Protein World: "Body Positivity" and a lesson on how not to motivate people

[Metailurus]

Protein World have did nothing wrong. They are advertising an ideal in order to generate sales, nothing that any other company hasn't done for over a century.

Feminist outrage mob are not Protein World's target audience. Get over it.

I hope that Protein World have made a fortune out of this petty little drama in reward for the pointless hassle that the outrage brigade (who are clearly too self absorbed to understand how advertising works) are trying to put them through.

In fact, without even knowing too much of the detail around this story, you can bet that their marketing department are all patting each other on the back and looking forward to bumper annual bonuses, as there is nothing untoward in the advert in question and it has ended up garnering significant publicity for them for probably relatively insignificant outlay as a result of the outrage megaphones choosing to get offended over it. Lets face it, the outrage brigade have extended the protein world brand reach by several hundred thousand %.

 

[Strazdas]

But society in general hasn't always insisted that fat people are less attractive than thin people.

Yes, it always insisted that. thats because its hardwired by evolution. Fat people are worse partners to extend genes due to being less healthy on average.

This ad makes "beach body" look like something you can get "ready" for in a short term.
Like it's some sort of suit you just have to buy from them, there you go now you're "fit for the summer" while in reality, it's a lifestyle, it's a long ass journey and you may never actually get to that unrealistic goal displayed in that ad.

They are selling dieting pills. its clearly in their best interest that people fall for the "quick mass starvation diet" rather than lifestyle choices. Whether you agree with that or not (i dont personally) they still advertised it in a way as to push their product.

What do you expect? To show a fat person to be ready to go to the Beach?

Hah, i am imagining this now. They show a fat person in a bikini next to a weight loss pill advertisement. the Perpetually Offended Crowd would be screaming bloody murder till the earth stops spinning.

First: For men losing weight, specifically fat, tends to be far easier than it is for women.
Second: Everybody is different, what wasn't at all difficult for you, can be very difficult for someone else.
Third: Being overweight and obese often has other issues that go along with it. Usually including bad habits, poor motivation, and chronic depression.
Fourth: Overweight people often have trouble being active at all due to the extra weight putting extra stress on their body.
Fifth: Some people have other contributing health issues, like say asthma, diabetes, and/or heart disease
Sixth: When you're used to eating huge portions, dieting can be a nightmare. It's easier to be full and content, than hungry and content.*

Edit: *Being hungry and content is basically impossible it's hungry and miserable usually.

First is only true in as much as women metabolic rate is slightly lower. thats about all there is to this.
Second: Sure. Some people suck at math. does that mean that its math geniuses that are to blame for that?
Third: Yes, and vast majority of those issues are self-inflicted.
Fourth: as a fat person - bullshit. Especially when you are on a sugar crunch.
Fifth: and thats fair enough. Those people do not even make up 1% of overweight people and i dont think anyone here was even talking about them. Not to mention that 2 of 3 things you listed have being overweight as primarily cause for it.
Sixth: Thats called "lack of willpower". Also noone is asking them to starve instantly. Gradual decline in food intake allowing for your stomach to retract in size over many weeks. It works and you dont feel hungry. You shouldnt expect to loose half of your weight in a month. its a process you work towards.

 

[Metailurus]

Hah, i am imagining this now. They show a fat person in a bikini next to a weight loss pill advertisement. the Perpetually Offended Crowd would be screaming bloody murder till the earth stops spinning.

Protein world should totally do this. Parody their own advert using a beached whale of a human being. The advert would be hilarious and the outrage doubly so.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

First is only true in as much as women metabolic rate is slightly lower. thats about all there is to this.
Second: Sure. Some people suck at math. does that mean that its math geniuses that are to blame for that?
Third: Yes, and vast majority of those issues are self-inflicted.
Fourth: as a fat person - bullshit. Especially when you are on a sugar crunch.
Fifth: and thats fair enough. Those people do not even make up 1% of overweight people and i dont think anyone here was even talking about them. Not to mention that 2 of 3 things you listed have being overweight as primarily cause for it.
Sixth: Thats called "lack of willpower". Also noone is asking them to starve instantly. Gradual decline in food intake allowing for your stomach to retract in size over many weeks. It works and you dont feel hungry. You shouldnt expect to loose half of your weight in a month. its a process you work towards.

1) More than that hormones also play a rather massive role.
2) Apples and oranges. Also the health/fitness nuts are constantly playing a blame game with the overweight. Still the social pressure on overweight people can be debilitating to some. To your logic the "suck at math" types also shouldn't be expected to perform at the level of a math genius. So fat people shouldn't even try?
3) To some what is self inflected is also a compulsion that cannot be helped.
4) One person's experience does not equate to the experiences of everyone who happens to be in the same situation. Many large people have difficulty with activity.
5) For the two out of three. Tell that to people with Type one Diabetes, especially adult onset. Some people also acquire Type two while at optimal weight. Also I know far more fit people who have suffered heart disease than obese ones. Stress is also a major factor, and many medical professionals believe it to be the leading one.
6) Well the media and advertisements sure are, as well as quite a few health food and fitness Junkies. Though with any reasonable person it's a fair point that it does take time and is a process that people work towards. Also "willpower" is a variable, once again one experience does not equate to the experience of a entire group.

 

[Twintix]

OK, listen here people, "tough love" is not an excuse to act like a right dick.
Look, guys, encouraging healthy lifestyles is one thing, but it is not achieved by bullying fat people or dismissing those who work really hard trying to lose weight.

Good thing those ads werent doing that then, right?

In that case, I wasn't solely talking about the ads. I agree that people were overreacting to them, which you'd know if you'd cared to read past my first sentence.

What I was reacting to was the complete absence of professionalism on Protein World's part. No, I do not care in the slightest how tired you are of false accusations of body images and sexism; If you[footnote]As in, general you, not you specifically.[/footnote] represent a company, you should always strive to act in a way that reinforces a positive image of that company. I expect a worker to not sink to grade school levels of pettiness.

Dismissing and insulting potential customers is not gaining you any fans.

Also what is a "right dick", is there a "left dick"? what kind of animal is that?

Was this comment really neccessary? Like, did you really have to say this? Of all the things to point out in my post, this was worth your attention?

Please don't be unneccessarily snarky with me. I just want to have a discussion.

As a side note, to nobody in particular; I believe that weight loss should be encouraged for a healthy lifestyle, not for some idea of beauty. (Maybe the commercial had gone over a bit better if they'd done that instead. Note: "a bit". There'd still be people complaining because that's what people do)
You should lose weight for your sake as well, not just for somebody else. But that's mainly because I happen to think that "being fat" is not synonymous with "being ugly".

 

[DrWut]

So we can't picture fit people anymore because some people are not fit and they can wrongly think that the depiction is a personal judgement on their lifestyle?

I don't know man, I work a ton of hours, don't have the healthiest eating habits and play vidya, therefore I have a nice beer gut. But I don't freak out every time I see a ripped dude on an ad poster. It's not the ripped dude's fault.

The response from Protein World is right. People who get aggressively offended at anything and everything need to be taken down a peg or two.

 

[Queen Michael]

But society in general hasn't always insisted that fat people are less attractive than thin people.

Yes, it always insisted that. thats because its hardwired by evolution. Fat people are worse partners to extend genes due to being less healthy on average.

Uh... No. There are several countries where to this day, being fat is seen as beautiful. Tonga is one example.

And honestly, anybody can see why being fat would make you extremely attractive as a partner in times of starvation. When there's no food to go around, you wanna be with the one who still manages to stay spherical.

 

[DrWut]

But society in general hasn't always insisted that fat people are less attractive than thin people.

Yes, it always insisted that. thats because its hardwired by evolution. Fat people are worse partners to extend genes due to being less healthy on average.

Uh... No. There are several countries where to this day, being fat is seen as beautiful. Tonga is one example.

And honestly, anybody can see why being fat would make you extremely attractive as a partner in times of starvation. When there's no food to go around, you wanna be with the one who still manages to stay spherical.

Grandmas in Spain who lived the post-war period still go "look at you, how fat you are!" as a compliment when they see you. It doesn't always go down well.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

So we can't picture fit people anymore because some people are not fit and they can wrongly think that the depiction is a personal judgement on their lifestyle?

I don't know man, I work a ton of hours, don't have the healthiest eating habits and play vidya, therefore I have a nice beer gut. But I don't freak put every time I see a ripped dude on an ad poster. It's not the ripped dude's fault.

If you paid attention, you'd know what sparked this whole mess was the counter controversy spawned by Protein World. Basically they stooped to grade school level petty bullshit, because someone spoke out about finding the ad offensive and sexist.

 

[Twintix]

So we can't picture fit people anymore because some people are not fit and they can wrongly think that the depiction is a personal judgement on their lifestyle?

I don't know man, I work a ton of hours, don't have the healthiest eating habits and play vidya, therefore I have a nice beer gut. But I don't freak put every time I see a ripped dude on an ad poster. It's not the ripped dude's fault.

If you paid attention, you'd know what sparked this whole mess was the counter controversy spawned by Protein World. Basically they stooped to grade school level petty bullshit, because someone spoke out about finding the ad offensive and sexist.

Oh God, it's turning into the "JonTron retarded" controversy again, isn't it? With people just focusing on the "offended" part (Because as everybody knows, if you're offended, you're automatically wrong) instead of seeing that the other party stooped to pettiness levels in handling it all.

 

[DrWut]

So we can't picture fit people anymore because some people are not fit and they can wrongly think that the depiction is a personal judgement on their lifestyle?

I don't know man, I work a ton of hours, don't have the healthiest eating habits and play vidya, therefore I have a nice beer gut. But I don't freak put every time I see a ripped dude on an ad poster. It's not the ripped dude's fault.

If you paid attention, you'd know what sparked this whole mess was the counter controversy spawned by Protein World. Basically they stooped to grade school level petty bullshit, because someone spoke out about finding the ad offensive and sexist.

Sounds great. What should they do? Accept what the offendatrons tell them at face value? The ad is neither offensive nor sexist. I paid attention to the controversy and what they were answering to was petty bullshit itself. Just a knee-jerk reaction because attractive ladies are completely unacceptable. People are too used to companies folding to the stupidest complaints, I'm glad these people refused to budge because in the end it's only bullies looking for them to apologize and grovel for a non-existent sexism.

I am a fan of the Frank Cho school of dealing with the offended.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

So we can't picture fit people anymore because some people are not fit and they can wrongly think that the depiction is a personal judgement on their lifestyle?

I don't know man, I work a ton of hours, don't have the healthiest eating habits and play vidya, therefore I have a nice beer gut. But I don't freak put every time I see a ripped dude on an ad poster. It's not the ripped dude's fault.

If you paid attention, you'd know what sparked this whole mess was the counter controversy spawned by Protein World. Basically they stooped to grade school level petty bullshit, because someone spoke out about finding the ad offensive and sexist.

Sounds great. What should they do? Accept what the offendatrons tell them at face value? The ad is neither offensive nor sexist. I paid attention to the controversy and what they were answering to was petty bullshit itself. Just a knee-jerk reaction because attractive ladies are completely unacceptable. People are too used to companies folding to the stupidest complaints, I'm glad these people refused to budge because in the end it's only bullies looking for them to apologize and grovel for a non-existent sexism.

Regardless of your personal opinion there is one fact you have to admit. This would have never come up and would have just totally blown over if one thing had happened: If Protein World had ignored the original outraged tweet. You know, instead of being the biggest bunch of unprofessional group of jackasses they could be.

 

[Zontar]

(Because as everybody knows, if you're offended, you're automatically wrong)

Actually the mistaken attitude a lot of people (especially on social media) seem to have is that if you're offended, you're automatically right, not that you are automatically wrong.

Case in point is the recent Pillars of Eternity nontroversy where a bunch of people got offended at a joke one can not rationality to explain the offence of.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

(Because as everybody knows, if you're offended, you're automatically wrong)

Actually the mistaken attitude a lot of people (especially on social media) seem to have is that if you're offended, you're automatically right, not that you are automatically wrong.

Case in point is the recent Pillars of Eternity nontroversy where a bunch of people got offended at a joke one can not rationality to explain the offence of.

Yes because it's not like transpanic leads to trans people being beaten and killed... Oh wait.

Anyways in this case the one thing people in this thread are missing, like a blind man misses the broad side of a barn with a rifle shot.. Is that Protein World is more at fault for perpetuating this mess, and making them selves look like idiots in the process.

 

[SweetShark]

Hah, i am imagining this now. They show a fat person in a bikini next to a weight loss pill advertisement. the Perpetually Offended Crowd would be screaming bloody murder till the earth stops spinning.

Protein world should totally do this. Parody their own advert using a beached whale of a human being. The advert would be hilarious and the outrage doubly so.

Or even better: A Thin Whale. You know, a sexy whale wearing a bikini.
This will confuse the people who complain.
D*ck, not now....

 

[Zontar]

(Because as everybody knows, if you're offended, you're automatically wrong)

Actually the mistaken attitude a lot of people (especially on social media) seem to have is that if you're offended, you're automatically right, not that you are automatically wrong.

Case in point is the recent Pillars of Eternity nontroversy where a bunch of people got offended at a joke one can not rationality to explain the offence of.

Yes because it's not like transpanic leads to trans people being beaten and killed... Oh wait.

See, that statement, though true, would have more weight to it if the joke was arguably transphobic in any way. One may perceive it as such, but no argument has been made which can rationalize that perception.

 

[DrWut]

So we can't picture fit people anymore because some people are not fit and they can wrongly think that the depiction is a personal judgement on their lifestyle?

I don't know man, I work a ton of hours, don't have the healthiest eating habits and play vidya, therefore I have a nice beer gut. But I don't freak put every time I see a ripped dude on an ad poster. It's not the ripped dude's fault.

If you paid attention, you'd know what sparked this whole mess was the counter controversy spawned by Protein World. Basically they stooped to grade school level petty bullshit, because someone spoke out about finding the ad offensive and sexist.

Sounds great. What should they do? Accept what the offendatrons tell them at face value? The ad is neither offensive nor sexist. I paid attention to the controversy and what they were answering to was petty bullshit itself. Just a knee-jerk reaction because attractive ladies are completely unacceptable. People are too used to companies folding to the stupidest complaints, I'm glad these people refused to budge because in the end it's only bullies looking for them to apologize and grovel for a non-existent sexism.

Regardless of your personal opinion there is one fact you have to admit. This would have never come up and would have just totally blown over if one thing had happened: If Protein World had ignored the original outraged tweet. You know, instead of being the biggest bunch of unprofessional group of jackasses they could be.

And why should they not respond? Why would anyone expect hostility to be met with silence or politeness? This is the part that I don't understand. If I go to somebody in the street and start rambling about how I fucking hate X about them and they are sexists and terrible people I would expect the other guy to be angry and defend himself from my accusations. What I would never do is act shocked that he didn't just ignore me or apologize right away.

I mean where I come from we would (I edit to add that it was like 18th, 19th Century not now, lol) immediatly go outside and stab each other to death for much less. People these days expect to insult anybody with no consequence.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

(Because as everybody knows, if you're offended, you're automatically wrong)

Actually the mistaken attitude a lot of people (especially on social media) seem to have is that if you're offended, you're automatically right, not that you are automatically wrong.

Case in point is the recent Pillars of Eternity nontroversy where a bunch of people got offended at a joke one can not rationality to explain the offence of.

Yeah, that was a pretty stupid controversy. The nontroversy over the inclusion of that joke was almost as petty as the nontroversy over its removal.

 

[Hagi]

Yes, it always insisted that. thats because its hardwired by evolution. Fat people are worse partners to extend genes due to being less healthy on average.

Just check out this hot beauty from the stone age!

ps. You do realize that evolution literally means that things aren't hardwired and change over time...