It's no secret that society today pushes out the "skinny" ideal. All I see around me are ways to get the perfect beach body and a constant image of thin, tall women taking the world by storm. But how did we get there and why aren't real women portrayed for who they are? How did we turn into a world that is rampant with insecurities, eating disorders and an incorrect portrayal of women?
Surfaced vintage ads reflect a change in perception of women and encourage them to gain weight to look their best. One of the ads says, "Why be skinny? Come on and enjoy life." While it was of course part of the advertising to sell a weight-gaining product, it is refreshing to see a time when women weren't expected to be stick thin. How did the skinny women feel when these ads were being pushed out? They were expected to fit the "curvy" image and may have been put down because of it. One ad says, "Don't let them call you skinny."
Why can't we have ads aimed at ALL types of women? Remember Dove's campaign for real women?
Dove embraced women for who they are, curves or not, citing that
confidence is what makes a woman beautiful. Not her waist size. They got the message right.
Call me crazy, but a beautiful woman is a happy, healthy and confident one.
(Photo by Retronaut via Yahoo!)
Cheers to that. I saw these ads this week and actually wondered if you'd use it as a topic. I'm glad you did. Even the vintage ads put down women of a certain body type...I would love to see more approaches like Dove took.
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