I applaud the “audience re-wording” of these ads, even if it is vandalism. Our eyes are assaulted with this crap every day. Why not change the world for the better?
I also understand why the company in question has no intention of pulling the ads. Insecurity over body shape is their stock in trade.
Not to be a jerk about it, but I wonder how one would advertise health and beauty products without objectifying bodies? I know, nobody should buy them, but they aren’t actually forbidden yet. When Nautilus is outlawed, only outlaws will have Nautilus!
EDIT: To be clear, I am wholeheartedly in favor of vandalizing advertisements. I even did it myself, in my reckless youth.
“due to concerns about health and weight loss claims”
Protest? Great, have at it.
Get the ads investigated and banned? Nope.
Teacup totalitarians immediately lose the moral high ground.
Creatively shaming the company is such a better strategy than using the state to silence them.
The state silenced the advertisers (at least temporarily) for their advertising claims.
I love the guy in the yellow bikini - that made my day.
Only after the petitioners spammed the ASA with so many requests they literally asked them to stop.
“Advertising claims” is a good euphemism for “holding opinions that anger self-righteous Twitter hordes.” I’d love to know the specific fig leaf they use to justify the vacation-style medical treatment.
Whenever I’m in London I go to the beach too! [sarcasm]
I don’t see how the term “beach body” is supposed to imply sexiness anyway. Whenever I find a body on the beach it’s usually bloated from decomposition and partially eaten by seabirds.
So do I need to mow my back hair for the “season” or not?
My beach body is a smart tweed suit, black shoes, a monocle, and a palanquin.
…also an elephant ridden by my dog, who in turn is ridden by my cat.
…
…and I also blast vintage AC/DC while drinking wine out of a WW1 infantrymans boot.
Point missed. Demerits issued. Do not collect gummy bears while passing go.
Wow, you really really don’t like the consumer protection movement, do you? Take heart, it’s almost dead. But you’re wrong about advertising claims: they are claims of fact, not opinion. If they’re false, they’re false.
I’m not a fan of policing advertisements, no. I find most content regulation capricious and distasteful.
The protest is not over the ad’s health claims, but its body imagery. That’s clear enough from the pictures in Caroline’s post.
When the ASA inevitably yanks these ads out of circulation, the protesters will celebrate a victory over body shaming and patriarchy, no matter what fig leaf was used to justify the investigation.
Lord Neptune needs his trident.
