Feed Her A Cheesecake, Stat
Sunday, October 7, 2007 I don't know what to say about this ad for Silver jeans.
When I first started watching the above video, I assumed that is was a public service announcement about the reality of anorexia, and then I realized that it was an ad and that these are the kinds of bodies the advertiser wants us to see in their product. The mainstreaming of a serious disorder has reached a new low.
UPDATE: Due to the comments receive so far on this post, I have decided to put my response, which is also in the comments here in the post. I was unintentionally unclear originally:
...as the comments have built up, I have become more and more uncomfortable with the general yuck reaction. I should have been more clear. There is one woman in particular that looks very ill, whereas the others appear to possibly be teenagers who haven't yet developed more mature bodies yet.The one woman (she's pictured in the still before you play the video) is the one to which I meant to refer, and it's not because of any kind of yuck factor. She aroused a lot of sad feelings in me. It's not because I don't appreciate a long-term famine aesthetic (I don't), but because I was shocked by an advertisers willingness to use an obviously ill young woman for the body her illness created.
Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to assume that the one woman has an eating disorder, but I cannot help but think otherwise, and whether this is the case or not, it transmits a strong message of sexiness and acceptability to a level of apparent starvation previously considered life-threatening in a culture in which so many young women suffer and sometimes die from eating disorders. It depathologizes an illness which remains a serious illness even if a clothing company sexualizes in mainstream advertising.
Reader Comments (18)
Umm, I agree that this is disturbing! I hate that the media puts images like this out there. I also hate that there are man out there that find that body type attractive. I'm proud to have curves, and I think that the girls in this ad just look sick!
That is pretty sad.
That is terrible.
I don't know why anyone would aspire to be that thin.
i completely agree. i do understand that there is every possibility that it is in this model's genetics to be this thin and healthy, but thats simply not the case for the rest of the world and i resent this image being used as an image of beauty....
that being sad, this ad is not an effective marketing tool imo.
Am I the only one who doesn't even find that remotely attractive? Blech ;)
The old lady wanted to wash her clothes, but all the skinny young people wanted to get it on, so she had to stand outside, confused and angry. Old people are hilarious that way.
Amen & I agree with you. Ick.
Erin
www.ExpectingExecutive.com
How do you know they are anorexic and not merely young girls (just as the boys seem to be)?
They remind me of the women I saw featured recently in a documentary called "THIN" about women with eating disorders in a rehab hospital.
I am scared for the young girls who are easily influenced by advertising.
Truly disturbing and sad.
Anorexia? I find them pretty normal, but I guess everything is relative from a continent to another one.
The girls are thin but I looked the same way when I was a teenager, through no fault of my own. Just naturally skinny. Right now my youngest weighs 90lbs and has cream on her cereal every morning.
Being skinny hurt when I was a kid, people made fun of me, told horrible jokes, picked on me. I hated it. Then I became an adult and found out that people aspire to be skinny and I couldn't understand why.
Sorry, just brought back a lot of bad memories.
Yuck.
Deb, as the comments have built up, I have become more and more uncomfortable with the general yuck reaction. I should have been more clear. There is one woman in particular that looks very ill, whereas the others appear to possibly be teenagers who haven't yet developed more mature bodies yet.
The one woman (she's pictured in the still before you play the video) is the one to which I meant to refer, and it's not because of any kind of yuck factor. She aroused a lot of sad feelings in me. It's not because I don't appreciate a long-term famine aesthetic (I don't), but because I was shocked by an advertisers willingness to use an obviously ill young woman for the body her illness created.
Perhaps it is presumptuous of me to assume that the one woman has an eating disorder, but I cannot help but think otherwise, and whether this is the case or not, it transmits a strong message of sexiness and acceptability to a level of apparent starvation previously considered life-threatening in a culture in which so many young women suffer and sometimes die from eating disorders. It depathologizes an illness which remains a serious illness even if a clothing company sexualizes in mainstream advertising.
I do apologize for not being more clear and triggering old wounds.
I see you already edited. I have a hyper thyroid. I have to eat A LOT of food just to keep my weight UP. The most I have ever managed to weigh without being pregnant is 110 pounds. Right now I weigh 98, I haven't been doing so well. I can't give blood because I don't meet the weight requirements. I also grew up being teased horribly for being thin. I was sooooo embarrassed in the summers when we'd go swimming, I'd wear big t-shirts over my swimsuit to try to hide how skinny I was. Of course this only served to call attention to it.
I have many friends who struggle with being overweight. Upon first acquaintance they would always crack jokes about my weight, whereas calling attantion in any way to someone's excess weight is pretty much against the law. It's actually very fashionable to make fun of skinny people. It takes a long time, but I do manage to make people understand that this is VERY HURTFUL. I have a weight problem also, it just goes the other way. And it gets very old to hear people say "gee, I wish I had that problem!" Believe me, no you don't.
But while my skininess is natural, I don't think my body type is "normal" or that it should be held up as such. I think average bodies should be used to advertise clothes that average people will be wearing. Having pimples is natural too, but you don't see people with pimples in clothing ads.
It may comfort you to know, however, that while these clothes are being advertised on very skinny people, we very skinny people actually find it near impossible to find clothing. The clothes actually have to be fitted for the shoots, I can guarantee you they are not available in my size.
I had left a previous comment, as I am one of those naturally skinny girls, or was when I was young. Advertisers need to show average women wearing their clothes but the very nature of advertising is to make us dissatisfied with what we have or how we look. My guess is, showing skinny women does that. Most people are not that skinny naturally so advertisers immediately have our attention. Skinny is unusual. Now it's very easy for them to use that to make the majority of women dissatisfied with their bodies and their clothes.
If only I looked like that. If only I had those clothes, then my life would be perfect.
And we buy into it, over and over again.
I'm saying, as a skinny woman, my life is not happier because of my weight and I have spent most of my life trying to find clothes that fit properly. The whole thing is a giant lie.
And thanks for letting me speak my mind here Schmutzie.
okay listen up fatties... Get over yourselves!
is everyone posting on this blog overweight and needing to feel better about themselves for putting down these kids?
that's right they are just kids. i'm a casting director in LA and have met the girl you are referring to. she's just 17 yrs old. yes she's thin but i know plenty of kids that are like that naturally. perhaps she'll fill out, perhaps she won't.
the fact is this kind of video is not created for everybody. in this case, the majority of buyers of this jean are teenagers.
chances are, if you've left a negative 'thin is bad' comment then the jeans are not for you.
i think u may want to read one of Anthony Robbin's book - he'll tell u, eat less, live longer and being overwight is not a good stereotype to encourage.
that's all folks. if i've offended, then i apologize. keep on eating...
Juls
Juls, I am leaving your comment up, because I think it's important to hear all sides of an issue, but I would prefer that outright attacks against others in the comment thread do not take place. We've all managed to play well together so far.