It’s not a news flash to say that companies hire models to advertise their products. Once in awhile you’ll get the “average” person in a commercial or advertisement, but most of the time it’s someone who makes their product look the very best it can.
That means that no, there’s not always truth in advertising, and sometimes it’s down-right insulting.
Amazon retailer Arrive Guide sells women’s workout wear in straight and plus sizes.
Awesome news, since the average woman wears a size 14/16 and might have trouble finding leggings that fit.
That’s not the problem.
Yes, that would be a thin model stuffed into one leg of the pants to demonstrate just how large the leggings run and how clearly out of touch the company is with reality.
Fitness trainer Betsy Abel was doing some online shopping on Amazon when she discovered them and shared it on Facebook.
“Here’s one for today’s ‘Are You Freaking Kidding Me’ file. Scrolling through Amazon looking at leggings… Get to the bottom and see this pair of plus size leggings… That’s fine, no shame if you need a larger size. So what the hell are they thinking using a slim model with two legs in one side??? Talk about disrespectful and being in poor taste. Like oh, hey, in case you don’t feel bad about needing a larger pair…let’s make asses of ourselves and show how two trimmer women could fit in these. Un-freaking-real!” she wrote.
“I work with women every day who fight stereotypes that go along with being plus-size and unfortunately, they are bombarded with images that make them compare themselves to cultural norms,” Abel told Yahoo.
The reviews for the product reflect the collective feeling that these shots were done in bad taste — they have 100 percent one-star reviews.
“I cant believe Amazon would even allow this type of advertising. Terrible. How about you guys get an actual plus sized model to model plus sized clothing or just show the leggings solo. Offensive!!!” wrote one user.
“I find your use of a slim model in plus sized clothing to be repulsive. It portrays the wrong message. I will NOT be purchasing anything from you. Why not hire a plus sized model to model plus sized clothing?” wrote another.
“I wouldn’t even consider ordering this with an advertisement like that, thanks for making me feel terrible about my body,” added yet another.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with slim models, but you have to know your audience.
Was this meant to “inspire” larger women to lose weight in the most insulting way possible? Was it to shame them, and if so, what the hell?
Unfortunately, Amazon said they don’t have the manufacturer’s information, despite selling their products, so I guess we’ll never know.
What we do know is that they probably won’t be selling many of these. As they say, money talks — and these comments speak louder than words.