Jacksonville, Florida – A new PETA billboard campaign that was just launched in Jacksonville reminds people who are struggling to lose weight – and who want to have enough energy to chase a beach ball – that going vegetarian can be an effective way to shed those extra pounds that keep them from looking good in a bikini. The ad shows a woman whose “blubber” is spilling over the sides of her swimsuit and features the tagline “Save the Whales. Lose the blubber: Go Vegetarian. PETA.”
I’m outraged. I can’t believe PETA would be so disrespectful as to use the term “whales” and “blubber” when referring to obese people.
I’m all for healthy eating and holding the food industry accountable for what they offer us, but there are much better ways to do this. If PETA really doesn’t want to offend people, they should fire their marketing and public relations people. This billboard is no different than taunts by cruel people.
What I’m getting from this billboard is that they don’t want to “help” overweight people; they want to “shame” them. These kinds of campaigns lead to disdain, anger, depression and feelings of worthlessness from women who hate the way they look. Its messages like this that lead to the rise in eating disorders especially in teenage girls.
Shame, self-hatred and embarrassment are all the women of the world need.
People donate to PETA thinking they’re helping animals and instead their money is used for offensive and stupid billboards, signs, ads, and protests.
Calling someone a “whale” and describing their weight issues as “blubber” are as far from caring as you can get, and is unlikely to change the eating habits of the overweight. This billboard is meant to shame and humiliate fat people into losing weight. Now, if that actually worked, the majority of overweight people would already be thin because they get this kind of treatment on a regular basis. Being rude and insensitive “for someone’s own good” is still being rude and insensitive.
Does America have an issue with obesity? Absolutely, we are per capital the most overweight population in the world. Should we all eat healthier? Absolutely. Should we all exercise more? Absolutely. We all know that obesity has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, several types of cancer and more. But humiliating overweight people like this is just wrong.
Hey PETA and all you card carrying members of PETA, wake up. Your organization slaughters as many animals in your so called shelters per day as any slaughterhouse in America. Your excuse of “It just costs too much money to feed and house them and have them adopted out” is disingenuous at best and a repudiation of your own organization and what you supposedly stand for.
I wonder why with all of your nude little starlet campaigns you don’t treat the animals under your care with the same respect you do the rich and plastic surgery crowd?
Shame on you PETA. Shame on you.