entertainment

Thinspiration or a crock?

Sometimes I look at something and I don’t quite know what I think. Sometimes, I need to just share it with you and absorb your responses to help formulate my own. And so it is with this new online service called Thinner View. It’s pretty simple really, you send them a photo of yourself and for about $20, they carve large chunks off your face and body until you look skinny. I’m really not quite sure what you do with the finished photo. They claim it will ‘inspire’ you to lose weight. I have a hunch it will just be used on dating sites and Facebook pages.

But wait, let’s hear from the Thinner View people themselves. On their homepage, they say:

ThinnerView helps you reach your weight loss goals more effectively and successfully by letting you see yourself at your goal weight BEFORE a single day of dieting! Many studies have shown the positive and powerful effects of visualization, saying that when it is utilized success rates dramatically increase. So, by creating your digital “after” picture, we give you a concrete image you can use to keep yourself motivated and focused on your road to success! Additionally, seeing the dramatic change that can be achieved when your weight-loss goals are reached, will give you a huge motivational boost!

ThinnerView can digitally show a weight loss between 5lbs – 105lbs based on each customer’s requirements, build and bone structure. The results are truly amazing and the process is extremely easy. Simply upload your image and one of our highly experienced digital artists will create a custom-made ThinnerView image for you within 2 business days and for less than the price of a single dinner out! So why wait until after the diet when ThinnerView lets you see a thinner you, Now!

Right. Some of the before and after photos on the site are of people who would be classed as technically obese. But most of them are just of pretty regular looking people who have been down-sized. It’s all very…..odd. Here are some examples….




What do you think? Has the world gone mad or is this progress of some kind and real help for people who want to….I don’t know what….lose weight? Delude themselves? Trick people on Facebook and dating sites?

The mind boggles. Mine does at least….

[thanks Kate]