W.E.W. Volume 5

Week End Words time, friends! Let’s get to it.

First off, a couple of things I’ve seen posted repeatedly on Facebook this week. Full disclosure: I have never seen Duck Dynasty. I know it’s super popular and a lot of you love it. And more disclosure: I have no idea if this guy actually said this quote. But let’s take a look.

I’m sorry, did you say “pregnancy destroys her body” and “she gets fat”? Nope. I’ll have none of this. There is already tremendous pressure on women to get their pre-pregnancy bodies “back.” Yes, women’s bodies change after they give birth. Get over it. And can we please stop acting like getting (or being) fat is a horrible thing? There are way worse things you can be in this world. Bearded reality show guy, if you really said this, you should know that you’re perpetuating body and fat shaming. Please stop.

Now, have you seen this commercial? Chances are, you may not have realized that it was a commercial. Until the very end, it just seems like one of those important messages that we share on social media. Then you realize it’s… about shampoo. Take a look, and then we’ll talk.

I agree with this message 100%. Women are often given negative labels while men are given positive labels for similar behavior. But you know what else I see when watching this ad? You’ve probably already guessed: I see thin people. How about a little body diversity, Pantene? To say nothing of the labels that fat women – and men – fight against every day: lazy, stupid, dirty, gluttonous. Maybe that commercial will be next? Eh, I’m not holding my breath.

Here’s a fun one! The CEO of Lululemon, who said that some women’s bodies don’t work right, and that’s why his overpriced yoga pants don’t hold up? He’s out! Well, he resigned, which is not as great as if he’d been fired, but it’s still something. Of course, the company is also saying that Chip leaving has nothing to do with the negative press from his comments. Too bad they didn’t seize the opportunity to make a stand against body shaming. Baby steps, I guess. Anyway: Bye, Chip!

So, we all know that Facebook loves to show us ads (and to not show us the content we’ve Liked… I discovered this week that even if you Like a page, such as Big Fit Deal, Facebook will stop showing you posts from that Page over time, until the owner ponies up some cash in advertising dollars). This one caught my eye because of the ridiculous hashtag:

This hashtag is doing a lot of work! It’s got guilt (cheat) AND superiority (clean). Nice work, Quest Nutrition marketers. You’ll never get my money; sorry you wasted yours.

And finally, a couple of personal notes. On Tuesday when I blogged about Justin Bieber, BFD had its most successful post to date. Over 500 people visited the site! It was a pretty exciting day. My words even traveled around the world! Check out the countries who stopped by for a look:

I’m really trying to step up my social media game, to get even more eyeballs on the site, and to keep the ones I have. To that end, I’ve started engaging in a lot more online conversations, posting more, and following a lot of people on Twitter. Wanna know who is following me back? People like this:

Hmm. I do not think BFD means what you think it means. Nice try, though!