Have you seen this commercial?
Really powerful stuff. First of all, because these women talk about how going to buy jeans is such a traumatic, depressing experience. How sad and awful that we let the number on a tag inside our pants dictate how we feel about ourselves. A number that no one but us will ever likely see!
And the commercial is also powerful because it tells us that we are so much more than a number. Imagine getting measured and finding out you are radiant, charismatic, fabulous, stunning, and confident! Of course, we shouldn’t need a gimmicky tape measure to tell us these things, but it is nice to get confirmation now and then, isn’t it? And to get that confirmation while trying on your dreaded jeans!
But how should we feel about the fact that the company behind this commercial makes money by reminding us that we aren’t thin enough, and that if we consume their products – all day, every day, hopefully – we will transform our bodies into something smaller, and therefore better and more beautiful? How do we reconcile the fantastic, uplifting message of this commercial with messages like this:
- Lose one inch from your waist in 2 weeks!
- You vs. the swimsuit.
- What do you gain when you lose?
- Lose up to 6 lbs in just 2 weeks!
And how about the visuals they use to sell their products? What do these say about how we should feel about our bodies?
Watch any Special K commercial that is not this one about the measuring tape or the one about the nice scale (shown below), and what will you see? Already slim women getting slightly slimmer. So, which of their ads should we believe? The ones where we should love our bodies, or the ones where skinny people get skinnier, and therefore so should we?
Oh, and about that measuring tape? Well, it looks like Special K co-opted that idea from a woman who is part of the body acceptance movement, and they did a similar thing with the scale, too. Check out this excellent article for more information.
Am I saying you shouldn’t love this commercial? Absolutely not. Love it, share it. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy – and hopeful that the body acceptance movement is truly gaining ground. But at the same time, I have to question the motives of the company behind it, and you should, too. You can be radiant, charismatic, fabulous, stunning, and confident at the size you are, right now, this very minute. You don’t have to eat Special K products in order to see yourself this way. After all, their products are intended to help you get smaller, so doesn’t that mean their message is that your body isn’t good enough the way it is now?
Just a little food for thought.
