GRSJ 300 Lucy Bogle

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In my alteration, I attempted to demonstrate the problematic exclusive and body shaming aspects of Protein World’s advertisement, without body shaming or excluding the advertisements original model. I attempted to create a Public Service Announcement inspired by intersectional feminism. I chose not to create an advertisement for a different company or a spoof of Protein World’s original advertisement, but a Public Service announcement as I believed this statement would be most effective as a form of resistance to body shaming in advertising.

In my jammed version of the advertisement, I attempted to include women and men of different body sizes and gender identities in a non-sexualizing and commodifying way in order to have broad representation and inclusivity. I hoped that through the inclusion of Rupaul Andre Charles, Danielle Brooks and a plus size male model for the company “Underbear”, I could demonstrate visually that every body is beach body ready.

My focus in this alteration was the relationship between text and meaning in Protein World’s original advertisement, as they work simultaneously together in order to influence women to engage with and in fitness and diet culture. I believe that through my deconstruction and culture jamming of Protein World’s original advertisement the original advertisements problematic aspects have been highlighted, however, I believe that my Public Service Announcement is in need of critique as well.

Although I was able to include people of different shapes, gender identities, and skin pigmentation, in the jammed version of the advertisement I did not touch include differently abled men or women or men or women of different religions. Furthermore, although I made the conscious decision to include Rupaul and Danielle Brooks as they are known in popular culture as advocates for body positivity, equality, and supporters of LGBTQ+ movement, by using celebrities and not regular people (such as Underbears model) my jammed version of the advertisement is not supporting grassroots movements and organizations.

Although through my jammed version of the advertisement I believe I was able to address many of the issues of the original advertisement and create a message of inclusion and resistance, I believe that hegemonic ideals are still embedded, and should be acknowledged.

Photo Sources:

“Photo From Classic- Foxy Lady Era.” Photo From Classic- Foxy Lady Era, MySpace, myspace.com/rupaulofficial/mixes/classic-foxy-lady-era-365838/photo/94312176.

“Orange is New Black’s Danielle Brooks aka Taystee got voted People Magazine’s one of the “Worlds Most Beautiful” women”.” Https://Twitter.com/Moorinformation/Status/877329433614458880, People Magazine, twitter.com/moorinformation/status/877329433614458880.

“Underbear.” Underbear, UnderBear, www.underbear.com/shop/underbear-smooth-package-swim-brief-black/.

The above advertisement in its original form was first displayed in London by Protein World, a UK based protein supplement company. The advertisement prompted a worldwide backlash from men and women individually, as well as multiple feminist and advocacy groups.This advertisement uses a blatant form of body shaming in order to foster a sense of shame within women in order to perpetuate unattainable standards of beauty, and profit from fitness and diet culture.

The use of the bright colours, rhetorical questioning and the thin, blonde almost barbie like white woman in this advertisement work together simultaneously to shame women into being critical of their bodies and perpetuates fitness and diet culture. This use of the rhetorical question “Are you beach body ready?” followed immediately by the introduction of Protein World’s newest weight loss collection suggests to women that, if you do not resemble the model in the advertisement you are not beach body ready.

Furthermore, this advertisement isolates and marginalizes women of colour, women with certain religious beliefs or values, transwomen, plus size women and gender non conforming women by further distancing them from the dominant discourses of what a woman should look like. As Warner discusses in his article, this advertisement plays on “emotional rather than rational appeals” (Warner 18). Despite the fact the majority of women do not resemble the model featured in this advertisement, many women still experience a negative emotional reaction to this advertisement and its message despite their rational knowledge of the average woman’s body size.

Although this advertisement is directed at women, it sexualizes and commodifies the female body in order to appeal to men. In an interview conducted by Rose Hackman for The Guardian that asked New Yorkers of various sexes and ages what they thought of the advertisement, a 38-year-old man said that when looking at this advertisement, his mind does not go to the beach. (“Are you beach body ready? Controversial weight loss ad sparks varied reactions”). This advertisement was created not only to target women using a body shaming rhetoric, it sexualizes and commodifies the female body in order to appeal to men as well.

Sources:

Hackman, Rose. “Are you beach body ready? Controversial weight loss ad sparks varied reactions.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 June 2015, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/27/beach-body-ready-america-weight-loss-ad-instagram.

Mullin, Gemma. “Marketing man behind Protein World’s controversial ‘Are You Beach Body Ready?’ Tube posters faces fresh backlash with new ad campaign urging women to ‘think small’.” The Sun, The Sun, 22 May 2017, www.thesun.co.uk/news/3621355/are-you-beach-body-ready-tube-posters-protein-world-think-small-advert/.

Warner, Jamie. “Political Culture Jamming: The Dissident Humor of “the Daily show with Jon Stewart”.” Popular Communication, vol. 5, no. 1, 2007, pp. 17.

Advertisement taken from: http://www.mediagirls.org/ad-dectectives.html