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[trembli0s]

Agreed.

Let's just flip genders. Imagine this below ad while it saying in big bold letters, ARE YOU BEACH BODY READY?

Is this a realistic body for males? Not really. The amount of people who could achieve this as a baseline standard to get ready for the beach is...really low. Heck, how many of NeoGAF's members look like this? 0.0001%?

This would equally hit on people's insecurities about their bodies if men were bombarded with these kinds of ads and a whole industry of magazines that is focused on your body.

This isn't unrealistic, like at all. I'm not sure what you do for fitness but the honest truth is that all you need is discipline. You can work out 3 days a week, do intermittent fasting, and eat clean and can approach that kind of physique in around 6 months.

I'm at about 180 lbs US and am on my way to getting to that picture. But I'll be honest, the hardest part is not sabotaging yourself. There are definitely days when I want some damned good ice cream or to get that glorious Chik-Fil-A Zero-Fucks-Given meal.

I always laugh when people complain that it's hard to eat healthy because it's the furthest thing from the truth. It takes around 30 minutes to cook 2 chicken breasts, a satchel of rice, and black beans. That's delicious and nutritious. You can even add condiments at home or make your own.

What people lack is the discipline to do it.

 

[Rentahamster]

All ads are aspirational. Every single one, ever. The point of an ad is to convince you that your life would be better with this thing. Bud Light ads that show you partying with your bros and hot chicks. Car ads that show a cool middle aged guy with great hair driving along the PCH. Athletic gear ads that show football players doing football player things, implying that you're more like them if you buy these pants or shoes. None of this is real.

http://southpark.cc.com/clips/2mijby/please-drink-responsibly

 

[Lashley]

This isn't unrealistic, like at all. I'm not sure what you do for fitness but the honest truth is that all you need is discipline. You can work out 3 days a week, do intermittent fasting, and eat clean and can approach that kind of physique in around 6 months.

I'm at about 180 lbs US and am on my way to getting to that picture. But I'll be honest, the hardest part is not sabotaging yourself. There are definitely days when I want some damned good ice cream or to get that glorious Chik-Fil-A Zero-Fucks-Given meal.

I always laugh when people complain that it's hard to eat healthy because it's the furthest thing from the truth. It takes around 30 minutes to cook 2 chicken breasts, a satchel of rice, and black beans. That's delicious and nutritious. You can even add condiments at home or make your own.

What people lack is the discipline to do it.

Tbh, willpower wise, it can be at times, but I completely agree with your post.

Just takes willpower, and determination

 

[SystemBug]

Hey. The reason this is an issue for women particularly is because they have been forced to look a certain way for decades.

This is not the case of men no matter how much you think it is.

Why is it so hard to understand?

Why do so many of the men here have such a shitty understanding of women issues?

 

[Lashley]

Hey. The reason this is an issue for women particularly is because they have been forced to look a certain way for decades.

This is not the case of men no matter how much you think it is.

Why is it so hard to understand?

Why do so many of the men here have such a shitty understanding of women issues?

We're men

 

[trembli0s]

Hey. The reason this is an issue for women particularly is because they have been forced to look a certain way for decades.

This is not the case of men no matter how much you think it is.

Why is it so hard to understand?

Why do so many of the men here have such a shitty understanding of women issues?

True but let's not act like men haven't been sold on the fact that male attractiveness is looking like Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Troy.

Physical fitness sells because being fit is, frankly, sexy. The Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, and Romans weren't typically making aspirational statues of fat people.

 

[faridmon]

Hey. The reason this is an issue for women particularly is because they have been forced to look a certain way for decades.

This is not the case of men no matter how much you think it is.

Why is it so hard to understand?

Why do so many of the men here have such a shitty understanding of women issues?

Umm, men also face the same issue.

We have to talk, communicate, socialise, dress, present in a certain perceived way, or we won't be attractive to women.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Umm, men also face the same issue.

We have to talk, communicate, socialise, dress, present in a certain perceived way, or we won't be attractive to women.

At least you can still be recognized for other things such as your intellect, your political power, your success, etc. even if you are old, fat and ugly. Not so much for women, who have been and still are primarily valued for their bodies and this idea is reinforced all their lives, starting very, very young.

 

[Nev]

What the hell defines "unrealistic bodies"? I guess he's referring to female/male models with perfect gym bodies? Last I checked these are people too and they weren't born with these bodies, they worked hard to achieve that except celebrities who are photoshopped to hell and back. It's a body more "realistic" the less worked it is? Where's the line that differentiates an acceptable ad from a "unrealistic" one?

This is absurd and you're just telling these models that actually have these bodies (and they exist, not everybody is photoshopped) that their bodies aren't acceptable because not everybody can or want to have them. Basically, "you're too good to be true, please don't ever try to use your body as a reference for other people".

That protein world ad that is frequently posted as an example is an ad aimed at people who go to the gym and like to stay in good shape, were people expecting them to feature a person with overweight? Come on this is ridiculous.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Last I checked these are people too

I don't think fit people need the support.

 

[lenovox1]

Agreed.

Let's just flip genders. Imagine this below ad while it saying in big bold letters, ARE YOU BEACH BODY READY?

Is this a realistic body for males? Not really. The amount of people who could achieve this as a baseline standard to get ready for the beach is...really low. Heck, how many of NeoGAF's members look like this? 0.0001%?

This would equally hit on people's insecurities about their bodies if men were bombarded with these kinds of ads and a whole industry of magazines that is focused on your body.

FitGAF would giggle.

Hell, even I look like that, and I haven't seen a gym in five days.

 

[ugaboga232]

Tbh, willpower wise, it can be at times, but I completely agree with your post.

Just takes willpower, and determination

Lol as if those things aren't genetically/biologically determined.

 

[FStop7]

I feel like banning junk food ads or even banning certain types of junk food should be a much higher priority than this.

Apparently it's better to shit on people living a healthy lifestyle than it is to ban terrible food.

And I say that as a BIG FAN of terrible food. But come on, if we're going to go down this road then let's choose the correct path.

 

[Zakalwe]

They could definitely attain it, with hard work.

How do people change the size/shape of their hips, breasts, and face, and the rest of their bone structure with just hard work?

The model they used is a completely unrealistic goal for the average person, she has "perfect" bone structure, breasts, genetics in general. There's no way to achieve these things if you don't have them, no matter how hard you try.

All ads are aspirational. Every single one, ever. The point of an ad is to convince you that your life would be better with this thing. Bud Light ads that show you partying with your bros and hot chicks. Car ads that show a cool middle aged guy with great hair driving along the PCH. Athletic gear ads that show football players doing football player things, implying that you're more like them if you buy these pants or shoes. None of this is real.

Obviously.

They could still be that without trying to sell you absolute bullshit.

 

[CrocMother]

I really want those damn breast implant ads off the NYC subways. I hate them.

That's not something people have control over

 

[Zakalwe]

What the hell defines "unrealistic bodies"? I guess he's referring to female/male models with perfect gym bodies? Last I checked these are people too and they weren't born with these bodies, they worked hard to achieve that except celebrities who are photoshopped to hell and back. It's a body more "realistic" the less worked it is? Where's the line that differentiates an acceptable ad from a "unrealistic" one?

This is absurd and you're just telling these models that actually have these bodies (and they exist, not everybody is photoshopped) that their bodies aren't acceptable because not everybody can or want to have them. Basically, "you're too good to be true, please don't ever try to use your body as a reference for other people".

That protein world ad that is frequently posted as an example is an ad aimed at people who go to the gym and like to stay in good shape, were people expecting them to feature a person with overweight? Come on this is ridiculous.

No, of course not, just not a movie star looking person with "perfect" everything: bone structure, hip size, breast size, skin, etc...

There are plenty of average looking people in incredible shape for their body type, and as these adds are aimed at all of us perhaps it would be best to represent with an image much closer to the average than the absolutely best looking and "perfect" you can find.

 

[Lashley]

Lol as if those things aren't genetically/biologically determined.

What? Willpower is genetically determined?

How do people change the size/shape of their hips, breasts, and face, and the rest of their bone structure with just hard work?

The model they used is a completely unrealistic goal for the average person, she has "perfect" bone structure, breasts, genetics in general. There's no way to achieve these things if you don't have them, no matter how hard you try.



Obviously.

They could still be that without trying to sell you absolute bullshit.

Them claiming she has the "perfect" body is completely opinionated

She doesn't imo, and yes you can't change your hip structure etc, but you can get in shape, which helps, and that was what I was commenting on. Not her bone structure.

 

[ugaboga232]

What? Willpower is genetically determined?


Them claiming she has the "perfect" body is completely opinionated

She doesn't imo, and yes you can't change your hip structure etc, but you can get in shape, which helps, and that was what I was commenting on. Not her bone structure.

Willpower isn't really a thing but what determines whether you have what people call willpower is a combination of genetic and environment but decidedly not something you can just "improve" or have much control over. There is a reason Obesity/overweightness is the normal in developed countries and its not because humanity has a lack of willpower: its because we are not made for the modern world (neither our bodies nor brains).

 

[Lashley]

Willpower isn't really a thing but what determines whether you have what people call willpower is a combination of genetic and environment but decidedly not something you can just "improve" or have much control over. There is a reason Obesity/overweightness is the normal in developed countries and its not because humanity has a lack of willpower: its because we are not made for the modern world (neither our bodies nor brains).

Ah, I guess that's true. I just force myself to eat well and try and keep a clean diet, I attribute it to willpower, but honestly, I'm not sure what I would call it.

 

[ugaboga232]

Ah, I guess that's true. I just force myself to eat well and try and keep a clean diet, I attribute it to willpower, but honestly, I'm not sure what I would call it.

Good genes, and a working dopaminergic system

Some (most) people aren't as lucky (not that it makes things feel any easier, similar idea with drug addiction as it seems more about the user and their environment than the drug corrupting all in a matter of time).

 

[KahooTs]

I was an unhealthy weight, ads like the beach body ready one contributed to motivating me to become a healthy weight.

But that's beside the point, any type of body should be allowed to be shown in public, including those photo shopped to shit.

 

[akira28]

why is it some motherfuckers always gotta ice skate up trees?

I mean I get defending free speech. I get defending fit bodies. that's not even what's at stake here. If some hyperfit roider or some anorexic model gets blocked off of a wall advert over this, is that what you're standing up against? They're not blocking fitness ads or anything like that, and you're all reacting as if they're your dad saying you can't look at sexy girls on the train anymore. It won't be permanent and it might start some serious action from primary offenders which has been lacking and laggy at best.

Police aren't going to be marching around tearing down pictures of attractive and skinny people, bullying them onto mysterious trains never to be seen again. This will cause some board meetings, people will shift to be in compliance, and some advertisement models will change. Huge issue.

 

[Fuzzery]

Agreed.

Let's just flip genders. Imagine this below ad while it saying in big bold letters, ARE YOU BEACH BODY READY?

Is this a realistic body for males? Not really. The amount of people who could achieve this as a baseline standard to get ready for the beach is...really low. Heck, how many of NeoGAF's members look like this? 0.0001%?

This would equally hit on people's insecurities about their bodies if men were bombarded with these kinds of ads and a whole industry of magazines that is focused on your body.

100%.

We all have 12 inch dicks too.

 

[diffusionx]

Obviously.

They could still be that without trying to sell you absolute bullshit.

Why is a person in really good shape "absolute bullshit"? If anything, this ad that speaks to a level of fitness that any dedicated person can achieve is far less bullshit than, say, the Bud Light example I gave, where drinking watered down piss is a magical aphrodisiac.

Yea, models are attractive. That's why they are models. Are you advocating that models should be banned because they are more attractive than an average person?

 

[brokenbeans]

I was an unhealthy weight, ads like the beach body ready one contributed to motivating me to become a healthy weight.

Was coming to post something similar.

I'm now at the point where I'm building muscle and my body isn't a million miles away from these so called 'unrealistic' images. Thanks I'll just go eat McDonald's I was doing so well too.

 

[gutter_trash]

Nanny State nonesense

Skinny stick figures, okay, I get it, that's bad

but photos of fit people being banned? that is ridiculous

and who judges what is "normal"?

 

[trembli0s]

Willpower isn't really a thing but what determines whether you have what people call willpower is a combination of genetic and environment but decidedly not something you can just "improve" or have much control over. There is a reason Obesity/overweightness is the normal in developed countries and its not because humanity has a lack of willpower: its because we are not made for the modern world (neither our bodies nor brains).

This seems somewhat conclusory.

The cause of obesity is the inability to control what we shove into our mouths. Europe and the US were still "developed" countries 50 years ago and yet obesity rates were much, much lower. Food scientists hadn't developed the caloric bombs that we consume on a regular basis back in those times.

 

[the_batman]

Nanny State nonesense

Skinny stick figures, okay, I get it, that's bad

but photos of fit people being banned? that is ridiculous

and who judges what is "normal"?

it's like england doesn't know 1984 was based on itself.

what i don't get is how are the models' bodies "unrealistic" if the models themselves have those bodies? are the models not real?
this is of course referring to model pics that aren't drastically retouched.

This seems somewhat conclusory.

The cause of obesity is the inability to control what we shove into our mouths. Europe and the US were still "developed" countries 50 years ago and yet obesity rates were much, much lower. Food scientists hadn't developed the caloric bombs that we consume on a regular basis back in those times.

i read the injection of high fructose corn syrup into everything is what triggered the obestiy epidemic.

 

[Madness]

It is a combination of an increasingly sedentary western lifestyle coupled with inexpensive and highly processed foods that has lead to the obesity epidemic.

People are no longer doing backbreaking manual labor en masse. They are no longer walking or riding bicycles to work. They wake up, eat breakfast, drive to work, take escalators and elevators to their desks, sit around for 8 hours and drive home and sit on a sofa or bed and then repeat daily. Kids are not participating in team sports. Video games and electronics mean they stay stationary throughout the day. No more playing hockey in the street or riding a bike or walking to school. They are in their rooms playing online mp games and being driven to school.

Couple this with highly processed foods. Americans on average are eating 600-700 calories more per day then 3 decades ago. This means that as the years go on people will gain more fat and weight and become obese as they get older. Their bad habits set in and it becomes very hard to reverse. People are losing the ability to gauge portions, or cook for themselves. Healthy and fresh and organic food costs ten times as much as a cheap and fast cheeseburger at a drive-thru. 60 years ago, you made pasta sauce using fresh tomatoes and ingredients. Today you are most likely to just buy a jar of pasta sauce from the store that has tons of chemicals and preservatives and added calories. What is causing insulin resistance? What is causing the skyrocketing growth of celiac disease and crohns and colitis and IBS/IBT etc. The rise of diabetes type 2 etc.

 

[Christopher]

Hey. The reason this is an issue for women particularly is because they have been forced to look a certain way for decades.

This is not the case of men no matter how much you think it is.

Why is it so hard to understand?

Why do so many of the men here have such a shitty understanding of women issues?

Men aren't told to look a certain way...?

 

[the_batman]

Men aren't told to look a certain way...?

nah m8

 

[akira28]

it's like england doesn't know 1984 was based on itself.

what i don't get is how are the models' bodies "unrealistic" if the models themselves have those bodies? are the models not real?
this is of course referring to model pics that aren't drastically retouched.



i read the injection of high fructose corn syrup into everything is what triggered the obestiy epidemic.

models may be retouched, may be thin by other means, but they're selling dieting products in the article example? there's definitely some issues here.

 

[Screaming Meat]

it's like england doesn't know 1984 was based on itself.

what i don't get is how are the models' bodies "unrealistic" if the models themselves have those bodies? are the models not real?
this is of course referring to model pics that aren't drastically retouched.

I think that misses the point somewhat.

Men aren't told to look a certain way...?

To a degree, certainly. It's hard to argue that women don't have it worse in this regard though.

 

[Greddleok]

nah m8

Man, Beckham's physique has slipped. I remember 10 years ago when I thought he was the pinnacle of aesthetic fitness. I look like that photo after binging on cake and cookies for a week.

 

[Ravensmash]

Saw on Fox News that they're running with the religious angle of it. Shocking.

It's wilfully applying an agenda to the story to fit a non existant angle.

It's fucking disgraceful.

 

[Messofanego]

Yes, but what they write into their own contracts with magazine editorials (which are not ads, by the way) is irrelevant to the issue of banning the use of Photoshop during the production of an ad.



Who is this "we"? The government? Who is in charge of this regulatory committee that makes sure no one uses Photoshop? How much does this new agency cost? How much tax money will this regulatory body eat up, that could be going to a multitude of other causes that are not a complete waste of time and energy?

OK, so you ban Photoshop. Everyone just uses some other digital manipulation program. So do you ban those too? Then how are the layout designers supposed to construct the rest of the ad or magazine spread? Ban just certain functions? Ban the liquify filter only? Ban the use of digital manipulation on anything ad-related? On anything that is only a human?

"Digital manipulation" includes things like contrast, brightness, white balance, sharpening, and a multitude of other options.

Hell, even taking pictures "straight out of the camera" constitutes a level of "digital manipulation" since all digital cameras have an imbedded RAW processor to turn that RAW image data into JPEGs, according to the specifications that you set in the picture settings.

That still leaves out the way they made ads before a digital workflow. You gonna ban makeup too? Good lighting? Specialty lenses? There's a shitload of things artists can do to make an already beautiful person even more "beautiful" without needing an ounce of electricity.

What about cartoons? Realistic drawings? CG characters? Where does it end, and how effective do you really think this is all gonna be? There's no way you make this sort of law airtight without making it exceedingly hard for the production and editorial side of things. I doubt any instances of negative body image will see statistically significant drops, either. We already have Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to provide and endless supply of examples of fit "real" people who post their own images by their own volition and making the rest of us jealous. This is the society we live in. I'm pretty sure you're not in favor of banning overly sexy selfies because they contribute to a negative self image, too.



"the most exaggerated"? Who draws that line? It's not that obvious when you have to make a subjective judgement, and that judgment is decided by a human.

Now, I'm not against doing something about false advertising. I think false advertising is a real problem. I'm just saying that your idea of banning Photoshop, while well intentioned, would be useless in real life, and a big fat waste of everyone's time and energy.

Using the excuse of tax money is weak because there are plenty of causes that tax money goes to that you would find to be subjectively "complete waste of time and energy". You don't get to be selective with what your tax goes to.

You know exactly well that the discussion is about photoshopping bodies, not the actual software. Makeup and lighting wouldn't fall into false advertising because those are tools people can use and regularly do. That is why Youtube makeup videos are such a big thing.

Using the argument of social media is a bit disingenuous. Those people's fit bodies aren't forced on you, you create your own social media feed. If you go on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you're curating the people you want to follow, so there's a very low chance that you're going to be aggressively jealous because it was your active participation in following that fit person's profile. Unless if you're some sort of masochist.

You're making out banning the use of photoshop on bodies to be rocket science just because it's subjective (like so many things that form the basis of regulatory bodies) or to be a huge waste of funding when it really wouldn't. False advertising tends to be much stricter here in UK than other countries. We've seen when videogame/tech ads have been taken down or have to put disclaimers that the game footage is not representative or is, or whether a company is touting features that the device can't do. This isn't that far a stretch. This is still just hypothetical speculation so a more fruitful discussion might come about if it ever is sought after by the gov't.

 

[MMaRsu]

I heard from someone in the UK that overweight people is a real issue in the UK. Pretty sure this isnt how you solve the problem.

 

[Messofanego]

It's not the same as women.

I have a couple friends that work in Hollywood, and basically as a chick your lifespan is between 18 to 28. Barring a few exceptions, past that you're playing a mother. You're no longer sexy.

Men get more leeway. When you watch films, it's disturbing to think about how the women are often 10, 15 years younger than their male counterparts. Even as the men age, their romantic interests stay relatively the same.

Similarly, for women, youth plays a larger part in beauty (same with some genetic aspects, like waist/hip ratio, bust, and face). For men... well, there's face, but even without that men can be interesting because they are funny, talented, smart, or well off. Women are ignored unless they are... pretty. That's pretty much all that matters. (Well, barring the fat chick that's usually comedic relief.)

Obligatory Amy Schumer sketch: Last Fuckable Day

 

[Newline]

I'm a massive supporter of Khan and body shaming is a real issue for sure but theres no need to shame people who wish to take care of their image.

 

[iPaul93]

This really pisses me off.

This is insane. If you feel bad about your own body because you see someone else who's more fit than you, then that's your problem. And I say this as an out of shape, obese man who's never been anything approaching "attractive" in my life.

So much this.

 

[Screaming Meat]

I heard from someone in the UK that overweight people is a real issue in the UK. Pretty sure this isnt how you solve the problem.

I'm a massive supporter of Khan and body shaming is a real issue for sure but theres no need to shame people who wish to take care of their image.

I'm not sure either of these are what's being addressed here...

 

[Discotheque]

nah m8

you're right, there's a male body image issue too in the media. but honestly as good looking as beckham is i think that's one of the more easily obtainable athletic bodies than the ridiculous shit we see in comic book movies and post-ahnold action films.

that's a more realistic goal and it looks good

 

[hodgy100]

Atleast men are told they can make up for not having a body like that by being funny or having a nice personality.

I've lost 6 stone (now considered a healthy weight) and put on a load of muscle mass and my stomach is a wobbly mess from loose skin feelsbadman.

 

[zoukka]

If it's about the kids I rather they focus on the other side for a bit, yet nobody cares about that:

That's for the UK. It seems more of a problem that parents just don't educate their kids about being healthy, but want to offload that to the government.

Of course it's the parents responsibility. But at the same time, advertising can have adverse effects on people (especially little kids). Bikini babes and musclemen aren't the best way to teach kids what it means to be cool or how a healthy self-confidence is built.

 

[God Dayumm]

Men aren't told to look a certain way...?

No you fedora neckbeard, men are never judged by their physical appearance. So creepy

Spoiler

/s

 

[Zakalwe]

Why is a person in really good shape "absolute bullshit"? If anything, this ad that speaks to a level of fitness that any dedicated person can achieve is far less bullshit than, say, the Bud Light example I gave, where drinking watered down piss is a magical aphrodisiac.

Yea, models are attractive. That's why they are models. Are you advocating that models should be banned because they are more attractive than an average person?

I' not advocating, I'm making a suggestion for duscussion.

Perhaps when selling products/services that relate to body type they shouldn't use traditional models. As I said, there are plenty of average people who have put in the graft and attained except figures.

Still aspirational, still marketable, less chance it will be viewed as body-shaming, perhaps it will even inspire more people as it will be more realistic for them to consider.

 

[Raylan]

"Unrealistic bodies"..... yeah right. Healthy/fit bodies are now "unrealistic bodies" that aren't good for children. Sure buddy.

 

[Zakalwe]

"Unrealistic bodies"..... yeah right. Healthy/fit bodies are now "unrealistic bodies" that aren't good for children. Sure buddy.

Its more nuanced than that, he's not advocating for unhealthy body types to be used.

 

[MagnaderAlpha]

I was an unhealthy weight, ads like the beach body ready one contributed to motivating me to become a healthy weight.

You do realize that not everybody reacts the same to things. Some people can be teased and put down because of their weight, and that's enough to motivate them to get healthy. Others find that teasing only makes them more depressed and eat more. It's the same as smacking your child. They do something wrong and you smack them, what are the outcomes? They could, by some chance, learn that they did wrong, fear the smack and try to do better, OR, they can learn that physical violence is a way get what you want. People are different and respond differently to different situations and stimuli. What you might get out of something might not be what others get out of it. Neither of you are more valid than each other, and that is something that needs to be addressed more than the timeless, short-sighted choices of "this" or "that".

But that's beside the point, any type of body should be allowed to be shown in public, including those photo shopped to shit.

This is a brilliant point. All sizes and shapes should be allowed to be shown in public.

 

[Screaming Meat]

No you fedora neckbeard, men are never judged by their physical appearance. So creepy

Spoiler

/s

I think its fairly safe to say that women and young girls face more pressure to fit a certain ideal.

"Unrealistic bodies"..... yeah right. Healthy/fit bodies are now "unrealistic bodies" that aren't good for children. Sure buddy.

It baffles me that the point of this exercise, as clumsily implemented or as misguided as it may be, has passed so many people in this thread by.