Soldato
People can be under weight due to mental health issues, but for some reason don't get treated with the same level of disgust as those who end up over weight.
Gym advert targetting fat people is offensive
- Thread starter Hades
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Man of Honour
I'm fat and I don't give a toss because I know I can take most thinnies in a fitness contest.
Whenever somebody makes a comment I'll challenge them (running, cycling, sit ups etc) and they always back down.
Whenever somebody makes a comment I'll challenge them (running, cycling, sit ups etc) and they always back down.
Soldato
Alien abduction? That makes no sense, the tractor beams would struggle with larger folk more than lighter ones. And why would they go for bigger people? Surely zombie apocalypse is the scenario they should have gone for, and not being able to get away fast enough?
Being underweight isn't that unhealthy until you get to extreme levels, calorie restriction is actually one of the few things that can cause some mammals to live longer. Simply carrying excess body fat is unhealthy, regardless of how fit or how well you eat. It's almost as bad for the body as smoking.
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Man of Honour
Rubbish advert but not offensive either, people are far too eager to cry offence these days.
Just to clarify I'm a porker but I don't get offended when someone points it out because it's true!
Just to clarify I'm a porker but I don't get offended when someone points it out because it's true!
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Soldato
In cases like these, it is offence being taken rather than given.
If you consider yourself fat, then you only have yourself to blame when you are offended when you associate yourself with that advertisement.
People seem to think that skinny people don't get treated with the same level of disgust, that simply is not true, just that what society deems unacceptable levels of skinniness is far less common than what is considered an unacceptable weight.
I am of the opinion that people can live and be how they wish but people shouldn't expect others to accept their life choices without comment. I am also against the witch-hunt that seems to happen when people are open about why they don't find these people attractive and this campaign to really push the idea of heavy models.
Yes i get that they are trying to say that a healthy average woman is not and does not need to be a stick figure model but stacking advert upon advert for super plus size models is stupid. Having some 18 stone bird shout 'I know i am beautiful and i ain't gonna let a man tell me what's what!' is just loud noise, people will find you attractive/unattractive and no amount of convincing verbally is going to change that. If you have to go round convincing people you are attractive by shouting that you are, then you are not.
If you consider yourself fat, then you only have yourself to blame when you are offended when you associate yourself with that advertisement.
People seem to think that skinny people don't get treated with the same level of disgust, that simply is not true, just that what society deems unacceptable levels of skinniness is far less common than what is considered an unacceptable weight.
I am of the opinion that people can live and be how they wish but people shouldn't expect others to accept their life choices without comment. I am also against the witch-hunt that seems to happen when people are open about why they don't find these people attractive and this campaign to really push the idea of heavy models.
Yes i get that they are trying to say that a healthy average woman is not and does not need to be a stick figure model but stacking advert upon advert for super plus size models is stupid. Having some 18 stone bird shout 'I know i am beautiful and i ain't gonna let a man tell me what's what!' is just loud noise, people will find you attractive/unattractive and no amount of convincing verbally is going to change that. If you have to go round convincing people you are attractive by shouting that you are, then you are not.
Soldato
The guys who are saying they are overweight and the ad doesnt bother them. What if you were say a 10 year old fat girl with not many friends ?
Or you had a niece or daughter who was in that position and already getting bullied in school.
Or you had a niece or daughter who was in that position and already getting bullied in school.
Soldato
Why are people talking as if its only adults who are overweight
If I had an overweight daughter at 10 I would seriously be considering the life lessons I was giving her and what foods/exercise she was having, being fat as an adult is your own fault (medical issues aside), being fat as a child means your parents are failing to care for you correctly (again medical issues aside).
Man of Honour
Why would they find it offensive, this is my point it's not calling anyone fat, it's not even making out being fat is bad and you should be ashamed, there's no image saying this is what fat looks like so you've already got to consider yourself fat to even think it may be aimed at you.
Why are you only talking about female children, can male children not have issues with their weight as well?
Man of Honour
If you're intending to use hypocrisy and irrationality as comedy, then you should probably make it clearer.
If not, then you must be silenced because I say your words are offensive and no-one is allowed to disagree with me.
Of course, that's not how it works - part of the "offense" ideology is that only the "right" groups of people should have power and nobody in a group is allowed to disagree with the group's self-appointed rulers. Same old prejudices, just with a different facade on them.
I used to be obese. Now I'm a bit fat. But that's still fat. So do you think I have the authority to command you to be silent because I say you're being offensive? If not, why not?
10 year girls definitely shouldn't be overweight, I don't want them to feel bad because it's their parents responsibility but I don't think you should tread on egg shells to avoid offending people who are damaging their health and costing the NHS billions
Soldato
Exactly this.
Although perhaps I'd go one step further and say it would have actively discouraged me from joining the gym.
I think what people fail to appreciate is that (at least in my case) being fat brought with it a great deal of self loathing, which brought along emotional issues, which I managed with food. Gaining the confidence to go to the gym took a great deal of time for me, hell I had to lose about 6 stone before I gained enough confidence to go.
Soldato
Problem with people that are very overweight is that it's a vicious circle. They don't go out and exercise as they're embarrassed about their body which means they get worse, can get mental issues and ultimately put more weight on.
Quite often takes a medical scare for them to get out of that circle, for many unfortunately that medical issue will be more than a scare...
I've got nothing but respect when I see someone trying to do something about it.
Do wonder if the government offered free membership to gyms, perhaps certain days (another fear overweight people may have is going to a gym full of Miami beach type bodybuilders) would you in the long run see a cost benefit. NHS is literally getting hammered by people with problems directly or indirectly linked to their weight.
Could offer tax incentives to Gyms to share the cost.
Also simple things like the cost of food needs to be looked at. Buying a simple salad can cost as much or more as a full burger and chips. That's not right!
Quite often takes a medical scare for them to get out of that circle, for many unfortunately that medical issue will be more than a scare...
I've got nothing but respect when I see someone trying to do something about it.
Do wonder if the government offered free membership to gyms, perhaps certain days (another fear overweight people may have is going to a gym full of Miami beach type bodybuilders) would you in the long run see a cost benefit. NHS is literally getting hammered by people with problems directly or indirectly linked to their weight.
Could offer tax incentives to Gyms to share the cost.
Also simple things like the cost of food needs to be looked at. Buying a simple salad can cost as much or more as a full burger and chips. That's not right!
Soldato
They should have gone with a different angle.
- Incentivise cheaper membership for people with a 'weight problem'. Financial motivation.
- Provide evidence of a comfortable environment for people to exercise without feeling judged or stupid.
- Offer personalised help and motivational support from employees.
- Incentivise cheaper membership for people with a 'weight problem'. Financial motivation.
- Provide evidence of a comfortable environment for people to exercise without feeling judged or stupid.
- Offer personalised help and motivational support from employees.
Soldato
If a really really poor attempt at a joke such as this genuinely offends you then that's down to you, but I really hope you can grow thicker skin as there is far worse out there.
It isn't in the best taste, but its not like it has an actual picture of somebody overweight, somebody who may look like a lot of other people we see everyday and who we wouldn't really consider to have a big (no pun intended) problem and point blank calls them fat.
Its just a picture of an alien!
I used to be in pretty good shape, fell out of love with bodybuilding for a year, stopped and have put a few stone of fat on, so I'm in terrible shape at the moment, but does a billboard saying aliens would abduct fat people (myself included) first offend me? No.
People get so upset and defensive when anyone might suggest they take responsibility for their own actions, prime (probably terrible) example, that fat program that old troll Katie Hopkins did, she said fat people without medical conditions (including mental) should move a bit more and eat a bit less, pretty flawless logic really, the only thing she's ever said that wasn't rubbish. People reported her for hate crimes. Pathetic.
Back on topic: It is a stupid advert, but not newsworthy.
It isn't in the best taste, but its not like it has an actual picture of somebody overweight, somebody who may look like a lot of other people we see everyday and who we wouldn't really consider to have a big (no pun intended) problem and point blank calls them fat.
Its just a picture of an alien!
I used to be in pretty good shape, fell out of love with bodybuilding for a year, stopped and have put a few stone of fat on, so I'm in terrible shape at the moment, but does a billboard saying aliens would abduct fat people (myself included) first offend me? No.
People get so upset and defensive when anyone might suggest they take responsibility for their own actions, prime (probably terrible) example, that fat program that old troll Katie Hopkins did, she said fat people without medical conditions (including mental) should move a bit more and eat a bit less, pretty flawless logic really, the only thing she's ever said that wasn't rubbish. People reported her for hate crimes. Pathetic.
Back on topic: It is a stupid advert, but not newsworthy.
Man of Honour
A gym is not required for making yourself less fat. A person not going to a gym because they're embarrassed about being fat (or thin - it works either way) is using that as an excuse, a manufactured reason for not changing their lifestyle because they don't want to do so or think they can't do so.
Most people who are members of a gym don't use it even though they chose it and they're paying for it. Free gym membership for people who don't really want it would probably have a usage rate so low it would be irrelevant.
Giving people a guide to exercise at home and some dumbells would be far cheaper and probably more effective. Most people get so little exercise that the odd few minutes of light exercise here and there while watching TV would be a dramatic increase in the amount of exercise they do. It's not the most efficient approach, but it's beneficial and more likely to be used by more people than a gym.
Most people who are members of a gym don't use it even though they chose it and they're paying for it. Free gym membership for people who don't really want it would probably have a usage rate so low it would be irrelevant.
Giving people a guide to exercise at home and some dumbells would be far cheaper and probably more effective. Most people get so little exercise that the odd few minutes of light exercise here and there while watching TV would be a dramatic increase in the amount of exercise they do. It's not the most efficient approach, but it's beneficial and more likely to be used by more people than a gym.
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