthy that they should love their body. Because they should. They should be able to be happy regardless of whatever body they have because not every case of obesity is a result of a few poor choices.

I don't see why it's such an issue to say "hey, you deserve to be happy too."

 

[Vincent Grayson]

Seems rather weird to say if you don't think Gillette is doing this.

What is the alternative to saying that they shouldn't love the bodies they have? To continue to shame them? It's not a lie to tell someone who already constantly hears that they're disgusting or unhealthy that they should love their body. Because they should. They should be able to be happy regardless of whatever body they have because not every case of obesity is a result of a few poor choices.

I don't see why it's such an issue to say "hey, you deserve to be happy too."

Click to shrink...

Fucking exactly. This isn't about normally an epidemic. It's about treating people like human beings deserving of love and respect, both from themselves, and others.

And I swear, people really don't get that shame is a fucking poison and helps no one.

 

[whitehawk]

This fucking logic kills me like nothing else.

Why do people think obesity is always 'self afflicted'? There is so much going on that affects it beyond a 'lack of self control': culture, relationships, tramau. Hate to use this as an example, but there are so many people on My 600lb Life who have gone through horrible instances of trauma and abuse, that directly led to their obesity.

Calling obesity 'self-inflicted' is victim-blaming in the extreme.

Click to shrink...

Yeah this should be explored more. So many people on that show were sexually abused as a child, so they gained weight in an attempt to become sexually unattractive so it wouldn't happen to them again. Whether it was a conscious decision, or a mix of the two. Really sad.

 

[sph3re]

Yes. Have you ever seen an ad where someone is shooting heroine or popping pills that says go out there and slay the day? There is absolutely nothing positive about being morbidly obese like this.

Click to shrink...

She's literally in the water being active. What a ridiculous post.

 

[Dice]

Obese people deserve to be treated with respect, and they also deserve not to be lied to by corporations.

Click to shrink...

Yeah I can't see Gilette incorporating this woman into future ads. If they do, then that'd be something.
Certainly I got nothing against the propoganda piece; it's working like their last (unfortunately deemed) 'hot-take advertisement'.

How are Proctor & Gamble stocks doing anyways?
But yes! Body positivity too! That's a good thing.

 

[Kurdel]

I'm cynical at corporation using these issues to get pubicity, but LOVE how much it brings assholes out of the woodwork.

Gillette helping us get rid of some real pieces of shit in this thread.

 

[Canucked]

Man, go get it girl. Be happy.

 

[Dice]

I'm cynical at corporation using these issues to get pubicity, but LOVE how much it brings assholes out of the woodwork.

Gillette helping us get rid of some real pieces of shit in this thread.

Click to shrink...

heh, too true

 

[Htown]

yeah you know what, it would probably be better if nobody ever portrayed a fat person as being happy in public

i mean, unless you only show overweight people as crying, or with a crowd of people pointing and laughing, it's clear that you think obesity should be the default and you don't care about any health problems it causes

I mean if you actually go as far as to like... show a fat person, not that anyone with sense would want to in the first place ugh gross, the first thing anyone should think is, "yeah they're probably contemplating suicide right now."

assholes

 

[Trup1aya]

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.

Click to shrink...

I'm a guy and I shaved most of my body hair on a whim a few weeks ago- I was amazed at how much more comfortable all of my clothes felt. I had no clue it would make such a difference.

Never gave a shit about what people thought of the visual, and I still don't. But there are definitely other benefits.

 

[nayriee]

This fucking logic kills me like nothing else.

Why do people think obesity is always 'self afflicted'? There is so much going on that affects it beyond a 'lack of self control': culture, relationships, tramau. Hate to use this as an example, but there are so many people on My 600lb Life who have gone through horrible instances of trauma and abuse, that directly led to their obesity.

Calling obesity 'self-inflicted' is victim-blaming in the extreme.

Click to shrink...

No its not, how does that explain that obesity was largely non existent a few decades ago. However, everything else you mentioned was still prevalent (culture, relationships, trauma etc)

And just so people know, only 1% of people suffer from a medical condition that makes weight loss difficult.

1%

 

[Deleted member 2109]

Bravo to her for doing this knowing the king of toxic hell the shitty internet would bring and hopefully she is handling it well. Kudos to Gilette for shining light on all the mra asshats with their men should be better ad and kudos on them now for shining light on all these disgusting body shaming wastes of life.

 

[lenovox1]

No its not, how does that explain that obesity was largely non existent a few decades ago. However, everything else you mentioned was still prevalent (culture, relationships, trauma etc)

And just so people know, only 1% of people suffer from a medical condition that makes weight loss difficult.

1%

Click to shrink...

?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States

The United States had the highest rate of obesity within the OECD grouping of large trading economies.[3] From 23% obesity in 1962, estimates have steadily increased. The following statistics comprise adults age 20 and over.

Click to shrink...

You're views on the overweight have been warped by the media and your own personal biases. You are certainly not an authority of other people's bodies.

 

[nayriee]

?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States



You're views on the overweight have been warped by the media and your own personal biases. You are certainly not an authority of other people's bodies.

Click to shrink...

That literally supported what i wrote

"Obesity rates have increased for all population groups in the United States over the last several decades.[13] Between 1986 and 2000, the prevalence of severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) quadrupled from one in two hundred Americans to one in fifty. Extreme obesity (BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2) in adults increased by a factor of five, from one in two thousand to one in four hundred."

And before 1980s it would have been far less.

 

[V_Arnold]

Phew, it is really, really hard going through this topic.

So, era, some of you might claim you are inclusive, progressive, or even "liberal", but if you fat shame people, you are not only cruel as fuck, you have no idea how people react to outside stimuli. Yeah, anyone can get *one* person who has been shamed to be not fat, but the fact is, all around the developed countries, one third of the population is fat, or obese, or morbidly obese. And yet the *only* difference between being fat and smoking/consuming alcohol is that you can manage the latter two addictions by presenting yourself in a way that hides your habits from the public's eye, and that is not possible with heavily overweight people.

But the depths of stupidity and shallowness continue. I go towards the Gaming forum, and Gabe Newell is fucking worshipped. WORSHIPPED. Or what about George R. R Martin? Oh, suddenly what one looks like does not matter, (of course it does not matter, you scumbags). But when it is a fat woman? Damn, you are triggered like an alt-right member being exposed to Contrapoints videos for the first time.

Get a grip on yourself, learn some basic behavioral psychology, and most of all, if you are SOOOO Liberal, understand that one third of the population is not something that you can shut out of the public appearance and public visibility, even if you would like to keep seeing thin women and well-presented men in tuxedos being so Healthy and Moderate(c,r,tm) in the ads that are plastered all along your daily traffic routes.

Either accept your backwards views, and embrace that, or educate yourself out of this miserable worldview.

 

[How About No]

Phew, it is really, really hard going through this topic.

So, era, some of you might claim you are inclusive, progressive, or even "liberal", but if you fat shame people, you are not only cruel as fuck, you have no idea how people react to outside stimuli. Yeah, anyone can get *one* person who has been shamed to be not fat, but the fact is, all around the developed countries, one third of the population is fat, or obese, or morbidly obese. And yet the *only* difference between being fat and smoking/consuming alcohol is that you can manage the latter two addictions by presenting yourself in a way that hides your habits from the public's eye, and that is not possible with heavily overweight people.

But the depths of stupidity and shallowness continue. I go towards the Gaming forum, and Gabe Newell is fucking worshipped. WORSHIPPED. Or what about George R. R Martin? Oh, suddenly what one looks like does not matter, (of course it does not matter, you scumbags). But when it is a fat woman? Damn, you are triggered like an alt-right member being exposed to Contrapoints videos for the first time.

Get a grip on yourself, learn some basic behavioral psychology, and most of all, if you are SOOOO Liberal, understand that one third of the population is not something that you can shut out of the public appearance and public visibility, even if you would like to keep seeing thin women and well-presented men in tuxedos being so Healthy and Moderate(c,r,tm) in the ads that are plastered all along your daily traffic routes.

Either accept your backwards views, and embrace that, or educate yourself out of this miserable worldview.

Click to shrink...

Daaaammmnnn

You have my sword, axe, and whatever the fuck else I can sling on my back

 

[Quample]

I mean, fat shaming is wrong, but Gillette is being exploitative here right? They clearly want controversy; if they were selling plus size something it would be one thing but this is a loose ass association to razor blades. I'm sure the last one brought them big numbers, and this will be no different. So props to the marketing team I guess?

Maybe next they can show some poor, starving yet well-kempt children holding their razors.

 

[menacer]

If I can walk a mile to the gym in any weather condition and work out for an hour there is no excuse for being lazy.

 

[Deleted member 40631]

safadfadfadf

 

[menacer]

So is Gillette always attracting controversy on purpose or is it by chance

Click to shrink...

The hip thing is now for men to grow beards and they are trying to win back the clean shaven look.

 

[nayriee]

Phew, it is really, really hard going through this topic.

So, era, some of you might claim you are inclusive, progressive, or even "liberal".

Click to shrink...

I dont think some of you understand what progressive means, some of the posts ive seen here embody why people shy away from calling themselves liberal in the real world.

Liberal does not mean "accept everything and anything with no question- we dont want to hurt anyones feelings"

 

[V_Arnold]

I dont think some of you understand what progressive means, some of the posts ive seen here embody why people shy away from calling themselves liberal in the real world.

Liberal does not mean "accept everything and anything with no question- we dont want to hurt anyones feelings"

Click to shrink...

Oh, I absolutely understand what separates a libertarian/neoliberal "everyone is pinpointed back to the individual's choices and its ALL HIS/HER FAULT if he/she fails in the marketplace" worldview and one that is actually progressive and recognizes that we are not separate from our environment and we both affect and are affected by others around ous, the quality of living we were exposed when we were young, the environments that either nurtured healthy lifestyle choices or took those away from us. Yeah, I understand the difference, but being progressive socially does not end at "do not you dare discriminate minorities and LGBTQ+ members"

Also, just a quick edit: when people claim they are all for individual responsibility when they fat shame the women in the ad, BUT THEN go ahead and say we should not "normalize this behavior", they are admitting that hey, indeed what is plastered on the walls all around you does have an effect on your choices - but somehow, all that effect is thrown out of the window when we evaluate the results. I.e. yeah, things affect you that you see/interact with, but if you become fat, tough luck, better change your body shape quick, to resume participating in society, I mean anyone can do it, right? Right? Right.

 

[Subpar Scrub]

If I can walk a mile to the gym in any weather condition and work out for an hour there is no excuse for being lazy.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, fuck all of those disabled people or people who have almost no free time due to family/work/study commitments. Lazy bones they are. You sure got them. Everyone has free time each day to work out, right?

I have over 80 hours of study and work contributions per week to maintain but I'm lazy I guess.

So is Gillette always attracting controversy on purpose or is it by chance

Click to shrink...

You're talking about it, so what do you think?

 

[gcwy]

I don't see anything wrong with the ad itself. I think the ad is celebrating the person, rather than being fat.

 

[Heckler456]

"everyone is pinpointed back to the individual's choices and its ALL HIS/HER FAULT if he/she fails in the marketplace"

Also, just a quick edit: when people claim they are all for individual responsibility when they fat shame the women in the ad, BUT THEN go ahead and say we should not "normalize this behavior", they are admitting that hey, indeed what is plastered on the walls all around you does have an effect on your choices - but somehow, all that effect is thrown out of the window when we evaluate the results. I.e. yeah, things affect you that you see/interact with, but if you become fat, tough luck, better change your body shape quick, to resume participating in society, I mean anyone can do it, right? Right? Right.

Click to shrink...

Who in this thread is saying this?

 

[Deleted member 888]

That literally supported what i wrote

"Obesity rates have increased for all population groups in the United States over the last several decades.[13] Between 1986 and 2000, the prevalence of severe obesity (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) quadrupled from one in two hundred Americans to one in fifty. Extreme obesity (BMI ≥ 50 kg/m2) in adults increased by a factor of five, from one in two thousand to one in four hundred."

And before 1980s it would have been far less.

Click to shrink...

And McDonald's has existed since like 1950 or something. There are attitude issues in society as well, everything cannot just be chalked up to hereditary issues when your country is at 40% obese. Children being at 20% obese too is alarming because that is literally attitudes as well. As in, a parents attitude. You rarely if ever see a parent animal in the wild feeding its babies till they can hardly breathe/walk, yet humans do it.

Education is at a greater peak than it ever has been in history. All through schools, televised broadcasts, doctors and physicians constantly speaking up and the age of the internet where you are a few finger strokes away from masses of information on healthy eating.

Yet, we're getting more and more obese.

It all ties into what I said earlier, the way in which a society and on a macro-level, a country, engages with itself. If the people reject education and speaking honestly, the people don't change. They get worse.

 

[nick1985]

Political Correctness and virtue signaling have reached insane levels in our society

 

[DryCreek]

.

 

[GrizzleBoy]

On the one hand, the lady is obviously not a healthy body weight.

On the other hand, people are making the case that because a person is not a healthy body weight, any depiction of them being anything other than a sad and sickly person shouldn't be acceptable.

Conversely, nobody bats an eyelid when very obese people are put in movies to be the "funny fat person" for everyone to laugh at.

It's only when they try to behave like a....."normal person" that all of a sudden people feel uncomfortable.

"People like you shouldn't be doing that." and "oh, what are you doing out of your pidgeon hole?" kind of vibes.

 

[ReplacementPelican]

Political Correctness and virtue signaling have reached insane levels in our society

Click to shrink...

I think hysteria about those things definitely has, yes. Almost as if people see it where it isn't.

 

[nin]

Phew, it is really, really hard going through this topic.

So, era, some of you might claim you are inclusive, progressive, or even "liberal", but if you fat shame people, you are not only cruel as fuck, you have no idea how people react to outside stimuli. Yeah, anyone can get *one* person who has been shamed to be not fat, but the fact is, all around the developed countries, one third of the population is fat, or obese, or morbidly obese. And yet the *only* difference between being fat and smoking/consuming alcohol is that you can manage the latter two addictions by presenting yourself in a way that hides your habits from the public's eye, and that is not possible with heavily overweight people.

But the depths of stupidity and shallowness continue. I go towards the Gaming forum, and Gabe Newell is fucking worshipped. WORSHIPPED. Or what about George R. R Martin? Oh, suddenly what one looks like does not matter, (of course it does not matter, you scumbags). But when it is a fat woman? Damn, you are triggered like an alt-right member being exposed to Contrapoints videos for the first time.

Get a grip on yourself, learn some basic behavioral psychology, and most of all, if you are SOOOO Liberal, understand that one third of the population is not something that you can shut out of the public appearance and public visibility, even if you would like to keep seeing thin women and well-presented men in tuxedos being so Healthy and Moderate(c,r,tm) in the ads that are plastered all along your daily traffic routes.

Either accept your backwards views, and embrace that, or educate yourself out of this miserable worldview.

Click to shrink...

*clap* thank you for this

 

[menacer]

Yeah, fuck all of those disabled people or people who have almost no free time due to family/work/study commitments. Lazy bones they are. You sure got them. Everyone has free time each day to work out, right?

I have over 80 hours of study and work contributions per week to maintain but I'm lazy I guess.



You're talking about it, so what do you think?

Click to shrink...

I don't think I brought disablity into the factor but whatever.

 

[trineo_feo]

I think normalizing obesity is very dangerous, as it leads to a lot of problems for both the individual and society at large. Of course shaming obese people and insulting them is not right, but telling them that it's ok to be obese and that they shouldn't make an effort to improve their life is wrong. If you are obese you are not healthy, or at least not as healthy as you could be - that is a fact. Being obese is a health problem, not a character problem, and it should be treated as such. In the same way, being fat or obese should never be a personality trait, or a way to define yourself.

Regarding the Gillette ad, I think showing an obese person as an example of happiness is as harmful as showing an anorexic people as an example of happiness. Both are conditions that should be treated as health issues. Both are cases in which the person suffering from it should be helped and supported to be able to overcome the problem and live a healthier life. It's not about hiding the people with these problems from society, or behave as if they didn't exist or had less value as a person. It's about understanding that telling them that "it's ok to be like that" and that "they should just love themselves" is not the help they need. It might make them feel better for a little bit, but it's not going to fix the actual problem.

 

[Deleted member 888]

I think normalizing obesity is very dangerous, as it leads to a lot of problems for both the individual and society at large. Of course shaming obese people and insulting them is not right, but telling them that it's ok to be obese and that they shouldn't make an effort to improve their life is wrong. If you are obese you are not healthy, or at least not as healthy as you could be - that is a fact. Being obese is a health problem, not a character problem, and it should be treated as such. In the same way, being fat or obese should never be a personality trait, or a way to define yourself.

Regarding the Gillette ad, I think showing an obese person as an example of happiness is as harmful as showing an anorexic people as an example of happiness. Both are conditions that should be treated as health issues. Both are cases in which the person suffering from it should be helped and supported to be able to overcome the problem and live a healthier life. It's not about hiding the people with these problems from society, or behave as if they didn't exist or had less value as a person. It's about understanding that telling them that "it's ok to be like that" and that "they should just love themselves" is not the help they need. It might make them feel better for a little bit, but it's not going to fix the actual problem.

Click to shrink...

One might have to begin asking the incredibly difficult question to face in the coming years which is does advertising for and/or promoting obese modelling, end up doing what advertising for/or promoting anorexic modelling did/does? Make people feel if they become obese or become anorexic they might be able to make money doing modelling? If you become someone that gets attention and money for being on the fringes, what incentive do you have from moving away from the fringes if your sole figure/identity is what is used to "sell" you?

This also touches on the "moral" arguments of do marketers and advertisers have some sort of obligation to "market responsibly"? Most people will say yes, but when it comes to things people hold dear to them, which unsurprisingly weight is, with nearly 40% of America being obese, that question becomes personal. It's what causes so much defensiveness and accusations to fly around. There will be many obese people taking part in this debate, who end up feeling personally attacked. I get that, but we can still talk about all of this without you accusing everyone of having ill-intent.

Notice how I did not refer to plus size models, but obese modelling. Again, this is taking the fringe extremes where we do not want people to be and asking questions, whether someone likes it or not, that need to be examined to contrast them with societal trends and how the public respond to education.

Plus size modelling is not obese modelling. It's why many would say the Dove advert is more ethical. In the same way as someone modelling an XS or S piece of clothing doesn't necessarily mean anorexic modelling. There is a wide range of body sizes that would fall within "no concern at all" or "not much concern to worry about". It's when you go to the extremes which are anorexia and/or obesity, it's not the same.

Even just me saying the above, carefully and respectfully, will have people conditioned to come back immediately with aggression, disbelief and accusations of "So you don't want obese people to be able to work?". Given how poor the discourse is around this, to me that shows just how badly society is failing to accept and handle the education everyone keeps saying "is the answer" to solving the rising obesity epidemic. In turn, contributing to America inching towards half of the whole country being clinically obese, with some other countries beginning to catch up.

 

[requiem]

Yeah, fuck all of those disabled people or people who have almost no free time due to family/work/study commitments. Lazy bones they are. You sure got them. Everyone has free time each day to work out, right?

I have over 80 hours of study and work contributions per week to maintain but I'm lazy I guess.

Click to shrink...

Sorry but that's a pretty disingenuous post. I have 90 hours a week of work, study and student teaching, and I don't have time to work out, so I eat healthy instead. I'm not ripped but I'm at least taking care of myself to the best of my ability.

Anyway, I'm all for promoting body positivity, as long as it's done so with the aim of helping people reach and maintain a level of health that's good for them. Basically the same strategy we're doing with mental health.

EDIT: I didn't realise you were responding to a 'lazy' claim, sorry!

 

[Deleted member 15737]

I don't think I brought disablity into the factor but whatever.

Click to shrink...

Kind of the point. You didnt bring anything 'into the factor' other than laziness, right?

 

[Mikebison]

The same people who want to treat drug addiction like a disease (they should) are also the ones like 'get to a gym, fatty. You're so unhealthy. I actually really care loads about your health, promise.'

 

[Fatoy]

But the depths of stupidity and shallowness continue. I go towards the Gaming forum, and Gabe Newell is fucking worshipped. WORSHIPPED. Or what about George R. R Martin? Oh, suddenly what one looks like does not matter, (of course it does not matter, you scumbags). But when it is a fat woman? Damn, you are triggered like an alt-right member being exposed to Contrapoints videos for the first time.

Click to shrink...

Neither of these men are being celebrated for anything to do with their bodies, though. And if they were highlighted in any context about them being free to love their bodies, I imagine you'd see a very similar division in support / condemnation to what you're seeing here.

By the same token, if Anna was being featured as an author or a businesswoman, then her body wouldn't matter. I mean, it shouldn't. Yes, there are obviously sexists who like an opportunity to make women feel bad about their looks, and who wouldn't apply the same standards to men, but they're obviously assholes.

The way someone looks should not matter unless they are featured in a way that shines a spotlight on their looks. Which is what this advert does - on purpose.

The difficulty in this conversation stems from the fact that any decent person wants all other people to be happy (I certainly do) but the broader health issues for society still require action - so when one individual is put forward as a "case" for discussion then the two are inevitably going to clash. For example: I think my country, the UK, has a systemic problem with obesity and sedentary living. Would I ever tell a single person to lose weight or want them to feel any less valued than me? No. But somewhere in between those poles, one individual becomes a group of individuals becomes a society.

 

[Vincent Grayson]

No its not, how does that explain that obesity was largely non existent a few decades ago. However, everything else you mentioned was still prevalent (culture, relationships, trauma etc)

And just so people know, only 1% of people suffer from a medical condition that makes weight loss difficult.

1%

Click to shrink...

Changing subsidies and food situations and advertising and culture are part of it. But a much bigger part of it, IMO, is the ever-increasing prevalence of depression and anxiety, both of which are big contributors to increasing obesity. Disconnection in our society is driving incalculable damage, and it's increasing in the 21st century.

What's your angle, that people just suddenly decided "Fuck it, let's get fat"?

 

[onadesertedisland]

Getting uglier and uglier. This brought out the real resetera, eh?

 

[GeminiX7]

Does it even really matter if Gilette is "woke" or just trying to market to another demographic or even just trying to gin up controversy? That seems like such a disingenuous argument made by people who were or are afraid of being called out for fat-shaming but still want an excuse to continue complaining about the ad.

Guess what, corporations are going to market and go for profits. Advertisements, all of them, are disingenuous and are meant to pander. Nintendo's ad execs don't actually give a shit about families or millenial rooftop parties enjoying their games. That model shilling beer is in a bikini is there specifically to pander to people who are enticed by women in bikinis. That "home grown, locally sourced" something or other is marketed as such because it markets well to people specifically looking for it.

I love Hbomberguy, but his whole "Woke Brands" thing is kind of bullshit when you look at it from any perspective other than the cynical white dude whose already been specifically pandered/marketed to his entire life. Black/Gay/Brown/Fat/Disabled people don't care if Nike/Gilette/Kellog's actually cares about the social issues on some core level or if they are doing it to turn a profit. The fact of the matter is that you don't even have to go back 2 decades(I'm only 29 and I can remember clearly that these kinds of ads are a relatively new thing) to where ads with interracial couples, or overweight people, or gay/bisexual/non-binary people were just living their life and being treated like another demographic to be pandered to/marketed to. The only kind of people who feel the need to scoff at that don't know what it's like to have your identity pushed to the corner, only to be brought out as comic relief or some other kind of oddity meant to entertain/delay until "real"/"normal" people return to being the focus.

If you are trying fat shame this woman or push any other kind of argument about "promoting" lifestyles, get fucked. Congrats on being the backwards clowns claiming that two men giving thier child Cheerios in an is turning people gay.

If you are trying to push that "Well Gilette doesn't REALLY care about fat people" line, then congratulations. It took you awhile, but you finally figured out how advertisements work. Maybe reflect on the actual sincerity of the advertisements marketed to your demographic and let other people take what little gains where they can find them.

 

[V_Arnold]

Neither of these men are being celebrated for anything to do with their bodies, though. And if they were highlighted in any context about them being free to love their bodies, I imagine you'd see a very similar division in support / condemnation to what you're seeing here.
By the same token, if Anna was being featured as an author or a businesswoman, then her body wouldn't matter. I mean, it shouldn't. Yes, there are obviously sexists who like an opportunity to make women feel bad about their looks, who wouldn't apply the same standards to men, but they're obviously assholes.

Click to shrink...

Contrary to what many on these forum might think, however, if one third of the population is obese/getting close to it, that means that plenty of people go to the beach, strands, shores or whatever. And they wear bikini. And they even enjoy themselves in the process. This is neither unnatural nor unacceptable. THAT is precisely my point. Gabe Newell in particular is indeed featured in many meme images as a knight of the "pc master race" with full body armor, and his physical form is not shamed in any way, shape or form (not that it is NEEDED, but I am pointing out the double standards here). Now, I am not saying that anyone who has issues with this ad is also in love with Gabe, but obviously I am thinking that there indeed is an overlap, unless there is no middle area of the Venn diagram of Era-Gaming and Era-offtopic.

The way someone looks should not matter unless they are featured in a way that shines a spotlight on their looks. Which is what this advert does - on purpose.

Click to shrink...

So are you arguing that in ads, normal people, obese people cannot be portrayed as having fun? Do you know how many people are confused with their own body image because they are unable to match the looks of the stars that are facing them everyday from ads? Why would anyone think that seeing obese people on ads would make anyone be more obese? Again: having a supermodel eat a 2000kcal burger (which would put her way above her daily calorie budget, by the way) is, in my opinion, more contributive to obesity than an overweight person in bikini.

 

[ShyMel]

If I can walk a mile to the gym in any weather condition and work out for an hour there is no excuse for being lazy.

Click to shrink...

Considering that many exercise machines overestimate the amount of calories burned, exercising alone is not going to get rid of obesity in America or worldwide. We live in a culture that pushes over indulging onto people from a young age.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

Changing subsidies and food situations and advertising and culture are part of it. But a much bigger part of it, IMO, is the ever-increasing prevalence of depression and anxiety, both of which are big contributors to increasing obesity. Disconnection in our society is driving incalculable damage, and it's increasing in the 21st century.

What's your angle, that people just suddenly decided "Fuck it, let's get fat"?

Click to shrink...

It's the sugar industry, who paid billions to demonize fat while pumping children full of high fructose corn syrup in the 1980s.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/07/the-sugar-conspiracy-robert-lustig-john-yudkin

Shameless profiteering (and bad science) led to our current epidemic, and basic misunderstandings of the metabolism continue even as we have become more aware that there's a problem.