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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Protein World "beach body" adverts

447 replies

RunkyJam · 22/04/2015 16:24

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.

OP posts:
Smartleatherbag · 26/04/2015 11:29

I've had an ED. Life threatening. Sexualised images of women all around me were a big contributing factor.
Fwiw, my body now looks not dissimilar to the one in the ad, I've got smaller boobs. I am at the gym a lot. I still find it highly objectionable.

Smartleatherbag · 26/04/2015 11:30

Good post Helena!

swooosh · 26/04/2015 11:33

Their sales are up massively apparently. I personally use them for my protein needs as they are the best tasting and have great customer service and will continue to use them. I can see why people feel this way about the ad though.

StarDustMonkey · 26/04/2015 11:51

I have an eating disorder (considered name changing for this), I have had it since I was 7 or 8... images like this are massively triggering for me. I don't understand people who say they have had an eating disorder and try to claim that universally pictures like this don't contribute to eating disorders. Fair enough they may not have triggered you, or been a factor in your illness - but surely it's not hard to understand we are all different.

I also think it is incredibly misogynistic - obviously us women can only be allowed on beaches and wear bikinis if we have the perfect body. Perhaps they should start employing bouncers at beaches and swimming pools to make sure only those deemed to have the right body can wear such things.

Littleturkish · 26/04/2015 13:02

It's a horrid advert with a disgusting message for a shitty product.

Why have we banned cigarette adverts but not 'meal replacement' adverts? The damage they can do is astonishing. I bet it's not even documented or recorded or tracked like smoking related illnesses were. Get rid of all of the adverts.

SinclairSpectrum · 26/04/2015 14:19

Can I pitch this for their next campaign?

Protein World "beach body" adverts
florasspread · 26/04/2015 16:34

"RunkyJam Fri 24-Apr-15 16:19:30
I'm all up for the defacing of these posters."

If you do decide to commit any vandalism, be sure to take a selfie and come back and tell us so I can submit the evidence to the police.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 26/04/2015 16:37

Welcome to MN Flora

florasspread · 26/04/2015 16:41

The same poster also posted the story where a woman took "diet pills" containing DNP.

I might be going out on a limb here but why didn't she just try healthy eating and a little exercise instead? Why didn't she do her homework to find out what was in this "diet pill" and she might have found out DNP is a toxic chemical never meant for human consumption?

Back to the protein beach poster- why is it so offensive? It's not as if the model used is anorexic or anything she is a healthy weight and shape.

Even someone here pointed out the model isn't "bronzed", that seems to be something the petition just seems to make up. (And even if she was tanned I don't really see why that would be such a problem.)

florasspread · 26/04/2015 16:42

What do feminists want? Do they want models in posters to be overweight, out of shape and have pale white complexions? Would middle class white privileged women with nothing better to do than complain about anything and everything feminists be happy then?

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 26/04/2015 16:44

You seem smart Flora.

florasspread · 26/04/2015 16:46

Do you have an answer to my above Q Ms. Schwarzkopf? Would posters with female models be less offensive if the models were fat and pale white?

florasspread · 26/04/2015 16:48

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

AWholeLottaNosy · 26/04/2015 16:52

jeans are you Katie Hopkins as that's the kind of judgemental crap she usually spouts..?

sleepwhenidie · 26/04/2015 16:56

flora that poor girl who died from taking diet pills was bulimic and there are at least two pp's here stating that their eating disorders are/were influenced by such images as the ones in the ads...telling someone with an ED that they should just eat more/less and exercise healthily really isn't that effective Hmm

INickedAName · 26/04/2015 17:16

I think people should direct their attention to things that actually cause harm (And speaking as a recovered anorexic and bulimic, no, no one has ever developed an ED because of pretty girls in bikinis in adverts).

People do have their attention on other things, there's many threads active at the moment covering a wide variety of issues, it doesn't need to be either or as it's possible to concentrate on more thing at once.

I'm glad you are recovered, and while images like that may not have caused your disorder, that doesn't mean it hasn't been a cause or trigger for anyone else.

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.

And more often (not always),the person telling you what important thing you should focus on, does fuck all for that issue themselves, apart from tell others they should do stuff.

I was considering doing the race for life, in memory of my passed aunt and talking among friends , and someone told me "breast cancer has enough attention now, you should do something for prostrate cancer instead" when asked what they do to raise awareness/funds for prostate cancer, to give my friend some ideas, surprisingly, the answer was "nothing" and they didn't know any charities etc.

I think people in general, react, campaign, raise funds for things that are important to them or have personal experience of, if something is so important to someone that they feel the need to tell other people what to spend their energy on, its usually useful to be actually doing something yourself too, as like you say it's possible to focus on more that one thing, if someone had details on things they do themselves, while I'd still think it's rude, I would actually look into the issues they feel important too.

INickedAName · 26/04/2015 17:41

..telling someone with an ED that they should just eat more/less and exercise healthily really isn't that effective

Its also be hurtful, and shows a total lack of knowledge around eating disorders.

Would middle class white privileged women with nothing better to do than complain about anything and everything feminists be happy then?

Lots of (wrong) assumptions about what a feminist is there.

noddingoff · 26/04/2015 18:39

There is a version of the poster with a man on it with a similarly unachievable-for-the-vast-majority body....an oiled up 6 pack with a body fat percentage of about 2. I don't like either poster....as if you should just sit at home striving via synthetic protein shakes to achieve the acceptable body instead of just going to the beach with whatever body you happen to have about you because it's a sunny day at the weekend. Going to the beach isn't a competition and they're not going to turn you away at the carpark cos you don't look like the Yellow Bikini'd One.

mamapants · 26/04/2015 19:18

I'm not entirely clear on what people's objection to the advert is.
Obviously lots of people do diet/ exercise in order to look / feel better. People do do it in order to feel confident at the beach.
They are selling a product to facilitate tha.
Also the body doesn't look unnatural or unobtainable.
I find photos of beautiful fit women inspiring. I'm not planning on using any meal replacement products but I'm trying to understand the objection as no one has really articulated it.

TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 26/04/2015 19:28

Can you link to the male one nodding off? I can't find it on google.

How is a protein supplement going to achieve a body like the female model's Mama? I am not a nutritionist but I thought protein shakes were for people who weight train and want to bulk up. Fwiw most people eat too much protein be its not associated with weight loss.

Greysanderson · 26/04/2015 19:42

By the way the man's body fat percentage is closer to 9% even professional body builders don't go as low as 2%.

Protein World "beach body" adverts
Greysanderson · 26/04/2015 19:46

Protein shakes can help people gain weight or lose it depending on how it is used. Also whilst I am not familiar with this brand personally every protein supplement is clear that it is to be taken as part of a healthy diet, they advertise it as a supplement no a replacement.

mamapants · 26/04/2015 20:11

Well tondelayo they are marketing theirvweight loss collection which a simple Google search showed me was some meal replacement and fat burning products.
I just don't really see what the difference is between this advert and women's health magazines with cover bylines offering six week plan to the perfect body/ beach body/ seXy abs or whatever And pics of slim toned women. They are all about selling an idea.

CrispyFern · 26/04/2015 20:27

I wouldn't imagine complaining, it's someone in a bikini, talking about going to the beach, so it makes sense. And there is a general concept in society of a 'beach body'. It's not spurious, not a manufactured idea!

Complain about women in bikinis advertising watches, or drills, or truck wheels.

HelenaDove · 26/04/2015 22:11

Thankyou Smart Thanks

Stardust im so sorry to hear that Sad Thanks