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...as a Fat American (6 foot, 265 lbs ) I do not object. Althogh some poor unfortunates may be diabetic or thyroid patients, the great majority of us just have bad habits that can be controlled.
I just think it's in poor taste - like most of CULT, i mean PETA's ads.
I am over weight too but I do't mind the ad. I was always a fan of Peta's and admire their hard work.
Agree that it's in poor taste. Technically, it's also false "advertising". I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for almost 2 years and I'm still as overweight as I was before becoming veg.
People are like the proverbial mule. Carrots and sticks work, but first, you have to get their attention.
I think there is absolutely nothing wrong with the ad. Most people are just overly sensitive. People are fat because of their poor diet choices. I think people need to stop whining and crying and get up off their behinds and eat a salad instead of a bucket of fried chicken.
Think of it in 2 ways:
Improving the environment. (less weight, less food eaten, - less meat, less trees slashed to make room for cows,-- less weight, less fossil fuels used to transport the weight around)
Improving the economy. (less weight, better health-, better health, less reliance on drugs which means lower medical bills- less medical bills (whether personal or medicare/medicaid), more money in pocket of individual or gov't to spend elsewhere.)
less weight is actually a good thing and folks need to take responsibility for it and stop hiding behind "medical conditions" . Get out there and just move.... I've lost 45 pounds and feel much better. It is possible....
Pfft. I know plenty of vegans who are seriously overweight. Just because french fries are vegan doesn't make them any less fattening.
Heck, most of my problems revolve around sugar, wonderfully sweet sugar.
Ironic - most of the vegetarians that I know are carrying extra poundage. Meat is not the only contributor to extra weight.
To the above posters who keep regurigitating the 'i know vegetarians who are still fat', etc.
The plural of 'anecdote' is 'anecdotes', not 'science'.
subscribing to a vegetarian diet does not automatically make you skinny. cow milk is meant to double the birth weight of a calf in just 47 days, much like human breast milk is meant to triple an infant's size in just one year. dairy is loaded with cholesterol and fat... and pus to boot. and as much as you love animals and have chosen to abstain from killing them for food, by consuming dairy and egg products, you are still directly supporting the murder and suffering of animals. the truth hurts.
a vegan diet, on the other hand, makes much greater strides in reducing the total amount of fat and cholesterol in one's diet... as well as reducing one's carbon footprint and global impact. and best of all, no animal will be tortured on your dime. brilliant!
i am a vegan. i eat (organic, healthy) food all the time. and i weigh less than i ever have and i feel great. i do not starve myself, or live on a french fry diet, or feel deprive in any way (hemp milk/coconut ice cream, like whoa). if you want to lose weight, stop eating crap. exercise. ride a bike instead of driving an suv. it's pretty simple. you are what you eat. the choice is yours.
subscribing to a vegetarian diet does not automatically make you skinny. cow milk is meant to double the birth weight of a calf in just 47 days, much like human breast milk is meant to triple an infant's size in just one year. dairy is loaded with cholesterol and fat... and pus to boot. and as much as you love animals and have chosen to abstain from killing them for food, by consuming dairy and egg products, you are still directly supporting the murder and suffering of animals. the truth hurts.
a vegan diet, on the other hand, makes much greater strides in reducing the total amount of fat and cholesterol in one's diet... as well as reducing one's carbon footprint and global impact. and best of all, no animal will be tortured on your dime. brilliant!
i am a vegan. i eat (organic, healthy) food all the time. and i weigh less than i ever have and i feel great. i do not starve myself, or live on a french fry diet, or feel deprive in any way (hemp milk/coconut ice cream, like whoa). if you want to lose weight, stop eating crap. exercise. ride a bike instead of driving an suv. it's pretty simple. you are what you eat. the choice is yours.
Try going Vegan, i lost 31lbs so far in 6 weeks - all animal products are bad for you.
I'm vegetarian, and this billboard makes me want to go out and buy a steak.
How tacky! Also, that's a pretty misleading campaign. I know plenty of overweight vegetarians and vegans.
Nice work, PETA.
I would think they would target people and not just women, have a fat hairy man belly and the back roll bikini and just use "Save the Whales: Stop eating so much, fatty!" . . . it would be much more appropriate and non-gender specific.
The link between lifestyle and weight is correlative, not causative. I know plenty of vegans who eat vegan junk food and never get off the couch, except when they drive to Whole Foods for another palm-oil laden vegan chocolate cake. I know plenty of fat people who eat healthier and exercise better than I do (I'm a skinny carnivorous couch potato) and have their whole lives. Obesity itself has never been proven to be a cause of disease--that's the poor lifestyle choices that are often, but not always, connected with obesity. PETA is, as usual, picking on people who are easy targets in order to get attention. They get it, along with a lot of animosity. I've never given to them and I never will--I only hope my vegan friends don't suffer too much from my grumbling about them.
"Vegetarians look and feel better than meat eaters."
Clearly she hasn't seen some of the vegetarians I've seen. Thinner some of them might be, but that doesn't make them better looking....
...just don't don't tell me vegetarian girlfriend I said that.
But it isn't necessarily true - as other commenters have said - that you lose a lot of weight anyway.
Chris H: "all animal products are bad for you."
Right... so our bodies aren't capable of being omnivorous then? And milk is particularly bad for you?
Of course, in reality all foods have their weaknesses, so no doubt they are all bad for you - as is everything else. Though not enough to worry about.
Personally I have the opposite problem to everyone else. So PETA's ad doesn't really target me. Following an illness, I weighed 8 and 1/2 stone (I'm male by the way, not really normal), and was unable to keep eating the amount of vegetables I wanted... without putting butter on them anyway.
i think that it is not the ad that is in poor taste, but rather what issues are touchy today. if this had been a PSA about the hazards of smoking cigarettes not many ppl would be offend. smoking is a choice and if you want to deal with the health risks then that is fine, it is even illegal in many states to smoke in public areas. however eating food that is bad for you and becoming obese and risking your life in that way is some how not socially acceptable to judge?
i am a self proclaimed feminist (and vegan) and i am not offended in anyway. PETA is a very helpful and informative organization. i think the truth hurts and that is why many ppl have been hurt by this ad.
to them i say, DEAL WITH IT.
I think it's harsh, but it definitely catches your attention. And even if some vegetarians still may be fat, it's definitely healthier and a fat healthy person is better than an unhealthy fat person;) It's a good way to make people aware of a different approach.
'Obesity itself has never been proven to be a cause of disease'
---' The health problems associated with obesity are numerous. Obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. It is a health hazard. Someone who is 40 per cent overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as is an average-weight person. This is because obesity has been linked to several serious medical conditions, including:
heart disease and stroke
high blood pressure
diabetes
cancer
gallbladder disease and gallstones
osteoarthritis
gout
breathing problems, such as sleep apnoea (when a person stops breathing for a short time during sleep) and asthma.
Doctors generally agree that the more obese a person is the more likely he or she is to have health problems. People who are 20 per cent or more overweight can gain significant health benefits from losing weight. http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/obesity-health-risks'
'People who are overweight have a higher risk of insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin...Type 2 diabetes usually occurs gradually. Most people with the disease are overweight at the time of diagnosis. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article... />
i think that this is great of PETA!
helping 2 causes, both making thw world a healthier place
seriously who wants to defend fat people? they seserve to be made fun of they did it to themselves!!
I am so sick of these media-whores. They don't deserve an ounce of respect, despite whatever environmental agendas they may have. They just harass, insult, and embarrass people, and make them defensive, making them more resistant to change.
PETA - People exposing t!ts and @ss.
jerks.
I am so sick of these media-whores. They don't deserve an ounce of respect, despite whatever environmental agendas they may have. They just harass, insult, and embarrass people, and make them defensive, making them more resistant to change.
PETA - People exposing t!ts and @ss.
jerks.
I see nothing wrong with this ad. A billboard telling unhealthy overweight people (yes, overweight is unhealthy) to loose weight by eating healthy foods? I have no pity for overweight people.
99% of overweight people are so because they don't know how to eat properly. They actually cause a strain on our already burdened health care system, and usually have health problems all their lives.
So basically, I pay taxes for government programs that try to make overweight people slim down. I see this billboard as payback AND preventative medicine.
PETA is "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals," not "People for the Ethical Treatment of People."
While the ad is distasteful, it is a call to action. And a fattie like me could use a motivating reminder from time to time.
Well, I believe PETA shall be jailed for "Hateful propaganda" like it is done for ppl doing Nazi propaganda.
I hate this type of publicity with a passion. I believe that going Veggie the PETA way can bring brain disorder and entice you to "DESIGN UNETHICAL BILLBOARD". Be warned.
This is a great piece. Very thought provoking. I like the sort of ending that leaves it opn to personal input. Makes it work for just about everyone I think. Nicely done! I’ll subscribe.
don't blame peta, they only get coverage by creating shocking ads.
i think its clever.
PETA is like the anti-abortion kooks (but without the acts of murder). Anything that can get them in front of the camera makes them happy and the more shocking the better. Sure, it gets them coverage but it also gets more people uninterested, or even opposed to their viewpoint.
Imagine if other groups used their tactics how successful they would be? Breast cancer awareness, March of Dimes, Shriner's, etc. They get by just fine on their message and their works. PETA just appeals to extremist wack-jobs.
I'm a vegan and have been for 7 years. Before that, I was vegetarian for 8 years. I am also 30 pounds overweight and on my 5'2" frame, it really shows. This ad makes me feel pretty crappy. 15 years ago when I decided to eschew meat, I did so because Peta opened my eyes to the horrors of the factory farms - I had never known that stuff before. But if I came across this billboard instead, I probably would never have gone vegetarian. After all, I was pretty skinny back then.
I agree with the bill board in the sense that overweight people need to lose that weight. What I don't agree with is PETA's methods, and their overall message. It is biologically natural for human beings to eat meat. All things, especially meat, in moderation of course. Too much of anything is bad for you.
Does clearing land for cows cause problems? What about clearing land for more vegetables, is that any better?
Is all meat just torture by nature? I'm sure there are lots of livestock farmers out there that would be rather offended if that were true. Heck, look at the natural world. Looks a hyenas, wolves, lions. Tell them meat is murder.
In all things, moderation.
As a vegetarian, I always feel some what confused about PETA's activism, after all one of the main reasons that I made me chose this diet what the sexual politics of the meat industry.
Butl, it makes us talk about it, like most of their campaigns do.
What do you think about the Mc Cruelty Campaign for example? It also had love-to-hates and hate-to-loves...
Not entirely Ture if you are a vegitarian that you will lose weight and be fit.
What about all those sugary snacks and cakes you can eat. Loaded with fats and no meat? Huh? Thats even worse for you than protine meats. So in that fact, you can still get fat over eating Twinkies instead of a hamburger.
Actually, PETA is sort of mainstream: All talk an image with little actually to show for it. They produce nothing useful, have changed no public policy, have produced no significant peer-reviewed research to back up their claims.
Actually, PETA is sort of mainstream: All talk an image with little actually to show for it. They produce nothing useful, have changed no public policy, have produced no significant peer-reviewed research to back up their claims.
Absolutely nothing wrong with this ad. We're a nation of fatties, and we shouldn't shy away from pointing that out. While going veg may not be the solution (reducing our meat consumption is one many steps to get us back to being regularly sized human beings), its a step in the right direction. I've been vegetarian for a year now and haven't lost any weight...that said, I'm simply on the high side of what's considered my healthy weight range.
We need to eat less meat, eat less period, stop driving so much, get outside, grow our own food, turn off the TV, etc etc etc.
So much hate and personal invective on this thread, my.
I think it's no coincidence that the people who support this billboard the most are the ones most comfortable with heaping scorn on other people.
The anti-fat comments are marked by a troubling combination of solipsism, intolerance, self-satisfaction and, worst of all, a total lack of empathy (you know, that thing where you're capable of seeing a situation from someone else's point of view...or at least having the ability to recognize that YOUR personal experience might not be the only valid point of view).
This is PETA's core audience. Mean-spirited do-gooders, basically.
Negative PR I'd say. They demand respect for animals but don't show respect for humans.
A cheap and attention craving advertising strategy, which will damage Peta's image in the long run.
I think we should feed all the PETA people to some very hungry, very large pigs.
When are people going to realize that the ultimate intent of the animal rights movement is not to elevate animals to our level, but to lower humans to the same level as all other animals.
That being PETA's real intent, then we should go by our nature and be omnivores, and, if we go with PETA's ultimate logic, we should feel free to practice cannibalism as well.
Even though I think this is a very typical anti-fat person ad that isn't as as inflammatory as half the stuff they've done, I find this more personally offensive than anything else. Do they not realize that they had obese supporters, that there are obese vegetarians and vegans? And they want to make fat people the scapegoats like everyone else? This is one fat person who is not supporting their work any longer.
No, you really can't eat all you want as a vegetarian and become skinny (at least not without serious drugs). There are no studies that support that.
'Does clearing land for cows cause problems? What about clearing land for more vegetables, is that any better?'
---Yes, clearing land for cows causes problems. Yes, it is better to clear land for vegetables than for cows because you have to clear seven (or higher) times more land for cows than for vegetables to produce the same amount of edible food (calories).
The ad is misogyny at its best. Why no depictions of chubby men?
Keeping in mind PETA is all for euthanizing innocent dogs and cats...
Did any vegans or vegetarians ever wonder how their crops are grown? Did they also forget about the amount of resources are devoted to fertilizing the soil or keeping pests away (producing runoffs of nitrates and hazardous materials not to mention the use of fish for fertilizer) or that when they throw away their left overs, that goes to a landfill meaning that the material isn't going to be recycled and that to replenish the land, more fish or whatever other source will have to be used. There are studies that show that organic crops are simply an inefficient use of land and other resources. That is why we have GMO and other such modern conventions. How many of you would buy produce that has clearly been bored into by some beetle's larva?
Unintended vilification aside, don't blame the food, blame the individual.
I like the ad and would like to see more of this sort of thing. Obesity is a national epidemic. I'm tired of having my health care costs rise due to unhealthy lifestyle choices.
This ad was in very poor taste, both fat-phobic, and anti-woman. PETA really needs to re-think what messages they send to the general public and why. People are not going to respond favorably to ads in which they are being insulted.
I was raised vegetarian, and have had weight problems my entire life. This billboard is absolutely ignorant, not based on true data, and meant to offend and attract attention for all the wrong reasons.
I don't mind this ad at all. People are overly sensitive about everything. Folks need to start taking responsibility for what their eating.simple.
However what I do mind is the organization PETA itself that has been involved in multiple controversies on the treatment of animals.
Here is the website:
www.petakillsanimals.com
I'm both an active animal rescue worker and animal rights advocate. I'm also a vegetarian.
I once belonged to PETA but quickly disassociated myself from the organization. I found their ad campaigns offensive, isolating, and quite destructive to a true welfarist's aims.
This billboard is yet another example of wasted money that could have been spent on REAL efforts.
Have you looked at the statistic for PETA's "animal shelter", if it can even be called that?
If not, click here.
And, on an unrelated note, I think their design/illustration choices for the billboard are as tacky as their concept!
In my opinion, it's obesity that's offensive, not the billboard. Fat people should be confronted over their condition. It's as bad as alcoholism or drug abuse. Maybe worse because it's so widespread.Obesity is the physical manifestation of sloth and gluttony.
"PETA has a free 'Vegetarian Starter Kit' for people who want to lose pounds while eating as much as they like."
Yeah, because fat vegetarians don't exist.
This is disgusting and pathetic -- like most of PETA's stunts. They are fundamentalists and should be treated accordingly.
Aside from the misogyny and negative message (which really pissed me off), I have a big problem with people suggesting radical one stop dietary changes to lose weight. If that sort of approach worked then fad diets would have solved our weight problems long ago.
It's predatory (if you'll pardon the term) for PETA to use people's weight problems to gain support. People are insecure and will try ANYTHING to lose weight, especially if you make it sound easy. Why not go back to promoting the benefits of vegetarianism instead of denigrating those who haven't seen the benefits of consuming fewer animal products.
I think this interview may be of interest to TreeHugger writers. I found it on a good website called Food Renegade and here's the link to the interview of a vegan woman who talks about the dangers of soy and a slew of other things. It's a good interview...check it out.
http://www.ournaturallife.com/blog/?p=365
Its an ad. All ads have a point of view and a message. We don't have to agree with them. We can choose to ignore it if we don't like the message. No reason to hate.
Folks don't get it... PETA just doesn't care about any of the other issues. In fact, they don't even care about public health. They just don't want you to eat animals. And they will do anything,
anything at all,
to get you to quit.
I disagree with the poster that PETA loves offending the right. They've been offending the Left for years, too. They'll tick off anyone if they think it might push the ball a little closer to being veggie.
I admire their focus. I wish progressive groups had anything like it.
Yes the ad is offensive. PeTA meant for it to be offensive. That's what they do. Do you remember the Superbowl ad that didn't get aired?
They say all press is good press, but I disagree. I use to be a PeTA supporter, but I can't give money to an organization that uses it to insult people. They just turn me off.
I think that some of the ads that they put up are to make the organizers of PeTA feel good about themselves and their way of life. This as obviously is there to show us that they are better than the average American.
Yes, the ad is offensive, but I can't deny the fact that a lot of fat people do choose to be overweight with their eating habits. Will becoming vegetarian stop them from being overweight? No, because vegetarians have the same chance of being fat as people who like to eat meat. Instead, they should all just exercise, with this: http://www.sportsncs.com/rd_p?p=191614&t=9536&a=3070-exercise&gift=3070
The problem with "Lose the blubber, become a vegetarian" is that there are still many overweight vegetarians! Now I'm not saying meat eaters are skinny by any means either, but you don't just gain weight from eating meat. You gain weight by eating bad carbs. There are vegetarians who are mostly "Carbatarians".... no meat? Okay! Onion rings, French fries, chocolate cake, ice cream, fried mozzarella sticks, fried twinkies, fried burittos, fried crispidos, potato chips, candy bars, cookies. The message would have to be something more direct. There are fat vegetarians, it's just how it is..
I am not a fan of PETA, I like animals but they go a little too far for me. I do however think they did a good thing with this billboard.
It is about time someone said something about "fat" people. I think calling it a disease is ridiculous too. It is a habit. I used to bite my nails, was that a disease too?
Along with the overall health issues caused by being fat, it also progresses Global Warming. If food producers have to keep up with the demand of these heavy eaters then they have no choice but to create more CO2.
Forget about being a vegitarian, simply stop eating so much. The late comedian George Carlin used to say, "it is not what you eat, it is how much you eat. If you eat 1000 lbs of lettuce, how much will you way?...1000lbs".
I laughed. I think it is ridiculously witty. The billboard will obviously draw in attention (the reason why PETA did it in the first place) knowing positive and negative feedback would be surface. I think people are getting way too heated about it. It is just a billboard..
ps. I am an lacto-vegetarian and reading lisa's post about milk turned my stomach and my mind about drinking milk.. I kind of needed that little push of information to make it necessary.
Come on ladies...You all seem to miss the point...
has nothing to do with you all personally...
Great advertisement for the awareness for PETA..
Stay FOCUSSED : :ETHICAL TREATMENT FOR ANIMALS......Unless you are an ANIMAL.....STOP YOU WAIST OF TIME by taking it personal.
SUPPORT PETA......& stop thinking of your insecurity seeing an overweight women in an advertisement.
Grow up ! !
And all people who eat meat are fat? What the hell. Just get off your ass and eat less Maybe. walk your dogs that Peta is so worried about.
There's nothing better than BACON. And a good steak... and chicken is so versatile... turkey, whole, ground, baked, barbecued... And I'm not overweight, and according to my physician, my last set of labs were all, and I quote "perfect"...
PETA continues to be ineffective because they focus on getting attention to THEMSELVES - they completely drop the ball on drawing attention to the ethical treatment of animals.