there was a post, a few days back, about a new ad campaign in brazil. the goal seems to be to shame women into losing weight. cause, ya know, we don't already do that. i feel like it isn't working.....
the translation, i am told, is "Forget about it. Men's preference will never change. Fit Light Yogurt." this is so wrong, on so many levels....
first of all, if the point of the ad is to make people say "oh yuck, i don't want to look like that! i better get some yogurt!" it is failing with a large part of the audience. comments on the other blogs i saw talking about this ranged from "rrrrowwwrrrr!" to "where do these women live? brazil? i am moving!" to "i sure wouldn't kick her outta my bed!"
so ya. disgusting.
be yourself. just like everyone else...
secondly, there is the question of body image. is it possible that these women might be happy the way they look? i mean what if that is just how they naturally are? not everyone is a size two. i am pretty sure. in fact, even many women who wear size two aren't size two. a lot of people have touched on the subject of the unhealthy body image that prevails in ads and hollywood, and they all know better than i do, and i can't really add any quality to the discussion, but the message is still not out there i guess, cause, well we get ads like this....
so while i am not an expert, or even qualified to speak up..... well, count me as one of the mob that is yelling their support.
creating beauty... and?
but there is a point that i haven't read anyone touch on yet, and since it crossed my mind, that is the fork in the road we are taking intrepid travelers... strap in tight, sign post up ahead.
the question for me is, "how much photoshoping was used to make these models plus sized?" seriously, has anyone wondered besides me?
what if these women in these ads don't look like that, but rather are the size nothing waifs that generally model and some art director made them heavier?
now i don't know if that happened. for all i know the images are untouched. a good photoshop artist wouldn't leave any signs after all..... but i am looking at the american beauty picture again, and there might just be a few problems around the lower arms and neck. again, i am no expert, and even experts can be fooled, but there might be some issues in the shadows and texture there.
so lets assume that my eyes and low resolution are not combining to make me a fool for a few moments. imagine if you will an industry that actively seeks people far thinner than the norm, then uses makeup, lighting, hairdressing and even image editing techniques to make them into something far too "perfect" to be real. then they promote those images as an ideal beauty that men should pursue and women should spend endless amounts of money to try to attain. and THEN they need to promote the things that will (in theory) make the women looking at these ads into the "perfect" models in their ads.
...so rather than finding an "average" woman, they use the same tools they have been making illusions with for years, but to the opposite effect.
are we, and the advertising agencies that pray on us, that sick?
