Recently I watched a video from the company Kellogg’s which is advertising “anti-fat talk”. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s basically a video in which the brand aims to put an end to how people shame themselves by using “fat-talk” such as “My thighs are looking huge today” or “My face is so chubby”.
The video begins with a look at posts on social media sights where women have insulted themselves and the way they look with harsh comments. The next shot shows a clothing store, which has been set up by the brand, and a selection of women who have been invited in. Within the store (on clothing labels and signs etc.) are “actual fat talk” quotes. As the women look around the store they become confused and offended by the words before coming to the realisation that each is something (or something similar) to a phrase they’ve used to describe their own body.
Following this the women talk about how it makes them feel “sad”, “nauseous” and decide it’s basically like “bullying yourself”. The ad focuses on how you (well nice/normal people) wouldn’t talk to or about someone else in that way – so why is it okay to say these things about yourself? Obviously it’s not.
The advert finishes with each woman deciding not to “fat-talk” anymore and to be more positive about their bodies.
The advert finishes with each woman deciding not to “fat-talk” anymore and to be more positive about their bodies.
Now (as the website that features this video says) this is a slightly hypocritical of Kellogg’s - who generally advertise about weight loss etc. – but I personally think, overall, it’s a very powerful message to both women and men (although featuring some men in the video would have been better – as men get self-conscious too!)
However – I feel Kellogg’s could definitely take this one step further. What about an “anti-skinny talk” campaign? Harsh words about being too slim or skinny (such as “I wish I was curvier” or “I’m so skinny it’s disgusting”) are JUST as hurtful as those “fat” issues. In society today it seems that pointing out that someone is overweight is rude/hurtful (which of course it is) yet pointing out that someone is underweight or “skinny” is perfectly okay – which it is not.
This is a topic very close to my heart. As I mentioned in my first blog post (and as you can guess from my blog title haha) I am pretty small - only 5ft 2” to be exact. Now I wouldn’t say I’m really slim or “skinny” yet I do have a petite build and I am on slimmer side. However, this is not due to diets or skipping meals, I am just naturally small (My mum, nan and sister are the same). It seems a lot of people have no problem making comments such as - “oh you need to get a good meal in you” or simply just jumping to the assumption that I just MUST deprive myself of so much food - anyone who knows me will be laughing now as I LOVE food. I’m sure most naturally small people (both men and women) have experienced this at some point, and it definitely hurts your feelings.
Due to this, I feel the campaign shouldn’t be about just “anti-fat talk” or even just “anti-skinny talk”… it should simply be “anti-body shaming talk”. In today’s society it’s like you can’t win (judged if you’re “too small”, judged if you’re “too big). We should learn to love our bodies and focus on being healthy… Not on having thin legs, bigger boobs or a flatter tummy… And NO-ONE should feel they have the right to make comments or pass judgement on someone else’s body (who knows what reasons or insecurities that person may have – illness? Fast/slow metabolism? Low self-esteem? – Harsh words/thoughts can easily add to any of this and the consequences could be awful for both mental and physical health.
Clearly it’s something that I have A LOT to say about haha!
If you haven’t yet seen the video I’ll link it below… See what you think.
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