turkey leg Originally uploaded by mo pie I was looking to post something happy today, but I haven’t run across any great music videos or fat positive things today. (Tipsters, I need you.) Instead, I ran across a new series of ads from Brazil (yes, that Brazil) for, apparently, a gym. The theme of the […]

Filed under: Advertising, Exercise, Fatism | 7 Comments »

Speaking of advertising, have you seen the new Reebok “Run Easy” campaign? The message of the ads is that you don’t have to run like a competitive athlete; you can just “run easy.” In Reeboks, presumably. Those ads are plastered all over the Embarcadero station here in San Francisco and I notice them especially because […]

Filed under: Advertising, Exercise, Media | 35 Comments »

I should rename this blog “Kate Winslet Is Awesome” because I never miss an opportunity to point out that she is awesome. The latest is that she has refused to be airbrushed in her new ads for Lancôme. [She] only accepted the modelling gig if the company promised not to airbrush her for the poster […]

Filed under: Advertising, Celebrities, Gossip, Kate Winslet | 16 Comments »

This series of Brazilian ads is making the rounds today; I found it on Shakesville. The ads feature iconic film images with the original thin women replaced with not-so-thin women. Which would be a brilliant, pro-fat idea… except the point is, it’s supposed to make you feel like you’re not sexy enough to be naked […]

Filed under: Advertising, Fatism, International | 17 Comments »

I had exactly two words after watching this: The fuck? Reebok: Belly’s Gonna Get You Posted May 02, 2007 A beer belly gives a guy a mad chase down city streets.

Filed under: Advertising, Fatism, Media | 7 Comments »

So that new weight loss drug, which we shall code name “Todd Packer,” has hit the market. And it is selling like hotcakes in spite of the fact that there is an outside chance that it causes colon cancer, and that it definitely causes you to poop your pants. “It’s probably a smart idea to […]

Filed under: Advertising, Health, Science, The Office, Weight Loss | 15 Comments »

You know, we always talk about how fat girls are objectified in the media, but we tend to forget about every beer commercial featuring the fat friend who is also the loser friend or how the easiest way for a filmmaker to show that the protagonist’s best friend is true to the end and also […]

Filed under: Advertising, Fatism, International, TV, Video | 13 Comments »

To continue our conversation about banning junk food advertising… why didn’t anyone mention that the UK already does it? Apparently–and I know this is going to come as a huge shock–when the government starts regulating things, it can get slightly ridiculous. The broadcasting side of Ofcom has tried to regulate food advertising to children and […]

Filed under: Advertising, International, Kids | 16 Comments »

Should we ban junk food advertising, like we do with cigarettes? There’s a discussion going on at Scott Kennedy’s blog. But does anyone honestly think advertising makes them obese? Heck does anyone really think it is junk food that makes them obese? NO! The junk food is not at fault. It’s the misuse of junk-food […]

Filed under: Advertising | 23 Comments »

Greg Grumberg, who I’ve loved just a little bit ever since Felicity, is the first man to be a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. For those of you familiar with Weight Watchers, he’s doing the Core plan. For those of you familiar with frozen yogurt trends, he’s eating at Pinkberry. Mmm, Pinkberry. I lost 50 pounds […]

Filed under: Advertising, Weight Loss | 11 Comments »

The dairy industry’s commercials about drinking milk, claming that it would help you lose weight, have been pulled by the FTC. According to the petition: Only one researcher–who has a financial stake in the outcome–showed a statistically significant effect of dairy product consumption on weight loss and only when paired with a strict caloric restriction… […]

Filed under: Advertising, Weight Loss | 5 Comments »

When I was in grad school, my friends and I would do a poetry workshop in a cafe where one of the tables was decorated with this poster from the 1890s. Start your week off right, and check it out. So why suffer horrible tortures with inferior mechanical devices that artifically fatten? Don’t look like […]

Filed under: Advertising, Fat Positive, Old Timey | 10 Comments »

The company that makes Skippy peanut butter and Country Crock spread (“Pam, I want you to rub butter on my foot“) has decided to ban skinny models from their ads. All of the people who appear in their ads are now required to have a BMI between 18.5 and 25. Unilever has adopted a new […]

Filed under: Advertising, International | 12 Comments »

It seems like all I ever post these days are videos but man, once you start looking, you just keep finding great stuff! This great find is thanks to Katio, who writes Sisterskinny.blogspot.com along with her sister Molly. Katieo posted that she can’t watch this video without getting a lump in her throat and I […]

Filed under: Advertising, Kids, Media, Video | 21 Comments »

In a post called Spanx but no Spanx (hee) the fabulous fatshionistas ponder the concept of the foundation garment. I just received an email from Torrid inviting me to “Improve my rear view” by purchasing Spanx foundation garments. I was wondering if I should be intrigued or insulted by this advertisement. It got me to […]

Filed under: Advertising, Fashion | 29 Comments »

Anti-obesity ads from the Department of Health and Human Services are featuring Shrek and friends in their ads. Shrek is wildly popular with kids, of course, but is this really the wisest choice in the world, when Shrek endorses such a wide array of unhealthy foods? The deal is full of food products like: Snickers, […]

Filed under: Advertising, Health, Kids, Movies | 6 Comments »

Study confirms that children overeat significantly when exposed to food advertising. Like, by 134%. Our research confirms food TV advertising has a profound effect on all children’s eating habits doubling their consumption rate … suggesting a strong connection between weight and susceptibility to overeating when exposed to food adverts on television. In addition to that […]

Filed under: Advertising, International, Kids, Science | 8 Comments »

Multiple readers have expressed concern (or at least they have expressed feelings) about the content of the ads on Big Fat Deal, which Google generates automatically. They are sometimes ads for plus-size clothing and dating sites; sometimes ads for diet products and fad diet drugs. Rachel summed it up when she said: I just think […]

Filed under: Advertising, Meta | 6 Comments »

The FTC is considering more stringent requirements for celebrity endorsements. Such as requiring that the celebrity has come into contact with the product he or she is endorsing. Maybe someone would have to watch Paris Hilton actually eat a Carl’s Jr. hamburger before making out the check. “Obviously it’s going be a little less attractive […]

Filed under: Advertising | 3 Comments »

A Kaiser Foundation study was released revealing that a good chunk of advertising aimed at children seeks to sell them junk food. “50 percent of ad time on children’s shows is devoted to food. Among the ads aimed at children and teenagers, 72 percent are for candy, snacks, sugary cereals or fast food… The study […]

Filed under: Advertising, Health, Kids, Media | 1 Comment »