Boots body shaming advert?

[MouthFullofGum]

So two curvy girls take off their sarongs and feel confident walking into the sea - Great.

But why do they have to walk by obviously thinner women who are made to look judgmental and unconfident in themselves?

I thought body confidence was about saying all shapes and sizes should be embraced? Not uplifting one to shame the other.

Totally agree. You can empower body shapes without taking others down. I've always been naturally slim and find the ad is has a negative view towards a slim body type. Saying "no one looks like" that and the catty look from the slim woman on the beach.. it just seems so unnecessary

Good grief, it's an advert. It has very long been proven that an attractive image, even hair-brushed, sells.

They show more realistic women, they don't have to show over weight ones. It's high time we stop pretending that being fat is a positive thing, and that the fact that more and more people are fat is a good thing.

It's not body shaming to stop at a realistic and healthy body. No need to go overboard.

When I first saw it I said to DH that I hate stuff like this - they’re trying to give the impression that they’re embracing “normal bodies” but actually it’s even more rare to be a size 14-16 with no cellulite or wobbly bits than it is to be a size 8-10.

I'm more bothered about the Venus advert where the girl is shaving her sodding forearms...

That's really the image we're giving young girls these days? That no body hair at all is the ideal?

Makes me heave and die a little inside.

I tweeted them about how hypocritical their advert is when they happily profit on selling slimming tablets and so called ‘diet aids’

Er, where is the supposed body shaming happening? The two 'stars' of the ad walk down the beach and we see two slim women, one at 39 seconds, no expression as such from her and then another slim woman at 41 seconds who looks them up and down but I can't quite decide if she's disapproving or approving as there seems to be a smile of sorts. I think you're projecting things that really aren't there, OP.

Bloody annoying song, that's my main take away from watching it.

Bet Boots will be really upset. They’re not getting my Advantage card, it’s got £36 on it.

I hate this advert.
I don’t think it does anything for any woman, any size, any shape.
I’d happily sign a petition of some sort to shame boots into changing it.

I’m so glad other people have noticed this! It’s an appalling advert

Stupid advert. I'd like to see an identical one but with men instead. Never gonna happen is it?

'Fat' men are more often then not ridiculed in adverts, don't make this a gendered issue as it isn't predominantly men who are campaigning against Cancer UK. It isn't men trying to push the haas narrative

Lets focus on the issue instead of trying to whatabout with a childish 'menz' argument that isn't there

Maybe the slim women on the beach are wondering why the two models are being so bloody dramatic whipping off their sarongs and dancing in the sea

But the bit where she says nobody looks like that - isn't the black model looking at a glammed up version of herself on the billboard?! So it's not about size it's about having your makeup and hair done looking glam on the beach I thought?

I love that advert .The young women are a normal slim healthy weight, rather than emaciated.

They look airbrushed. Doesn't look like any form of real life, Exactly Like most adverts. I'm a bit confused that y'all just noticed that people in adverts don't look like real people. Where are the crooked teeth, spots, funny scars, bit of eczema, errant hairs? Meh.

It still wouldn't encourage me to strip off!
(I'm old as well so no hope here. )

Streak through your local Boots, The80s, and you might end up the star of next summer's age and body positivity ad.

Or in prison.

I hate everything about that advert. It’s cringeworthy.

I took the look from the slim sunbather to be a 'good on you' type of thing so I think YABU.

The 2 main girls aren't at all representative of bigger ladies, though. They're totally smooth, no rolls, lumps or wobbly bits. They look way too good. Nice try, Boots, but not quite there.

WHY would anyone want to see cellulite, ingrown hair, pimples and "real" bodies? not everyone is covered in cellulite and pimples for a start, and it's an advert.

Why is Kate Middleton worshipped for her post-baby body and near instant weight loss? Of course she is real, but she is not average and she does looks great.

The message we should want is "be the best you can be", not "embrace looking like shit and make no effort".

Yes, it's a shit advert, but it's for Boots, what do you expect. When you sell beauty product, lotions potions, make up and weight loss products you are hardly in position to go for a "natural" image

I wouldn’t call the two women slim, more the top end of the healthy BMI range, similar to my size.

Skinny shaming is not ok though and I don’t get how adverts get away with it. Yes plenty of women “look like that“ but genetics play a big part. There is a large range of what makes up a healthy weight.

But where was this supposed skinny shaming?

When I see a highly stylised-looking no flaws person flogging some product, I think.. well, that product is obviously not for me. I'm not like that & I don't aspire to it, either. So this advert clearly shows what I shouldn't buy.

I had this conversation with dp last night, and point out the Gillette shaving of the arms one too every time it comes on. What pisses me off is the faux body acceptance of these adverts, suggesting we embrace everything and all bodies are beautiful while simultaneously and subversively showing that there was something wrong with us in the first place that needs to be accepted (and that they be celebrated for accepting us even with all our "flaws".

The boots one suggests they are being brave baring their bodies but saying so just reinforces the idea that there's something worth being ashamed about in the first place. And why does it have to be just "curvy" girls throwing off their sarongs and diving in the sea, surely all different women have different insecurities. Who's to say the slimmer girls in the as weren't as equally body conscious? Yy to why do we have to tear someone down in order to raise others up?

The gilette one also bothers me with the suggestion that arm shaving is now a totally accepted thing and possibly socially expected. I worry about the effects of watching ads like this for young girls who suddenly see that even their arm hair is something to be embarrassed about. But I can also see that for some women this will be their reality and their choice for how to deal with their body hair, and they don't deserve to be shamed either.

Whenever the conversations occurs my dp just looks blankly at me and says he doesn't see what I'm talking about. Glad to see it's not just me.

(And no advert will ever get shouted at more than "I didn't even know they mad toothbrushes!")

@Boinky when they say "nobody looks like that, it's just a load of chat" when, actually? plenty of people look like that and don't deserve to be made to feel "shamed" for it

Crap advert. The allegedly 'plus size' women displaying confidence as 'normal' women is not what you mainly see on the beach. This obsession swig look we are big (aye right) beautiful and better than anyone else gets boring very quickly.

I hate hate hate this advert!
'nobody looks like that' - well I bloody do thanks