Anybody else find it ironic that the billboard ads are for cellulite removal cream?

They may be using people of different sizes, but the viewer/reader will never know the actual height of the models. While short, skinny people make up a huge chunk of Hollywood, no one really knows that they're small! (A girl in my PR class worked at a clothing store, and sold a pair of pants to Eva Longoria. She told me that Eva is barely 5' tall (my friend is 5' even)) If you're going to use all sizes, USE SHORTER PEOPLE TOO!

Personally, I am glad to see this campaign. (not able to use Dove) I HATE seeing skinny, young things constantly in ads. I think it makes women think that is the only way to live.

At least they're using women who actually have cellulite to remove.

The Sun-Times recently published some thoughts on the campaign from some of its male staff who did not like the campaign. Yesterday this response appeared. (The author posted similar thoughts in her blog.)

Here's an article from Slate about the campaign.

I was just coming to post Wendy McClure's article here, but I see you beat me to it!

the dove ice cream and cookie commercial's.... is it rachel ray's voice?

i think it is, and my roommate and i argued about it yesterday

This is silly. Women are the ones buying the products and they're the only ones the campaign needs to appeal to. This would be like me complaining about there being too many old fat guys in the ads for golf clubs.

Exactly. I was just about to post that -- the guys need to shut up and complain about the marketing for stuff that is actually being marketed TO them. Bitch about how the girls in beer ads don't have big enough boobs or something.

Of course, every bit of backlash against these ads is only going to make the people who like them support them that much more rabidly. I wouldn't be surprised if there were Dove execs running around slapping "fat cow" stickers over these billboards, just because they know that it means that women who like the ads will be more likely to support them in terms of dollars.

Do they plaster your city with them in huge billboards? These aren't just on the bus terminals, they're all over and pretty big. I feel like they will come alive and kill people.

Guys aren't complaining because they won't buy it but because they're forced to look at it. Besides when have you seen a huge marketing campaign for golf clubs all over the city? Do they even show fat dudes or Tiger who can press a good amount of weight?

And so if skinny is a ridiculous perfection, and too hard to achieve, is showing overweight women supposed to be better for society? Isn't that on the other end of the spectrum?

-Rudey

I don't know why, but I just find htis post completely funny when looking at the rest of the thread.

I do understand your point, Rudey. However, according to the article, the size range was 4-12. 12 is NOT obese. 12 is chunky probably for most women under 6 feet, but NOT obese (Unless you are 5 feet tall). 12 is not even plus-sized. So I think it's a bit extreme for people to say they're promoting an unhealthy lifestyle or the other end of the spectrum. The other end would be a 300 pound woman.

Yes, one of the guys in his blog called size 10 fat. I was size 10 all through college, and I assure you I was not fat in the least. The real insanity is a guy thinking size 10 is fat.

Isn't an 8 average?

Let's assume a 12 is average. If obesity rates are that high, then I don't think the average is anything you should want to approach.

I don't think you should have to put up with a hairy, fat, bald man in a speedo every day on large billboards throughout the city, and you probably don't since I haven't seen them in NY. I shouldn't have to put up with these gladiator women in granny panties every morning.

-Rudey

Yeah -- it continues to surprise me that these women are being called fat. Honestly, for most of these guys that are derriding these women -- this is what your girlfriends look like under their clothes! Get over it.


If I can put up with seeing images that make me uncomfortable in every media campaign on the planet, you can be a big boy and deal with ONE image that makes you uncomfortable on your way home from work.