Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To complain about this advert?

78 replies

Banderwassnatched · 16/10/2017 18:24

Hopefully you can see the picture- if not, it's an advert for 'Skinnypigs fitness', it says 'Caution! Skinnypigs will make you look better naked!', plus an image of two yellow sort of stick-women, one larger, one slimmer, the slimmer one is posing in a bikini. This is literally metres from my kids' school. AIBU or is that totally gross?

To complain about this advert?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
MeT00 · 18/10/2017 11:52

Oh my goodness. This doesn't bode well for SkinnyPigs. Whoever is replying on their social media is an Ignorant Pig.

JonSnowsWife · 18/10/2017 11:54

Can't really blame the owner for being pissed off at people having a go

Can't say I have an ounce of empathy for someone who deliberately placed an ad like this near a school in this instagram age to be honest.

JonSnowsWife · 18/10/2017 11:56

They keep arguing irs not aimed at kids. So why place it near a school then? Why not near a gym? I'm sure there's plenty they could have chosen from..

My DS is 8 and keeps asking when he can go to a gym. Of course this placement near a school was intentional. Owner should suck it up.

ThePeanutGallery · 18/10/2017 11:58

I have no doubt they did it purposely. They are hoping that a wallop of shame, and a bunch of negative publicity will bring the type of person who has no issues with this add running. And it no doubt will.

MetalMidget · 18/10/2017 11:59

Fucking hell, their Twitter posts kind of show exactly in what spirit the adverts were intended.

CockacidalManiac · 18/10/2017 12:00

I don’t understand why any woman would give money to a company that obviously detests them.

downthestrada · 18/10/2017 12:01

The whole fitness industry needs shaken up. There's some good brands with good intentions, but generally too much focus on shaming women, negative body image. The only thing is too many people are used to this type of branding. We want quick fixes and react to pictures and videos on facebook and instagram.

Anyway, I hope the suffers some consequences for his actions. What an idiot!

MetalMidget · 18/10/2017 12:03

I don’t understand why any woman would give money to a company that obviously detests them.

That's unfair - I think they like women. As long as they're thin and don't have opinions, of course.

MeT00 · 18/10/2017 12:09

I don't understand why any woman would go to a company with such a vile name. Then I looked at the photographs of the women who are supporting them. Think "Towie" Says it all.

MiaowTheCat · 18/10/2017 12:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Knusper · 18/10/2017 12:12

Wow! I'll be amazed if they stay in business if they can't respond professionally to criticism.

JonSnowsWife · 18/10/2017 12:16

I don’t understand why any woman would give money to a company that obviously detests them.

Peer Pressure.

Friend of mine has a DD who is intent on getting a thigh gap because people at school have bullied her about being fat. (she's not in the slightest).
Walk past that with your mates after school and you'd be even more concerned that you are not 'normal'.

Of course we have an obesity problem, but eat less move more is the only notion needed. It's free too.

JonSnowsWife · 18/10/2017 12:16

I don’t understand why any woman would give money to a company that obviously detests them.

Peer Pressure.

Friend of mine has a DD who is intent on getting a thigh gap because people at school have bullied her about being fat. (she's not in the slightest).
Walk past that with your mates after school and you'd be even more concerned that you are not 'normal'.

Of course we have an obesity problem, but eat less move more is the only notion needed. It's free too.

ThaliaLuxurySpa · 18/10/2017 12:23

Dear Skinnypigs,

Contrary to your message that we need the goal of achieving conventionally slimmer to "look better naked", here's a plus size pro-sportswoman who already feels just fine as she is.

And wearing not a stitch.

She states very clearly in this interview
that fitness and sport should be for every size and shape of body...and finding which works best for you, the individual, not aspiring to change yourself just to conform to one-size-fits-all.
Many, many, within your industry feel similar.

But then what does she know, what with her only being a record-breaking Olympic Athlete and educator...

Totally get that your actual classes are popular and successful, apparently with all ages/sizes...Just don't understand why you wouldn't reflect that in your public ads? The funnier the better. But inclusively so.

[For the record, I'm not knocking anyone who's a member].

.

ThePeanutGallery · 18/10/2017 12:26

TLS, the problem is that most women don't want to look like her, which is why gyms don't promote images of women like her, even though far more female athletes resemble her than they do Victoria Secret Models. Our entire society right now is obsessed with glorifying skinnyness, not healthiness.

ThaliaLuxurySpa · 18/10/2017 13:45

Peanut,

Sadly the case. But fitness studios/gyms (and the effing media in general, frankly) could so easily include a wider range of size images in their promotional blurb.

At least then people are able to take inspiration and hope from whoever is the appropriate role model for their natural shape and build.

If a vast majority are told brainwashed to believe they should only idolise the incredibly honed, abs-to-die-for, thigh gap, long & lean, peach-bottomed, supposed 'ideal', that's up to them.

But a short, very stocky, body type (or the naturally very thin, flat-chested) is never going to achieve that, even if every hour of the day is spent in the gym. At least not without radical cosmetic surgery.

Why should she be pressured into feeling bad about herself. Or succumb to peer pressure (sometimes bullying), potentially endangering herself, and certainly becoming miserable, in the struggle for their approval?
Healthier (and fairer) if she sees her shape regularly deemed acceptable and normal for her, just as much as the usual visions of so-called perfection.

Sidenote: Ditto those with certain health conditions or disabilities which make simply "moving more" impossible. Sod all representation of our images on the fitness radar either (only ever when very specifically relating to human interest stories/ the Paralympics etc.).

Sorry for ranting everyone, and on your thread, OP: I need to calm down now!
Don't even dare read the controversial (really?) Twitter mud-slinging, for fear I'll combust altogether.

AnnieAnoniMouse · 18/10/2017 13:52

As if the advert isn't bad enough, putting it outside a school is morally reprehensible.

The guy on Twitter...WTAF?

I hope they have to remove it.

Papafran · 18/10/2017 16:48

Oh how did I guess that the company was run by a man... What an utter arsehole.

TitaniasCloset · 18/10/2017 21:35

I wasn't too bothered about the ad really, I have seen worse, if there was one near me and I liked the reviews or vibe of the place I still would have considered it, but those twitter responses! ShockHe deserves to go out of business. How could you ever trust someone as stupid as that with your health? Fucking hell what a prick.

VioletCharlotte · 18/10/2017 21:55

It's an awful brand, it looks tacky as hell. I wouldn't want to join a gym called Skinny Pigs.

flingingmelon · 18/10/2017 22:03

He won’t go out of business though will he?

He’s just milking all the anti #metoo feeling and he’ll probably get a bunch of new members out of it.

I like groups like this though, helps me to work out where all the knobbers are so I can avoid them Grin

WashingMatilda · 19/10/2017 10:33

Great posts Thalia and melon (unfortunately) Sad

underneaththeash · 19/10/2017 10:36

I can't see the fuss either, being fat isn't healthy or attractive.

underneaththeash · 19/10/2017 10:40

Thalia - the woman you posted is still at a significantly increased risk of developing obesity related conditions such as diabetes, stroke, heart problems etc....

WashingMatilda · 19/10/2017 10:49

Jesus I've just caught up on twitter.
Some of the responses the only ones he's retweeted are so sad, full of
'I love skinnypigs what's wrong with looking gd naked ffs'
No one gets the point at all.
Feels like an uphill battle at times. Proper depressing. Sad