As many of you will have seen the recent Protein World beach body adverts have had a bit of backlash. And by a bit I mean a lot. So considering marketing is what I wanna do I just thought I'd give my two cents here.
Firstly, I get why people are mad. As someone who isn't a perfectly toned size 8, I get why people are frustrated at this advertising when recently the world has come so far in accepting bodies no matter how they look. And I'm not talking about plus size models with pretty faces and great hair here, I'm talking about people with scars or disfigurements or anything else that would be seen as outside of the 'ordinary' or what is deemed typically attractive. I get that this advertising is essentially saying 'if you don't look like this then you aren't ready to be seen on a beach.' and can be damaging for women that are vulnerable or impressionable. Whilst this woman in the adverts is obviously healthy and has worked really hard to get her body this way which is a fantastic achievement, it isn't realistic for many. This isn't me defending unhealthily overweight people that can't be bothered to go to the gym, I mean more along the lines of people that are naturally smaller or taller or have bigger thighs or breasts. I am in no way saying that a different model would have done a better job, but what I am saying is that Protein World should have worded the advert differently.
HOWEVER with this in mind - Protein World are supplying a product to a demanding market that is the diet world. They are aiming these adverts at the women (or men) that are wanting to lose weight in order to feel confident and sexy on the beach. And that's fine. As is feeling happy and confident in your body if it doesn't look like Renee Somerfield's. IT'S ALL FINE. The model certainly doesn't deserve any backlash she has received for it because at the end of the day she was paid to do it. It's her job. She's a fitness model.
Having just read this Daily Mail article on the matter another thing I have to say is this: the word 'feminist' needs to stop being used as a dirty word and an insult. Generally it is used by people who don't know how else to describe men and women who aren't afraid to call BS on the mainstream media and the standards that they enforce upon others. Feminism, in the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, is 'the social, political and economic equality of the sexes'. Whether or not the people who responded to these adverts are feminists is irrelevant. This isn't the 50's anymore and the sooner that's realised the better.
Having spoken about this with my housemates, it is highly likely that Protein World did this on purpose, well aware of the backlash they would receive. Any publicity is good publicity and their sales have tripled within four days. The blasé attitude of the social media department would also suggest that the company have been ready and waiting for this to happen.
All in all: it may have been a bad move in terms of the way in which many people perceive them but whether this was a PR stunt or a just a bit of an off decision, it's worked in their favour.
Listening to: The Other Woman - Lana Del Rey
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