5 ms·

I wonder what's going to happen long term to the recent trend of celebrating obesity in advertising. E.g. go to any Target and you will see overweight or obese

I wonder what's going to happen long term to the recent trend of celebrating obesity in advertising. E.g. go to any Target and you will see overweight or obese models wearing the clothes they sell. On one hand you have to represent your current population, and with the majority of Americans overweight or obese, that's who your customers are. On the other, can this be seen as normalizing a disease?

iLoveOncall 4y ago
Nothing at all unless it is forbidden by law, which it won't be. Walmart wants to make a profit, so showing how clothes look on your body is better to achieve this goal.
bobthepanda 4y ago
Fat people exist, and they need clothes to wear.
- bequanna 4y ago
  I think the parent is asking: Why do we seem to be celebrating obese people?
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    Is an ad celebratory or informational? Like, an ad is never going to be like, "hey you stupid fattie, here's where you can buy clothes." You do still have to sell the clothes.
- marcellus23 4y ago
  The parent already acknowledges that: "On one hand you have to represent your current population, and with the majority of Americans overweight or obese, that's who your customers are." The question is about whether this is normalizing an unhealthy disease, which your comment does not respond to.
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    How exactly would you advertise these clothes in a not-normal way? What kind of ads make their customers feel dismissed or treat them like shit? The average American is "normal." that's where we are now. > normal adjective : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern : characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine
    - damascus 4y ago
      It seems the parent comments are inquiring into the morality of the ad campaign. An effective ad shows the potential consumer some desired 'other state' which they could also have by purchasing this good or service. The advertiser is therefore giving some weight to the idea that the obese person in a desirable state. Whereas more traditional ads would show the same clothing on a traditionally attractively weighted person which shows that desired future state includes both the clothing and a more healthy body size.
      - bobthepanda 4y ago
        How many ad campaigns are there consisting of only obese people? There is still plenty of work for conventionally attractive people in advertising.
dr-detroit 4y ago
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mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago
Lol. Advertising and modelling have been normalising eating disorders for a long time. They're just more inclusive about it now.
crazygringo 4y ago
It's interesting to see this together with normalizing larger portions of junk food and desserts. In the 80's, cookies were small, bags of potato chips were tiny and you couldn't "supersize" your fries and Coke at McD's. But then in the 90's cookies and chips and fries and soda sizes just exploded in size. Now they're the new normal.
jacob019 4y ago
I also find it repulsive, but unless the average weight starts going down the trend in advertising is unlikely to reverse.
HyperSane 4y ago
And it is very hypocritical that they only do that for women, male models are still all skinny.

iLoveOncall 4y ago

Nothing at all unless it is forbidden by law, which it won't be. Walmart wants to make a profit, so showing how clothes look on your body is better to achieve this goal.

bobthepanda 4y ago

Fat people exist, and they need clothes to wear.

bequanna 4y ago
I think the parent is asking: Why do we seem to be celebrating obese people?
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  Is an ad celebratory or informational? Like, an ad is never going to be like, "hey you stupid fattie, here's where you can buy clothes." You do still have to sell the clothes.
marcellus23 4y ago
The parent already acknowledges that: "On one hand you have to represent your current population, and with the majority of Americans overweight or obese, that's who your customers are." The question is about whether this is normalizing an unhealthy disease, which your comment does not respond to.
- bobthepanda 4y ago
  How exactly would you advertise these clothes in a not-normal way? What kind of ads make their customers feel dismissed or treat them like shit? The average American is "normal." that's where we are now. > normal adjective : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern : characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine
  - damascus 4y ago
    It seems the parent comments are inquiring into the morality of the ad campaign. An effective ad shows the potential consumer some desired 'other state' which they could also have by purchasing this good or service. The advertiser is therefore giving some weight to the idea that the obese person in a desirable state. Whereas more traditional ads would show the same clothing on a traditionally attractively weighted person which shows that desired future state includes both the clothing and a more healthy body size.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      How many ad campaigns are there consisting of only obese people? There is still plenty of work for conventionally attractive people in advertising.

dr-detroit 4y ago

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mtlmtlmtlmtl 4y ago

Lol. Advertising and modelling have been normalising eating disorders for a long time. They're just more inclusive about it now.

crazygringo 4y ago

It's interesting to see this together with normalizing larger portions of junk food and desserts. In the 80's, cookies were small, bags of potato chips were tiny and you couldn't "supersize" your fries and Coke at McD's. But then in the 90's cookies and chips and fries and soda sizes just exploded in size. Now they're the new normal.

jacob019 4y ago

I also find it repulsive, but unless the average weight starts going down the trend in advertising is unlikely to reverse.

HyperSane 4y ago

And it is very hypocritical that they only do that for women, male models are still all skinny.