One in four Australians are obese. And obesity now kills almost as many people as smoking tobacco does. Graphic anti-smoking advertisements are now an accepted part of watching the TV each night. Do you think this new anti-obesity ad is any different?
Take a look:
The ads – produced by the West Australian Government and created by the Heart Foundation and the Cancer Council – are certainly graphic.
But is that a good thing? There’s been backlash against the ads this week, with some people saying they could contribute to increasing rates of eating disorders – especially for teenagers.
The leader of the campaign against the ads is Lydia Jane Turner, who works with people who have eating disorders. She says the ads are “employing scare tactics” to shame viewers into wanting thinner physiques, which could lead to people engaging in harmful weight loss behaviours.
Lydia Jane Turner started a petition on change.org calling for the ads to be removed. She writes:
Unlike tobacco and drink-driving, food is not a substance people can abstain from. Health and weight issues are highly complex and body disatissfaction is one of the biggest predictors of eating disorders and dysfunctional eating patterns. Scaring and shaming people about their bodies is not the answer.
With a largely unregulated weight loss industry, many become desperate to escape fat stigma by engaging in weight loss behaviours that are harmful to health. Unlike tobacco and drink-driving campaigns, the focus of this anti-obesity campaign is on appearance instead of behaviours. This is dangerous.
Not only are eating disorders appearing at younger and younger ages, but according to the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC), eating disorders have increased two-fold in Australia over the past 5 years. While this ad may be aimed at adults, it is naive to think school children will not be negatively impacted by this.
Professor Amanda Sainsbury-Salis from Sydney University who is an expert on obesity and eating disorders, disagrees.
She says the ads are just “telling the truth” and will play a role in curbing obesity.
This from the ABC:
“In fact the ads depict very sensible, healthy lifestyle options for anyone of any age and any body weight,” Professor Sainsbury-Salis told ABC News Breakfast.
“This includes, for example, don’t stand in front of the fridge eating pizza. Another message in the ads is if you can walk to the shops, do so, instead of driving. Another message is don’t pick up two big bags of chips in the supermarket and buy them because they’re two for the price of one.
“So there’s nothing in the ads in terms of weight management behaviour that would promote or which is known to promote or which is known to promote eating disorders…”
But she says the ads will play a valuable role in curbing obesity.
Are the shock tactics used in these advertisements justified? Do you think they have the potential to cause eating disorders?
Comments
122 Comments so far
***UPDATE FROM PETITION ORGANISER***
Please note that the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) – the very body the Heart Foundation claim to have collaborated with – have now released a public statement stating that they did NOT endorse the ad campaign. http://www.nedc.com.au/for-the-media
They also told the CEO of the Heart Foundation, Maurice Swanson, that the ads contradict safeguards in the research summary provided on obesity & eating disorders.
Not sure why Amanda Sainsbury-Salis is supporting this campaign, it seems she is the *only* “obesity and eating disorder expert” that is.
Further to this, the Heart Foundation continue to refuse to show their data to back their claims that the ad campaign is harmless. This is much like Romney being unwilling to show his tax returns – dodgy :S
At the end of the day, these ‘toxic fat’ ads are going to harm a lot of people -especially young people. And they are going to run for 3 years – very disturbing for those in WA.
Lydia Jade Turner
Eating disorders clinician &
Petition Organizer
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Telling the truth about what obesity does to the body is helpful, definitely. Promoting healthy eating habits, not fad diets or quick fix options, are beneficial to everyone. Education on a healthy lifestyle should be one of the main focuses in all schools nation wide as a lot of parents themselves are not educated well enough on this topic. Cutting out the crap of the perfect appearance and putting focus on a healthy lifestyle instead highlighting the fact that different healthy body shapes and sizes exist not just the straight and narrow figures that fashion mags like to advertise. Much more pressure on the fashion industry to be realistic and more education on body types and metabolism is needed
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Dear all: Ladies please participate in my study on eating behaviours & disordered eating. You must be 18 years and over. Research is for a great cause!
http://opinio.online.swin.edu.au/s?s=12733
If you think you know anyone else who may be interested please pass the above link on. The survey is brief and all done online and you may just find it a bit interesting! Many thanks
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I consider myself a health conscious person. I eat a balanced diet most of the time and am very active (just did my 3rd half marathon 2 weeks ago) however I recently found out that I have high cholesterol. I’m only 28 year old so I was quite shocked, even though both my parents have high cholesterol, I just didn’t think it would be something I would have to worry about at this point in my life.
The thing I like about this ad is that it reminds us that the effects of obesity are more than what you see in the mirror. Until now it’s been easy for me to justify my sweet tooth because my weight is relatively stable but what about the saturated fat that is sticking to my arteries? That doesn’t show up on the bathroom scales. I think it’s important to move the debate away from ‘appearance’ and back to ‘health’.
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Here it is:
I’m obese. I watched it a few times. It worked to change my mindset.
I’ve also had a history with eating disorders. It didn’t trigger negative, just a desire to be healthy, on the inside.
I think we have a society which focuses on looks = health. This ad changes that perspective.
I like it.
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Pity there’s not more actually help for those who are obese WITH an eating disorder. In the public system the wait to see a dietician is over 12 months and you don’t qualify for the few eating disorder programs that exist if your BMI is too high…
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Meh, this ad could be aimed squarely at my dad. If it means he stops swinging by woolies every other day to scoop up cheap finger buns then good-o.
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I think we really are tip-toeing around the issue. It truly interests me that this ad targetted at healthier lifestyles receives such a reaction with possible linkages to eating disorders. However, magazines, television shows and other media outlets still portray models with a BMI considered ‘underweight’ and put this to be ‘the norm’ or a sign of beauty and on the flipside to that putting women with any sign of ‘curves’ or ‘cellulite’ at the bottom rung of society and beauty. If this add does spark unhealthy feelings or in someway promotes eating disorders (because of course it’s cause and effect)… Maybe it is that we need to look at what else is going on for that person and address that!
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I think these adds are great.
Its about time we stopped being so polically correct and tip-toeing around peoples feelings- obesity is bad for you and the fat around your organs is toxic, like how cigarettes are.
The add doesn’t have a skinny girl in front of a mirror eating a lettuce leaf, it is trying to remind us to lay off those fatty snacks that do you no good.
Everyone should strive to be healthy and this add just reminds of that.
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I get what they’re trying to do with this ad but…
Wouldn’t it be better if it offered a solution? We all know being obese is bad! I really liked that swappers ad. While it was a bit patronizing it actually offered some ideas that were realistic and achievable.
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Why do we always ‘have’ to have something spelled out for us?
I’m pretty sure the solution is simple and obvious. Be wiser in your eating choices. Exercise more. The ad critiqued the lack of both.
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Hi Rose! I couldn’t reply in that string of posts so I had to do it up here.
I think my main thought is that if this particular ad triggers negative feelings for someone, those responses need to be dealt with professionally if possible as this is probably one of – if not THE – most generic non fat shaming messages I’ve personally come across in a long time.
I’m saying this as someone who is a bit over 8 years out of a vile eating disorder that I struggled with for almost 10 years. I can blame it on a comment from a family member that my ass had grown and now it matched my child bearing hips after I stopped playing competitive sport or because I work in an industry surrounded by mainly stick thin film people where if you wear larger than a size 0, you can feel like an Oompa Loompa. But neither of those reasons are accurate. My eating disorder stemmed from issues only within me and manifested during a time of massive stress and personal loss although it took a crapload of therapy and relapses to finally accept that harsh truth and work on that stuff so I could finally get better. It was much easier for me to point the finger outward but it was no one’s fault other than my own brain sadly sabotaging me.
Whomever designed this ad appears to have been very deliberate in the person they chose and the words used to make it as on point and non shaming as possible. And I guess that’s what I’m trying to say: If someone still feels triggered after watching this then I sincerely hope they are getting the support they need because I suspect they are not in a good place.
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People get headaches for lots of reasons. Some are self-inflicted, some are part of a chronic illness, and some are symptoms of something more sinister.
Obesity is often like that and while the message is aimed at those fairly healthy people who abuse their good fortune by “sitting on the lounge watching TV and munching high fat takeaway & guzzling soft drink & grog” – there are those who are obese because of eating disorders or chronic pain & illness.
There are people who are too ill, in pain or fatigued to move significantly enough to burn up enough calories/fat to stay slim……..these are the people who feel bullied or patronised by these ads………Nobody ever dreamt of being fat one day, no-one ever wanted this in their lives. No-one deserves the unhealthy attention of the “tut tut” brigade ……Good nutrition is the ideal but for some, all the best efforts in the world are not necessarily rewarded .
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Thank you Caz.
I am a 30yr old woman who came down with a devastating, incurable disease caused by a hysterectomy two years ago. I used to go to the gym 6 times a week and cycle everywhere, 3 weeks out of four. Now I almost completely housebound and bedridden and on huge amounts of opiates. I am also getting fatter all the time and don’t recognise my body anymore. I am completely powerless to change this.
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Anything that stigmatises overweight people is unhelpful. Shaming people for being fat is not a great motivator- it only makes things worse.
The ads indicate that if you have a grabbable gut, then you are unhealthy. Basically, if you think you might be fat, then you definitely are. Oh and toxic, and gross, and probably lazy too.
Why didn’t the Heart Foundation take into account the advice from eating disorder foundation? Wouldn’t it have been much more effective to focus on healthy behaviours, rather than just looking and seeming healthy?
My brother lost a significant amount of weight due to being a drug addict. Is he healthy? I on the other hand put on a significant amount of weight when I started taking anti-depressants. My mental health improved dramatically but my body changed. I worked out 4-5 times a week, lifting weights and running.
I personally would like to see ads encouraging people to eat good foods to nourish their body, to exercise because it feels good. Shaming people about their bodies doesn’t work- but practicing healthy behaviours DOES improve health and wellbeing.
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Hi Jill,
I understand your point and agree people are overweight for a variety of reasons, and shaming people and making them feel guilty is a cruel. However, like it or not, this method works and achieves results. I am currently completing a masters in advertising, and throughout my studies it has become clear that when people feel ashamed, they are more likely to act and make a change.
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You don’t think fat people are shamed enough in day to day life? If shaming and humiliating fat people about their bodies was helpful, we might see some changes in obesity levels. I believe shaming fat people will more likely have the opposite effect, that they will only feel worse about themselves and more powerless to change their circumstances. Feeling guilty and ashamed will likely lead people to unhealthy behaviours like bingeing rather than going outside to go for a run.
What could be more motivating is a positive message, goals that aren’t about weight, but doing things to improve your health and look after your body because you and your body is worth looking after.
Shock tactics might work in cigarette advertising, but that doesn’t mean they will be effective here.
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I agree with you Guest. And although this is a sensitive issue, the positive health campaign messages have not worked. As a nation we are getting bigger. Different messages will ‘hit home’ with different people. Hopefully, this message does not become the only one and we continue to provide supportive, health focused messages.
I study exercise motivation and unfortunately many people currently exercising do so out of guilt and shame. That’s not a very stable or positive motivation, but our hope is that once you start, you’ll start to see benefits, and exercising will be either become more enjoyable or you’ll at least start to see the value for your health.
It’s a tricky issue, because nobody wants to be unhealthy but when unhealthy habits ae so hard to break, I think we need to do all we can to motivate people to change, using whatever tactics work.
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My nanna has this philosophy – she thinks making people feel guilty about being fat is the answer. She also thinks people dont actually know theyre fat. Too bad both of her daughters and ALL SIX of her grandchildren have disordered eating.
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Everyone should check out these great advertisements by the British Heart Foundation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnbFZVA7ae8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
They stayed with me a lot longer than the Australian one. I think more young people would respond to these.
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Instead of using scare tactics, why not encourage movement! Michelle Obama enlisted the help of Beyonce Knowles to encourage movement amongst American elementary school children. Two very admirable woman, I know inspire me to want to make a change. I use this video as a warm up before workouts. It’s fun and you do “move your body.” Give it a go!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYP4MgxDV2U&feature=youtube_gdata_player
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I do not believe this ad will encourage eating disorders. The common cause of eating disorders is not to become healthier – it’s mainly image driven, based on weight loss at whatever means. Whilst a reduced waistline is mentioned, the focus of this ad is clearly not getting skinnier. It’s on the damage to vital, internal organs. The fear element is also not in having a large waistline, but the internal damage. There’s nothing wrong with providing an image for regular unhealthy food eaters to visualise before unhealthy food is eaten. They are the targets of this ad who will be affected the most by the images. Heart disease is up there as one of Australia’s biggest killers. Absolutely an ad of this impact is needed.
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As a teenager, if I had seen this ads, I would probably restricted my calorie intake further and been more anxious about losing weight. Looking back, I wasn’t overweight, but with puberty and my changing body, I thought I was. I wonder what impact these ads have on young people who are already struggling with poor body image issues?
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Lydia Jane Turner has a good point – our weight loss industry is (mostly) unregulated. It is very easy to choose expensive, rapid weight loss programs, believe the pseudo-science in a weight loss book or take supplements that, at the very least, have little long-term benefit.
However, what she has missed in her “don’t upset people” campaign is that the advertisement doesn’t encourage fast, easy or unmonitored weight loss. It only seeks to educate people about the consequences of overeating and overweight.
The government has rightly taken a hard line on smoking because of the terrible effects that it has on a smoker’s health. I fully support the government taking an equally hard line on overweight and obesity because they too, are killers.
I would, however, also support more advertisements about healthy lifestyles too. The “Swap” campaign was great, but more information on healthy foods and portion sizes would help those who aren’t sure where to start or don’t have a great understanding of nutrition.
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This is not a ‘don’t upset fat people’ campaign, this is about not further stereotyping or stigmatizing fat people. Discrimination is about much more than being ‘upset.’
Weight and health are complex and sensitive issues and we do know that fat people face discrimination. One of the risks of campaigns like this is the permission it gives people to be judgmental and to make horrible comments and to discriminate against fat people. I think what Lydia is saying is that we can do better and we must do better, or else we risk causing more harm than good.
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These ads don’t stigmatise overweight people. If you notice, the guy in the ad is only slightly overweight. Would you prefer it if they’d used a model?
The ad speaks more about the result of unhealthy overeating and a sedentary lifestyle than it does about fat people. There’s nothing wrong with drawing people’s attention to the real effects of unhealthy lifestyle choices.
At the end of the day, I’d rather see an average person in this ad on TV while I’ve still got time to make a change instead of on my doctor’s computer screen after a heart attack.
There have been campaigns in the past to encourage people to eat well and get some exercise. The growing rate of obesity in adults indicates that they haven’t worked.
Thankfully, the obesity rate in children is declining. Healthy eating and active living lessons in school have contributed to this.
Unfortunately, adults don’t get the benefit of a structured educational program every day, so health authorities have to find other ways to educate people about the dangers of bad choices.
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Omg. I read the comments before watching the ad. This has got nothing to do with anorexia and body image. This is so clearly to me about health. Obesity kills. This ad is not talking about having the perfect figure. It is clearly about unhealthy lifestyles and toxic fat. We have an obesity epidemic. This ad is addressing THAT.
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Obesity is a serious issue. However, these ads state that if you have a grabbable gut, you have toxic fat. Then they show a woman putting back chips as if the only reason people are fat is because they are pigs who overeat, and do not exercise.
Looking at someone is not sufficient to judge their health. Some people are big but eat good foods and are very fit. Others are skinny and live on McDonalds. The implication from these ads is that fat people are toxic and unhealthy. Let’s focus on the behaviours, not shaming other people.
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We also have huge problems in this country with eating disorders, self-esteem issues, depression… if people watch this ad and feel further stigmatized or guilty or panicked, is that good for them?
This is an extremely negative way to frame health advice. Why not make it positive and constructive? Encouraging people to love their bodies and celebrate the possibilities of their bodies is SO much better than harping on about toxic fat. And I’m sorry, but people with eating disorders or body image issues are often really vulnerable to messages like these. They can be triggered, and it can lead to panic, guilt, total crisis mode. That’s not healthy, not at all.
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I agree but the problem is some people believe and think in fake information for example the best way to be healthy is leave the food but their thinkings is completely wrong
I like the video
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My late husband was 14 kilos overweight. At 185cm in height, 14 kilos isn’t that much. But he’s my LATE husband because he didn’t look at his young children and leave the extra helping in the fridge. All his extra weight was carried around his stomach and his first sign of his heart being encased in fat and finding it too hard to work effectively was a fatal heart attack.
Ask any surgeon about the risks of operating on overweight people and they will assure you that fat does not equal healthy – regardless of their fitness or cholesterol levels.
Let’s take the risk of hurting people’s sensitivities and run the ads.
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Hear hear Maisy, well said.
I’m sorry for your loss.
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I’m sorry to hear that Maisy. My grandfather carried about 15kg of extra “padding” around his waist. We used to joke that he was an egg with matchstick limbs. He was fit and mostly healthy, playing golf twice per week and walking every day.
One sudden heart attack and triple bypass later, his cardiac surgeon told him the same thing – any extra weight is unhealthy. His whole attitude towards food and health changed from that moment.
He lived another 15 years thanks to a surgeon who wasn’t afraid to tell the truth, no matter whether it ruffled some feathers.
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I don’t think shock tactics will cause eating disorders, I believe the root cause for them lies elsewhere. Obesity is a problem. Everything is worth a try. May save a few people.
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Meh! Im still Hungry!
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“We know that in certain circumstances fear is a greater motivator than the desire for pleasurable experiences and especially in terms of prevention of obesity,” she said.
I’d like to see the data Professor Sainsbury-Salis has to back up this assertion. As a mental health clinician myself, who works with people with addictions and eating disorders, I know that fear and/or anxiety is not a good motivator for increasing positive, healthful behaviors regardless of the patient’s body size. Here’s a link to the latest in a number of studies validating self-compassion to encourage change: http://psp.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/05/24/0146167212445599.abstract
Making people fearful and anxious actually inhibits positive change. It’s concerning to me that some calling themselves an “expert” doesn’t seem to know this. Not to mention the tons of data of the effect of chronic fear/anxiety on heart health!
Here are my other thoughts about the issue of “obesity”: First off: pestering people about their weight – which creates body dissatisfaction – leads to MORE weight gain, not weight loss (see “Body satisfaction, Weight Gain and Binge Eating Among Overweight Adolescent Girls” Sonneville, Calzol, Horton, Haines, Austin & Field). So if you truly don’t want people gaining more weight, stop making them feel bad about their body size. Be more size accepting. I do wonder, however, if for some of the scolds out there the goal for them is more about shaming and blaming rather than actually helping people connect and have good relationships with their bodies to increase health.
Second: the mortality risk for overweight and obese people is no greater than for `normal’ people when hypertension and diabetes are controlled for (see: (Jerant & Franks’ “Body Mass Index, Diabetes, Hypertension, and Short-Term Mortality: A Population-Based Observational Study, 2000–2006″ J Am Board Fam Med July-August 2012 vol. 25 no. 4 422-431). What we know is that there are plenty of fat people who are just as healthy (and non-eating-disordered) as their thin compatriots, and plenty of thin people with diabetes, or hypertension or cardiac issues, or disordered eating who are being undertreated because hey, they’re BMI says their “healthy”. Are these kinds of ads fair to them?
We all really need to stop making assumptions about people’s health, behaviors and lifestyles based on their body sizes. Ads like this create fear and anxiety in the targeted populations whilst also ignoring people who might need some help. When are we going to finally “get it”: The data just does not support the very tired, very old fat=unhealthy paradigm. Let’s get over it!!
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Writte far more eloquently than I ever could, thankyou!
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Couldn’t agree more Lisa!
I wish more people would remember mental health is just as important as physical health.
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I’m with you. I’m also in the mental health field and believe that these ads are absolutely heading in the wrong direction. It is not about being soft or a bleeding heart – the evidence simply does not support fear tactics for long term, positive behaviour change. In fact, the evidence shows that this approach does more harm than good.
I also find it incredibly disappointing to see that “…don’t stand in front of the fridge eating pizza,” “…walk to the shops instead of driving.” and “…don’t pick up two big bags of chips in the supermarket and buy them because they’re two for the price of one.” is considered helpful advice to anyone wanting to become healthier.
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So agree with you re the advice! Very patronizing to assume that fat people are unaware that eating pizza in front of the fridge, or eating two bags of chips isn’t a healthy thing to do.
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Just putting it out there…being underweight and not eating properly can damage internal organs as much or more than being overweight. I had an eating disorder when I was 16. As a direct result, I had a (minor) heart attack. 5 years later, and at a much healthier place physically and emotionally, I could probably grab a pinch of fat around my waist as the guy in the ad did. My reaction to the ad is to want to restrict my intake, exercise and throw up, although I know that’s far more likely to cause damage to my internal organs than a little fat on my belly. Go figure.
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“When you eat more than you need to and aren’t as active as you should be…”
If those words don’t apply to someone I can’t see why they’d feel ashamed by this ad. You can be a size 18, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. Or a size 8, eat mainly takeaway and live on the couch. Which person is healthier?
If anything I hope this ad will be a huge eye opener to the general public. I don’t think most people would refer to this guy as obese as he just looks like a normal bloke with a bit of a beer belly. But you don’t need to be severely overweight to be at risk for the diseases mentioned. I’m not sure how many people would have realised that – or stop to consider what may be happening on their insides instead of just focusing on clothing sizes – before seeing this ad.
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Well that add convinced me to put down the piece of chocolate I was about to snack on. Almonds, here I come!
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Primary school kids learn exactly the same stuff in PE lessons – surrounded by their peers! If the board of studies expects them to be able to handle it, then I hope we adults bloody well can.
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Primary school teachers would never frame it like this ad does, though. Look at the bleak colours, listen to the terse voiceover. The dad is looking at his kids, clearly worrying about his health and theirs – it seems to imply he might not be around for them if he doesn’t solve these problems. That’s hitting people where it hurts, which compromises their mental and emotional health. This information is valid and important, but it could be framed more constructively. Kids get FANTASTIC health lessons – they get cooking lessons, fun games to play, they learn about the body in a much more positive way. That’s what health ads should aspire to, not fear-mongering about how dangerous and deadly fat can be.
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But then the same could be said of all of the more graphic and emotional health and safety ads on tv. I’m thinking about the anti-smoking ads with people on oxygen machines in the hospital or worse using voice boxes to talk. Or ad that shows Claire Oliver right before she died of skin cancer from tanning booths. And those workplace safety ads where we see people lose their eyes and their limbs.
In the day of Foxtel and DVRs where many people skip ads altogether how is a public safety message supposed to be delivered effectively in 30 seconds or less? Wrapping everyone in cotton wool or hoping common sense prevails obviously doesn’t work or else there wouldn’t be an obesity epidemic in the first place. If an ad like this cuts too close to home for someone, I hope they seek out the support they need to confront the issues they are struggling with. If that alone is the only benefit they achieve from the ad then at least attempting to improve their mental wellness is a start.
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Then maybe the ad should include details for BeyondBlue or other mental health organisations? I’m sure the government has had more than enough people warning them now about the possible risks of this ad. I’m not advocating we wrap everyone in cotton wool, I’m suggesting we recognise that our society is aggressively judgmental and cruel towards fat people: we see fat as ugly and immoral. Fat people are treated with so much contempt and it comes from so many different directions. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserve to live their lives happily. There’s a lot that needs to be done, but maybe we could start by having health ads that are more positive and constructive, with proper advice about how to care for yourself. Telling people their bodies are toxic and that they shouldn’t be eating pizza in front of the fridge accomplishes nothing of any value.
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I do agree that including the BeyondBlue number would be a great idea! I think that’s a wonderful start.
But I don’t agree that there was any fat shaming in this ad and the narrator definitely didn’t refer to our bodies as toxic. He said that “a toxic fat also builds up around your vital organs”. That’s not a scare technique; that’s a fact. The main way of reducing that is through exercise as found in the study I referred to elsewhere in here – regardless of what someone weighs.
If this ad had used someone commonly referred to as morbidly obese, used negative language about the main character’s appearance or even used a woman I could more understand how some felt this was shaming. But this avoided all of the stereotypes and handled it as PC as possible. I think you’d be surprised at how many people – even the so-called skinny ones – will be considering their food choices and level of physical activity after watching this ad. And not in a negative way but in a more informed, “crap, I figured being 10kg overweight didn’t really matter” kind of way.
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Right, but the thing is that people who have body image issues are vulnerable to ads like these. Fat people spend every day being discriminated against or abused – I have heard some absolute horror stories. Since I’ve gained a little weight, I’ve dealt with “concern”/criticism from family members way too often. It sits on your chest. It hurts. It makes you feel guilty and horrible, especially when you combine it will all the messed up ways the media idealise women’s bodies.
You may not see this ad as shaming, but I think we’re looking at it through different lenses. I wouldn’t be so sensitive to this ad if it were presented in a more positive light – they could have done this in so many ways! It’s such a shame they went for this manner of presentation, where everything is bleak and scary.
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Far out people are sensitive! It’s just an ad. Stop analyzing it. It’s not attacking or shaming fat people or insinuating we should all stop eating and become anorexic….it’s just an ad promoting a healthy waist line. A simple message we should have all been taught as kids right? And a simple message we should pass down to our kids!
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Ummm did I see the same ad Lydia did? There wasn’t any shaming at all! It was a direct message which doesnt need to be wrapped in cotton wool.
This ad (and the others in the series) is about making smart choices and small individual changes. Its not pointing its finger at you declaring you are the ultimate fatty boom bah and you should be ashamed of yourself, its asking you to be concious of the repercussions of eating crap food and not doing enough exercise to work it off/balance it out.
As adults we make decisions every day at work and home and have to consider the consequences, its good that this ad is encouraging us to think the same way about our food choices.
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Gross. But I think the ads should stay. As others have said below, they are speaking the truth.
It’s not about telling people we should all be the one-size-skinny. It’s about taking care of our internal organs. Our VITAL organs. Pretty pertinent word there. Vital.
I think it would be fair to say that most people, when they think of ‘fat’ or ‘weight’ they are only thinking of what a body looks like on the outside. But it is what is going on inside that really counts for good health.
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Here we go again !
Let’s point the finger at people who are overweight ! That ought to get ‘em talking.
Yesterday, Leisel Jones…today, anyone else who may or may not be carrying the extra kilo or two. I do get annoyed that you continually fuel the fire of controversy by inviting discussion on this topic. Give it a rest, please !
Interesting to note your article about style coming in all shapes and sizes, also a part of today’s lineup.
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Er… Bradley… I may be missing something here, but I don’t think anyone is pointing the finger at anyone. AT ALL. We’re starting a discussion about the ads and whether they have the potential to trigger eating disorders. See comments below for some interesting perspectives.
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I take your point, but will continue to see the article as being a bit of finger pointing.
Yes, the ads will stir up controversy and yes, the ads will make people feel bad about themselves.
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No fingers are being pointed, Bradley. This is about health. It’s about letting people know that what’s on the outside may not reflect what’s on the inside.
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I dont see it this way at all. The issue up for discussion is of real importance, and I dont see any finger pointing. I am carrying a few extra kilos (10 to be precise), and I tend to carry it around my middle more than anywhere else. I’m not offended. II dont feel guily, I feel informed and inspired to think more carefully about my lifestyle. The add is not saying overweight people are idiots, losers or weak, it’s saying they have an increased risk of certain preventable diseases, and it’s true. Style does come in all different shapes and sizes – but unfortunately heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes has a record of favouring obesity.
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As someone who has had a lot of body image issues and lives with two people who have had severe cases of anorexia and bulimia, I hate these ads. They don’t do anything to help people lead a better life: they just fat-shame and fear-monger.
I feel like maybe I should give an example of what these ads do. I was ultra-skinny in high school and received a lot of praise for it. I’m in my 20s now, and have put on weight. Not a lot, but enough that people notice the change and have been pretty awful about it at times. It has taken me a long, long time and a LOT of effort to accept my body for what it is. I try every day to be positive and love my body. My GP is behind me on this: I visited him earlier this year, freaking out because my cousin and uncle had become seriously ill, and it just freaked me out. My doctor assessed me and declared me “perfectly healthy”. It was such a relief. Ads like these… they threaten to undo that. They make me feel nervous and self-conscious. When I feel that way, I don’t reach for a salad or go for a run. I go straight for junk food. I feel crushed and shamed and horrible.
No matter what size you are, you should love yourself. You have a right to feel comfortable and happy in your skin. I don’t want to hear about how obese people are a burden to the taxpayer or are disrupting the health system or setting a bad example. We’re all human beings and deserve respect. These ads are not respectful, they are damaging and dangerous. If people want to curb the obesity crisis, there are a lot of ways to do that without producing ads like these. We could have more body positive gyms where fat people feel safe. We could teach important skills like healthy, budget-friendly cooking in our community centers, free of charge. We need to expand our definition of ‘health’ to include mental and emotional health, because these ads are attacking those while claiming they promote physical health.
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This is another good example of tip toeing around people’s feelings. Not solving anything. These ads are not trying to make people feel bad around what they look like (even though obesity is BAD and if this is you it’s not something you should be happy about) they are bringing to the surface the reality of unhealthily eating habits and it’s effects. It’s not about being skinny it’s about being healthy – something everyone should strive to achieve.
P.s. can we please stop confusing anorexia and bulimia, two physiological disorders with bad eating habits. Anorexia is not a habit, it’s an illness.
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Totall agree Emma! I’m sick of people calling ‘thin’ people anorexic and bulimic – Anorexia is not a particular weight/ BMI measurement, it’s a mental illness and mental belief that you are a certain way when you’re not!
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Trust me, I’m not confusing anything about anorexia and bulimia. Like I said, I live with people who suffer through them and it is utterly devastating. They’re recovering and these ads are triggers to them. They trigger me. This isn’t about tip-toeing around feelings, but we should recognize we live in a culture that is highly contemptuous towards fat people. I have obese friends and family members and they deal with enough from the media, their loved ones, total strangers – these ads just add to the list. There has to be a more constructive way of dealing with this without awful fear mongering.
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If I ever say “X makes me feel terrible/upset/anxious/angry” my boyfriend reminds me: X doesn’t make me feel anything, I choose to respond to X in the way I do.
Just saying, we’ve choices about how we respond to things.
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There is always an element of choice and personal responsibility, and I try my best to not let stuff like this get to me. I’m determined to be mentally and emotionally healthy first and foremost, so I do try. But when you have the media telling you you’re not good enough and family and friends acting like bleeding hearts because you’re not as skinny as you once were, it wears your armour down.
Then there’s people who can’t help being vulnerable. People like my roommate, who has anorexia, an anxiety disorder, and has suffered depression and severe body image issues – she can’t help responding to these ads negatively. She can’t. She doesn’t have a choice. Her conditions make the choice for her.
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Is that what we should tell teenage girls who see these ads as further evidence they need to starve themselves?
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Thankyou Jill! People should remember teenagers are immensely vulnerable to stuff like this – they’re at an emotionally volatile phase, body image is already a major issue for any developing girl, and even their brains are still in development. Plus, they’re already getting so many strong messages from the media about what they should look like. This ad is really risky for girls (and boys, although research would suggest to a slightly lesser extent) in their teens. Girls are already taught to hate what they look like on the outside, and now they have to deal with worrying about how toxic and deadly their insides are too?
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No demand eventually means no supply. The same way a TV show gets dropped when no one watches it. If everyone stoppped buying junk, there would be no market to cater for. We would put thousands upon thousands of people out of work – and no big company is ever going to let that happen. So we will still be hit with advertisements and cheap crap food. Dont buy the stuff. I know it seems cheap but look at the cost down the track. There are healthy ways to feed a family without blowing the budget most of the time.
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The ad should stay! It is graphical, but not as graphical as all the complications that they haven’t shown: artherosclerosis, heart attack, fungal infections, diabetics, renal impairment, dialysis, strokes, blindness.
Oh my goodness, it is an epidemic. And we are seeing younger and younger kids who are above healthy weight range. It needs to be tackled, and if the ad makes you think twice about opening the fridge, then it is a life that it could be saving.
It is not talking about ‘body image’, not talking outer apperance, it is talking about visceral fat, organ fat!
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If you already had an eating disorder or tendencies of disordered eating, this ad would most definitely be very triggering towards those thoughts. That’s definitely something that needs to be thought about. Also the fact is that some people are obese for reasons they cannot control and this probably doesn’t make them feel great.
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l very simply like the ads, will not go into it except to say one word ‘accountability’. Thankyou.
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There seems to be a big industry around healthy food/ diets/ exercise to lose weight and so on.
how more effective would the ad be if it just presented what is healthy food, and no there isnt enough information out there, it is confusing and often incorrect.
after teaching high school students for years i can tell you they bring in all sorts of weird and wonderful “diets” and fads, but ask them to bring in a healthy diet plan for a week and a large number havent a clue. it isnt just cutting out food nor doing some exercise
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Well said Amanda. These ads just say it like it is.
Lydia, for an ‘expert’ you’re not very bright.
I work in a medical field and see people who are both very overweight and under weight. In both cases, it is more complex than just eating more/less.
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“Lydia, for an ‘expert’ you’re not very bright.”
How about playing the ball, not the man?
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The ad should stay. But it also needs to be combined with a lot of education. We need to be talking about daily intakes of good food, portion control, and emotional eating. The sad fact is that obesity is a problem in Australia and I’m glad some action is being taken.
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I think these ads are disgusting and need to be taken off tv. Whenever they come on tv, i turn the tv off. My 3 and 5 yr old daughters who are not obese, do not need to see these graphics. I think they will increase eating disorders, as I also have nieces who are already concerned calories etc. At there age !! Anyway thats my 2c worth
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I’m not sure of the details, but I’m pretty sure that these ads would not appear on TV during children’s shows. They wouldn’t make any sense to your daughters so it would probably be pointless in advertising during times that young children might watch TV.
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Obesity is an epidemic in western society that needs to be tackled. I don’t know if this ad is right or wrong but it certainly stopped me from eating another oreo and instead have something healthier. I did like how they spoke about what it does to us INSIDE opposed to the external view- it’s not about how we look on the outside but on the inside (I mean organs… although being a lovely person matters too!)! They should make another ad to go on from this about what changing from bad eating to healthy eating does to ones insides, how they can repair them and outline what kind of choices people should make.
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Except – these ads are trying to say that we can tell what’s going on inside by what we look like outside. But you can be thin and have dangerous internal fat, or have a ‘grabbable gut’ but not have the internal ‘toxic fat’. You can’t tell how healthy someone is by what they look like… just ask Leisel Jones!
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Jamie, these ads aren’t about being skinny – they are about making HEALTHY eating decisions. They are not telling people not to eat, they are asking you to reconsider your diet and its long term effects. It’s about being HEALTHY not skinny. Two very different things.
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I disagree – the ads include a lot of material dealing with body shape and appearance eg “fat around your waist is bad”. In a culture where young people are already deeply concerned about their looks I think it would be really easy for them to take home the wrong message, or even use these ads as an excuse not to eat under the guise of ‘trying to be healthy’.
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I understand your view but this ad doesn’t just draw attention to the man’s outside appearance, it also looks at his insides and how he is internally effected by his bad eating habits. It is not at all just concentrating on outside appearence and that is what makes this so effective – what is on the INSIDE.
Also, I think you would be very hard pressed to find a young person – male or female – who could be influenced by an ad starring a mature age man. It is very carefully targeted.
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It’s the fat around the waist that is a good indicator of fat around the organs. Waist measurement is used as a risk factor. Even if you have large hips and thighs but a small waistline, your risk is lower. Hence the gut-grab in the video.
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To an extent I agree with you but you can’t really be ‘skinny’ and still have organs being suffocated by fat because fat is a physical, tangible thing. I agree ‘skinny’ people can also have unhealthy organs and perhaps some fat around their organs but the reason external fat is so important is because external fat is also coating an organ- our skin and muscle. So it is relatively accurate to assume external fat masses=internal masses.
I also don’t think the ad is saying it’s purely based on looks whether our organs are unhealthy or not… it’s making the connection between bad foods and obesity.
I agree ‘skinny’ people can be unhealthy too, I would like to see studies about the health of skinny vs fat people who are on the same diet for a certain amount of time. Would be interesting to see if it is a predisposed thing or not
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Hi Kate – it’s the internal fat of a skinny person that puts them at a much higher risk of health problems. I only know about this because it’s something I’ve been personally concerned about for quite a few years.
Dr Jimmy Bell a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College in London and his team have conducted several studies endorsed by Britain’s Medical Research Council on this topic. I’d link to them but I’m afraid the spam filter will block my comment but searching his name should find them quite easily.
But basically he used MRIs to create “fat maps” of people. More than half of those he mapped who were slim because of diet rather than exercise were likely to have major deposits of internal fat around their organs despite outward appearance. 45% of the women he scanned with a low to normal BMI had excessive levels of internal fat and the # rose to almost 60% of men. These people are eating too many high fat, sugary foods but not enough to actually look fat. But since they’re not burning that food off through exercise, their body has to store it somewhere.
Surprisingly to me at least he also concluded that despite the obvious appearance of a Sumo wrestler they will tend to have a better metabolic profile than a skinny non-active person because their fat is mainly stored right under their skin, not close to – or even worse streaking through – their vital organs and muscles due to the exercise they do.
And Dr Stephen Blair who is an obesity expert from the University of Southern California: “Normal-weight persons who are sedentary and unfit are at much higher risk for mortality than obese persons who are active and fit”
So from what I can gather a lot of depends on whether the skinny person maintains an active lifestyle. Something I’ve admittedly struggled with a bit since having a child but I am trying.
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That is incredibly interesting and insightful, I will certainly look into that study you mentioned. Thanks for that!
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Eating disorders are a much more complicated phenomena than the media seems to suggest. People don’t see skinny models or and ad like this and then become anorexic, bulimic or somewhere on that spectrum.
Perhaps we need a little more education or investigation here about what eating disorders, why people experience this disorder, who is at risk and why?
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C – you comment is absolutely correct. People continuously fail to recognise that eating disorders are a mental disorder that are in actual fact very rarely connected with exposure to “skinny” rolemodels. Like depression, eating disorders can be triggered by a number of factors, usually stress, trauma etc. – not from looking at skinny girls in magazines everyday.
Obesity is such a HUGE problem (excuse the pun) in Australia and other western cultures. People really don’t take it seriously enough, and don’t understand the phenominal long term negative effects it has on our communities and economy. If there ads are making people stop and really think twice about what they are putting in their mouth, then I would consider this a very postive thing.
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FFS Lydia, Far more people will die from obesity than will ever die from anorexia or bulimia.
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Not among young people, Macca –
The overall mortality rate for anorexia is 5 times that of the same aged population in general, with death from natural causes being 4 times greater (i.e. cardiac arrhythmia, infection etc) and deaths from unnatural causes 11 times greater. Risk of successful suicide is particularly high being 32 times that expected. Anorexia is the most fatal of all psychiatric illnesses. Mortality rates after 20 years are between 15-20%. The mortality rate for bulimia nervosa is estimated to be up to 19%.
From Eating Disorders Victoria
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Yes but, how many people suffer from anorexia/bulimia as opposed to the amount of people who are overweight?
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I think obesity is #1 ‘disease’ among girls, eating disorders #3. But eating disorders kill far more young people than obesity. And here we have an eating disorders psychologist saying that these ads are harmful. Surely the Heart Foundation can promote health without spreading fatphobic myths or putting vulnerable people at risk?
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Eating disorders kill more young people because the impact of eating disorders is felt by the body quite quickly. Obesity slowly steals your life which is why obesity complications such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke etc tend to happen closer to middle-age.
I would think obesity kills more people, it just takes longer. That’s not to say eating disorders and preventing them isn’t important too, just something to think about.
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Exactly, except obesity and it’s complications doesn’t just steal your life – it steals your money too. Obesity and overweight are costing the health care system billions of dollars each year.
As a result of many complications of obesity, people are left unable to work or have to reduce their hours at work whilst they recover.
An unhealthy lifestyle is a slow death sentence with a financial loss lottery thrown in for good measure.
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I think it’s a great ad. It demonstrates that excess fat around the waist is harmful- which it most certainly is (especially in males). Unfortunately not all “warning” ads are going to cover all bases. I understand the concern regarding eating disorders but there is also a serious epidemic in regards to the roll on effect of obesity- cancer, heart conditions, respiratory problems etc. It’s hard to tackle both issues together as they are on opposite sides of the spectrum (someone is always going to feel strongly about the other).
What I do like about this add is that it says “when you eat more than you need to” and “aren’t as active as you should be”. It’s not saying anything about dieting or weight loss fads it’s just promoting healthier lifestyle choices.
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Isnt in interesting that obese children always tend to be from in low social economic areas. I think we need to educate these people on nutrition. Education is the key.
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It’s also interesting to note how much cheaper junk food can be than the healthy stuff. The health food section of a supermarket has always seemed boutique to me. It’s interesting when you compare to a country like Thailand where you can buy a proper meal with vegetables, rice and meat (optional) for less that 1.50AUD, but a McDonalds meal will set you back at least 3AUD. We need to make healthy choices more available to everyone, and reduce the cheap attraction of junkfood.
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I think availability and convenience is a bigger factor than educating “these people” (me). It seems to me that fast food chains deliberately crowd around affordable suburbs knowing people like us will be looking for a cheaper dinner option.
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You are responsible for your child. If your child is obese it is not the advertising industry’s fault, it is non other than your very own.
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Interesting how some people use the word ‘educate’ and others use the word ‘shamed’. It’s pretty subjective.
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Finally we see an add like this. I think the next one should be “Every Big Mac is doing you damage” or “This is the amount of fat a pack a day tim tam eaters ingest”
Drinkers and smokers have been made to feel guilty for so long, now it’s time for the obese.
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I think blaming particular foods or food companies isn’t really fair. You can eat a Big Mac every now and then and still be healthy – same with having a Tim Tam or two with a cup of tea every now and then.
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We need to make a change in the way we eat as a nation. First step would be to increase our intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. Instead of using refined carbohydrates for the base of your meal why not start with vegetables instead?
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Nope to your question about eating disorders. Hopefully it’ll be enough to motivate obese people though.
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Sorry, but like it or not, the ad is speaking nothing but the truth. The ‘invisible fat” is dangerous, and it’s not about fitting into skinny jeans, it’s about protecting your heart and other organs – they need to last you your whole life, and put simply, if you dont look after them, they wont go the distance. The cost of healthcare from preventable diseases is massive, and funding it is almost impossible. I could do with losing a few kilos myself, and this ad reminds me why I should. Healthy people can sick too, but wouldn’t you want to give yourself the best chance?
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This ad is effective but apparently Lara Bingles diet tips are just as effective! I say put Lara on television every night.
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Young women were more inclined to give up smoking when the message focused on premature wrinkles, bad breath, yellow teeth and being perceived as “somewhat bogan”, compared to being educated about the risks of cancer and heart disease. Sad fact.
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