Introduction
In our society, people often become insensible, thinking that the ends justify the means, even if they sacrifice the dignity of others. This is the case with the PETA “Save the Whales” advertisement, which implies that women who are overweight are similar to whales. While the commercial’s original intent was to promote animal rights and encourage cruelty-free practices towards animals, it completely disregards how cruel it was towards overweight individuals, particularly women. The PETA ad perpetuated body shaming and harmed many people’s psyche, honor, and dignity, which is counterproductive to marketing efforts such as raising awareness and bringing a large audience to solve the problem.
Discussion
The PETA advertisement initially meant to promote veganism actually offended society by body shaming overweight individuals, especially women. It displayed an overweight woman in a bathing suit with the caption, “Save the Whales. Lose the blubber: Go vegetarian,” implying that women with extra weight are equivalent to whales (Goldstein). This dehumanized women who struggle with body image issues, reducing them to a caricature of sea creatures. The commercial maintains the harmful stereotype that overweight individuals are lazy and lack self-control, which further marginalizes and stigmatizes them.
Furthermore, in its attempt to make a joke and encourage the population to go vegan, the ad sent the message that becoming skinny only requires eliminating meat from one’s diet. The problem with this message is that consuming only animal-free products can be beneficial to people, but it may mean that it will lead to good health or a perfect body on a long-term basis. Plant-based meat alternatives, for instance, often have high sodium content, are severely processed, and thus cannot be considered healthier compared to the animal-derived protein they are intended to replace. Specifically, the famous Impossible Burger is made from soy, proteins from potatoes, sunflower oils, and coconut, the combination of which creates a taste and look that is very similar to real meat. However, the calorie count and the levels of saturated fat are identical to the quarter-pounder patty from McDonald’s and exceed the levels of sodium of its meat counterpart by six times.
Research into the nutritional impact of a plant-based diet suggests that becoming vegan does not guarantee weight loss and adequate nutrition. Tso and Forde found that the nutritional benefits of novel plant-based foods are lower than required. Specifically, it is hard for vegans to meet their daily recommendations in the intake of B12, potassium, zinc, and magnesium (Tso and Forde). In contrast, plant-derived alternatives tend to be higher in sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.
Therefore, there is no guarantee that going vegan will result in decreased body mass, even though PETA clearly suggests that it will. Even though replacing foods such as red meat or fatty fish with fresh fruit and vegetables does increase the chances of losing weight, there are many other vegan foods that are unhealthy and will limit weight loss efforts (McGee). For instance, both French fries and Oreos are vegan, but their regular consumption is likely to promote weight gain rather than loss. The modern vegan food industry has caught on with consumers’ preferences, with companies producing a lot of heavily processed foods and treats that are as harmful to one’s body as their animal product-derived counterparts.
Therefore, the message on the billboard is inaccurate, misleading, and harmful, as it supports the idea that thin is the only desirable body type (Goldstein). This can be damaging to individuals who struggle with their weight, as it implies that their bodies are not good enough as they are. The body positivity movement fights against messages such as the one perpetuated by PETA, promoting love for oneself despite body image imperfections (Palumbo). The proponents of the movement do not put physical appearance on a pedestal and speak in support of the overall health and a positive mindset that people should have toward their bodies (Palumbo). In today’s world, women’s bodies are continuously sexualized in the media, which directly affects how women, including young girls, view their bodies. The PETA commercial only adds to this harmful messaging, reinforcing that women’s bodies are only valuable if they conform to narrow beauty standards. This can lead to a negative body image, affecting one’s mental health.
The final issue to mention regarding PETA’s offensive campaign is that the company’s representatives did not acknowledge the mistake and continued perpetuating the harmful message. This could be linked to the organization’s longstanding strategy of creating attention-grabbing slogans to cause a public uproar. For instance, when a senior campaigner for PETA, Ashley Byrne, was asked whether the campaign was intended to shame overweight people, her response spoke volumes. She said, “If the billboard is shocking, hopefully, it will get people’s attention, and help them improve quality of life for themselves and their families…. it’s designed to help people” (Goldstein par. 13). This explanation illustrates how PETA can twist the narrative in its favor, failing to apologize or even acknowledge the limitations of its decision. In the end, the organization reached its goal – to offend as many people as possible and make them discuss the ad, thus giving PETA attention.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a group founded for the rights of one group shouldn’t shame or put down another group to promote their cause. While intended to promote animal rights, the PETA ad was insensitive and perpetuated body shaming toward overweight individuals. The harmful messaging in the commercial reinforces the idea of conforming to narrow beauty standards. It is important to remember that everyone deserves dignity and respect, regardless of their body type or lifestyle choices. Society should strive to promote body positivity and acceptance of all body types.
Works Cited
Goldstein, Katherine. “PETA’s New ‘Save the Whales’ Billboard Takes Aim at Fat Women (Updated).” HuffPost. Web.
McGee, Meghan. “Plant-Based Doesn’t Always Mean Healthy – Especially When It Comes to Vegan “Meat.” SciTechDaily. Web.
Palumbo, Jennifer. “The Body Positive Movement Encourages Inclusion, Not Obesity.” Forbes. Web.
Tso, Rachel, and Ciarán G. Forde. “Unintended Consequences: Nutritional Impact and Potential Pitfalls of Switching from Animal- to Plant-Based Foods.” Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 8, 2021, pp. 2527.