Protein World "beach body" adverts

[RunkyJam]

Anyone else raging about these?

I've complained to the ASA and just signed a petition taking off over at change.org

www.change.org/p/proteinworld-arjun-seth-remove-are-you-beach-body-ready-advertisements

Absolutely BONKERS this was approved IMO.

They are pretty grim, aren't they? I was quite surprised to see them - they seem so dated.

Regarding the petition though, the model isn't "bronzed", she is shown in black and white.

I think that's just the ad they used in the petition. I've certainly seen "bronzed" versions myself.

Also even more upsetting in line with this recent story:

metro.co.uk/2015/04/20/mothers-heart-wrenching-warning-after-daughters-insides-explode-like-tnt-from-taking-internet-diet-pills-5159053/

These advertisers have to responsible. There is no doubt about the link between messages / imagery like this and the rise in eating disorders and risky weight loss behaviours in my mind.

I've been saying a bunch of photos of cleverly vandalised versions of those posters, on Twitter today.

For example in the Vagenda Team's page (scroll down a bit) : twitter.com/VagendaMagazine

I like that, because then the vandalised posters telling people their body is just fine as it is get as much visibility as the original message.

I am.I have complained to the ASA. Although given my past experience withcomplaining to them about sexist advertising them they wont do anything and the reasons they give are pretty pathetic.Sorry to be pessimistic its been one of those days....

Just got this response from the ASA:

"YOUR COMPLAINT ABOUT PROTEIN WORLD LTD - A15-300888

Thank you for contacting the ASA and for your patience so far.

We have received a number of complaints about these ads raising issues similar to the concerns you have expressed, as well as a number of different issues. We are still in the process of making a thorough assessment of all of the complaints we have received and are considering how best to address the concerns that have been raised. To that end, we will be meeting with the advertiser as soon as possible to discuss their advertising generally and these ads in particular. When I have more information following this meeting, I will contact you to advise of any action we may be taking.

We very much appreciate your continued patience in the meantime.

Yours sincerely

Emma Smith
Senior Complaints Executive"

Let's see where it goes from here.

I'm all up for the defacing of these posters. There's a campaign for it here too:

uk.dosomething.org/campaigns/beach-body-shutdown?source=node/1141

Maybe the ASA should have a look at Protein World's twitter account, which appears to be being run by a pair of immature 13 year old boys. That, more than anything te ASA will do is going to drag the company down.

I was thinking about that this very morning on the tube.

There was that poster and lots of women, and men, sitting in the carriage right under it and I tried to imagine every single one of them on the beach and none were up to the poster's standard. Of course. And I would look nothing like that in a yellow bikini.

Bonkers.

I'm confused!

What's wrong with the ads? I wouldn't mind looking like that!

What kind of world are we living in that nobody complains about the programe Supersized Wars which was well-weird and promoting obesity
but objects to a picture of a well-toned, fit, female.

The world has gone mad.

A beach body is a body, any body, on a beach. Yellow bikini optional.
That's all.

The girl has a really feminine figure -
Small waist, wide hips.

Mother nature made us like that - this shape is the perfect shape for carrying a baby.
Mother nature didn't intend us to be 20 stone and over.

Yes, I would aspire to how she looks. The ad is spot on. There's nothing wrong with it and anybody complaining is just plain jealous and peed off that they don't have the self-control and sense of personal responsibility to try and maintain a shape like that.

toned, fit

I think the words you are looking for are 'unrealistically photoshopped '

Well, jeanswitholes, I do have a similar shape. A "really feminine figure" as you put it. (Do you think women with other figures are unfeminine??)

I am slim, fit and active. I have no reason to be jealous of the model in the ad. I have no desire to put on a yellow bikini and sit on display on the beach.

But yes, I complain about this.

Possibly a bit photo-shopped (what isn't these days)

But, Protein World are obviously about body image and achieving the best shape possible.
And lets face it - this girl looks gorgeous.
She's slim (obviously looks after herself) but is still shapely i.e. small waist, wider hips.

So where's the problem?

Actually, thinking about it.
The fact this girl is slim is the problem. These days, slim seems to be a dirty word and people are insanely jealous of anybody slim for some reason.

What strange distortedtimes we live in.

Alex, if they had a picture of a 20 stone model in a bikini, would you still complain?
Genuine question curiosity

Yes, I would.

Alex,
I was looking at some old photos of my friends (and myself) in the mid 80's and we all looked similar to the girl in the picture (give or take one or two pounds)
None of us, as I recall, were on diets. And yet none of us were grossly overweight.
That is probably why I don't see anything unusual about the girl in the picture.
Back in the day, that's how all us girls in our teens and twenties used to look! Believe it or not.
But, because you live in times when a large proportion of women are getting overweight, you now find it unusual to see a photo of a what was considered previously normal looking female.
It's sad really. But I understand.

Jeans
I am slim. I have complained. I am not jealous. I think its patronising to suggest that is the reason for being offended by the poster

Its nothing to do with comparing to the past and seeing images of larger women and everything to do with encouraging unrealistic female body shape obtained via unhealthy means

Ah right, so everyone who has complained about this advert is fat/obese and jealous?

Gotcha.

Nothing to do with the gratuitous objectification of women used to sell a product which almost certainly won't give anyone that body? Nothing to do with a beach body being a body on a beach, regardless of whether they match your tick sheet for acceptability?

Righto.

jeans i used to be obese and lost ten stone. Am I "allowed" to complain?

Mother nature made us like that - this shape is the perfect shape for carrying a baby.

Well those silicone breasts are not intended to feed one are they?

BTW you should see their twitter feed - misogynistic to say the least.

What a load of shit. "Mother Nature" did not "make us that way". Some women are thin, muscular, lean, flat chested and all other shapes. The "hourglass" shape is culturally defined. Hence corsets and shaping underwear and boob jobs and butt implants to achieve this "natural" shape.

The protein shake and diet business is not the answer to the obesity problem - it's contributing to it by distorting the simple messages about the relationship between diet and health. The food supplement industry has a lot to answer for. The objectification of women aside, I'm pretty sure that protein supplements without a hardcore exercise programme is not going to help anyone achieve a beach body. The ASA is pretty hostile to health claims by supplement brands.

But those goalposts keep moving Cactus. Because its funny how when it comes to housework ,juggling jobs and kids us women are expected to multitask and even complimented on it thus adding subtle pressure that we should be concentrating on loads of things at once.

Sooooooooo how come when it comes to campaigning for rights and equality we are told we can only concentrate on one thing at once or what is deemed to be the most important thing.