Earlier this week I reported on the hubbub going on with this Pretzel Crisps ad in Manhattan:
In a showing of true awesomeness, New Yorkers expressed their outrage over the mere suggestion that you can never be too thin. People started writing messages on the sign that explained why yes, terribly delusional and evil company, people can in fact be too thin. After receiving much outrage from the blogging community over this ridiculous pro-anorexia ad, the pretzel crisps company agreed to replace them. It appeared to be a victory. But not so fast—this is what is now in its place: 
Skinny never tasted so good, is in fact a …
… mantra used in the pro-anorexia community.
Wow. I am almost at a loss for words. I would complain but I fear that the ad will be removed and replaced with something like “You’re Fat: Eat our Pretzels!” or “Surprisingly Smooth When Coming Back Up.”
When Pretzel Crisp’s president, Perry Abbenate, was contacted for an explanation, this is what he had to say for himself:
“We took down the ‘You can never be too thin’ ads because some people took offense to them and we didn’t want anyone thinking we advocate anorexia or want to promote bad body image. We do have three other ads up right now, but those were never part of the debate.
While dialoging with some of the bloggers, I mentioned that ‘you can never be too thin’ was just one of four tag lines that we had running throughout the city. The others were: Perfect for skinny dipping; Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels and There’s a new star in the Garden, which references the fact that our products are sold at Madison Square Garden and we have a new package design. The only one that people commented on was the ‘too thin’ ad. So we removed them and replaced them with one of the other three.”
I am not impressed nor am I surprised that yet another company is trying to shame women (and men) into buying their products. I’m just glad that some gritty people called Pretzel Crisps on their ridiculous faux pas.
Wow, they were really hitting on the pro-anorexia mantras for their ad campaign. Clearly some execs had their heads shoved quite firmly up their arses when thinking this up.
Leaves me speechless. And then I remember that we leave in a culture where “Fat Cow” is the name of a low–calories food brand, and where people worry that if you give fat people access to clothes that actually fit them (like the M&S clothes) it will motivate people to get fatter. *sigh*
whilst u may sigh jo at the fact that people are outraged at the fact that M&S have supplied clothes for obese children, as you feel its a ridiculous notion that it will encourage people to be fatter i feel that u have missed the point some what. of course people aren’t going to be motivated to fatten up their children to fit into these clothes but it is about the normalization of obesity and the effect that that has in society. In a country where the nhs is being crippled by the health problems associated by obesity normalizing such a serious disease is in fact extremely concerning.
Um actually…………the pro-anorexia saying is “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Which, when placed next to the replacement ad, is actually a good thing. Not a bad thing. And by the way, wanting to not be fat is not a bad thing. Going overboard is dangerous but wanting to be thin is not a vice.
Who cares? Eat the pretzels or not.
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