I will be #BeachBodyReady

Okay, so this advert has gained a hell of a lot of attention since it's debut date, but in all honesty, I don't know what the issue is. I know my view is the minority and a lot of people will disagree with me, but the people who know me will know that having the minority view does not normally stop me expressing it. Personally, I do not think that there is anything wrong or anti-feminist about this advert.

I recently had a debate with some of my friends about this advert who saw it as offensive and sending a message of 'if you don't look like this, you can't go to the beach', and this is a view that many women have taken. The advert is not saying that at all. Rimmel London's tag line is "Get the London look", so does that mean if you're not wearing Rimmel or if you don't look like Georgia May Jagger, you can't go to London? No, it doesn't. I see that Protein World have decided to use this rhetorical question because obviously with it coming up to summer, many people want to "slim down for summer" or in some way, want to look slimmer in their swimwear and summer clothes. Personally, I have never heard someone wanting to put on weight and "fatten up" for summer, have you? I doubt it. 

Another complaint that I've heard is that she's skinny, so that's why it is expressing the message that anyone who isn't this slim can't go to the beach. Again, I disagree. This is just an example of basic advertising technique; the advert uses a slim, toned (not skinny) woman to advertise their product because it is a slimming product. Nobody would buy it if they used an overweight woman. It is the exact same technique that make up and skincare brands use: they focus on your insecurities and offer a solution. Would you buy the product if they used ugly, spotty people? No, you wouldn't, and it's the same idea here. The soft sell approach gives the idea of an ideal which you could have if you use this product, just like with make up, cars, clothes and every product ever advertised.

A lot of people are throwing out the feminist card with this advert too. The feminist revolution is fighting for equality, not for women to have special allowances; that's the kind of feminist I would brand myself as. I don't think that I have ever seen these people complain about the use of toned men to promote getting fit: This magazine shows a very attractive male promoting getting "Fit by Feb" and how to "Blast Fat in 12 minutes", you don't hear people complaining about this. Generally, it's because men don't care as much. As I've mentioned, every brand advertises their product by showing the potential lifestyle you could have if you used it. Other fitness brands such a detoxes, sports clothes such as Nike, etc. ALL use slim models. This does not mean that they are exclusively for slim people, but because of the society we live in, most people would rather be slim than not. Those people who are overweight but feel happy in their bodies, I have a great amount of respect for because they obviously have a brilliant level of self esteem, but let's be honest, that's the minority of people.

Britain's obesity levels are on the up, and in an article I read the other day, we need to stop telling these obese people that it's okay to be fat and unhealthy, and that they look beautiful. Curvy women like Beyoncé are obviously gorgeous, but I'm talking about genuinely fat people. When their weight is affecting their health, that is not something to be happy about, but that's explained in a lot more detail in said article.

I'm not saying that people should feel like they have to be slim for summer, or any other time of the year, or in fact have to buy into this industry of weight loss solutions. Statistically, people use these products and put the weight back on as soon as they stop using it because they haven't made lifestyle changes, they have just added a quick protein shake. In all honesty, people should just eat better and exercise more, there shouldn't be a need for this type of product, but as long as there are customers, the industry will exist.

Personally, apart from those very few people who have illnesses that affect their weight, I don't believe that there is any excuse to be that morbidly obese. I'm not saying for one second everybody needs to be slim and toned, I'm certainly not, but I'm talking about those people that have television shows made about how fat they are. It's not attractive and it's not healthy. There obviously isn't one perfect body that everybody should obtain, as long as you're at a healthy BMI and have no weight-related health issues, then you should be happy with yourself. In all honesty, some of these arguments make out to be shaming the men and women who want to be slimmer. Personally, I have been working bloody hard to get slimmer because I want to, not because I feel like I have to. Since eating better and exercising more, I feel so much better in myself than I did 6 months ago, but it's being made out that I'm anti-feminist because I want to be slimmer. I just think people need to stop being so brain-washed and allowing adverts like this to make them feel certain ways like that they can't go to the beach unless they look like the woman in the advert.

If you are healthy, there is nothing wrong with you, go and have fun at the beach in whatever you want to wear, and be happy!

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