Saying that today’s media is to blame for our teen girls’ body image problems is probably an unfair generalization. It is one of the many things that cause the problem, but blaming it all on skinny starlets and starving models is unfair to the teens themselves.
THAT SAID…
The new Nivea commercial for their anti-cellulite lotion makes me SO FREAKIN’ ANGRY. Have you seen it? There are three WAY TOO SKINNY girls who join some sort of dance-off on the street all while the voice in the background discusses how they can wear those short shorts because of the Nivea anti-cellulite lotion. But they are so skinny there is no way they even know the word cellulite, much less use the lotion. I mean, there are too-skinny girls all over the TV, but these girls are the Eat A SandWich Before You Die type of skinny. It is simply insulting to insinuate that a girl with 4% body fat needs anti-cellulite lotion. Those type of images…those unrealistically skinny woman “needing” anti-cellulite lotion? Those images anger me. What are we telling our daughters with those commercials? That even if we’re 100lbs soaking wet, we still need anti-cellulite lotion? If our daughters are healthy - they’ll look obese next to those women. And if those women are the image of cellulite? How will they see themselves?
I don’t know. It just pisses me off. And I wanted to rant. Thank you.
If it makes you feel any better (or worse) not only do I have to watch those ads and try not to feel like a total tub of lard but I also have to watch them with really awful, completely out of sync dubbing.
Boo!
Hi, Zoot! I feel the exact same way and think that everytime I see that commercial. How totally ridiculous! It really bothers me. Nivea should take a hint from the people at Dove!
I haven’t seen that commercial, but I think I’ve gotten so worn down by this crap that it’s hard for me to get pissed off anymore. Sad. But yeah, your anger is perfectly justified.
I agree with you 100%. I made the comment to my husband while watching the Nivea commercial that those women are too thin to have cellulite…if they want to prove it works they need to do something about MY cellulite. Now that would be a good product!
This is why I love the Dove commercials (and have actually purchased their items as a result of their ad campaigns. Yes. I sold out.)
Has anyone written Nivea to let them know how disturbed they are by the commercial? I haven’t seen it…
I had the SAME reaction when I saw that Ad. There’s also the small issue of suggesting that women can only have fun if they are free from such “imperfections”…as in, these gals would be home sulking if Nivea hadn’t solved their cellulite problems. It’s insulting on so many levels!
I haven’t seen the commercial, but just the fact that we’re told we have to do something against cellulite is, if you want to be very anal about it (which I am), an insult. We have cellulite so we can nourish babies with our bodies. Cellulite is a good thing, no fixing needed, thankyouverymuch.
I haven’t seen that commercial. However, I have seen the Yoplait Lite commercial with the skinny woman hiding behind her raft and towel etc. on her way the beach wearing her new itsy bitsy yellow polka dot bikini. Now that commercial, pisses me off!
Hello! Mother of a 14 year old daughter here! She weighs a healthy 120. She is 5′2″ and her doctor said that she is at a perfect weight for her frame. She eats like a pig, but I don’t worry about her weight, and more importantly, SHE doesn’t worry about it.
We discuss this topic quite a bit. I never ever want her to feel fat. Even though I am. And that is fact not fabrication. I still look good on her myspace page though! (as her hero)
I thought the exact same thing when I saw that commercial the other day. It makes me angry that the subliminal message is, “Use our cream and look this thin”. Why are they marketing to teens who haven’t completely filled out/grown up yet! Arg!
OMG!!! I was just at home eating lunch and saw that commercial and I had the EXACT SAME FREAKING thoughts!!!
It’s just so extremely ludicrious that those commercial girls have ever had cellulite.
And clearly that stuff doesn’t work since they didn’t show real women dancing in the street with no cellulite.
I haven’t had the misfortune to see this commercial yet. I agree with Fraulein N. I have made it over the anger hump and just try to ignore it because it is all so ridiculous. If I could airbrush and Photoshop my life I wouldn’t have wrinkles or cellulite either!!
I was home sick yesterday and happened to catch Tyra Banks on “The View” and just wanted to say that she is so completely awesome! She was wearing spanks and had no problem showing them to the country (she looked curvy and delicious). She did a campaign on her show where the women invited to the show (all types of women) wore shirts that said “So What?” and they marched down some street in LA. The “so what” meant - if someone says your butt is big - the answer would be “so what?” It’s hard enough for women to have great self-esteem and to appreciate their bodies (especially young women) already - but to show unrealistic super skinny women on tv ALL THE TIME (wearing super short shorts no less) makes life so much harder for all women everywhere. Our first battle should be with women in general - we are all on the same team here. Women are generally so catty. It’s not the media that is causing this demand for perfection (although they certainly deliver), it is the relentless chatter of women that causes companies and the media to display super skinny women in these commercials. What’s worse is that this commercial was probably viewed by 200 people in a focus group before it even hit the airways! They liked it enough to let it be aired! Most of them were probably other women! See how crazy this is by the number of exclamation points I use?!!!!
Like it’s horrible to have cellulite or something. Puh-lease!
I could rant forever…. I’m in that mood today!
I don’t know…I mean I totally know what you’re saying, but even skinny girls get cellulite. Look at Mischa Barton. Although I totally agree that in most cases, they are the ones to have the least problems.
Melodie - thats pretty funny about those t-shirts, I remember one time I was walking down Fairfax in LA one night really late, and this guy tried to get me to get into his car. And when I refused (duh) he said something that sounded suspiciously like “You’re fat, anyway.” It was pretty funny. (that stuff really doesn’t offend me)
Omg I was googling that commercial so that I could rant about it because its horrible! Are they kidding?! I can see those girls concave chest bones!
What the hell was nivea thinking? Nobody with cellulite is going to relate to that commercial the girls look so twig-like. And when they focus on their leg it makes it even more ridiculous, that girl has the skinniest thighs I’ve ever seen.
Could they have found any skinnier girls for that commercial??! Ugh it discusts me that they expect women to relate to those women or do they expect women to be stupid enough to believe that they can look like those skinny fat-free models if u use that Nivea lotion.
Next time why don’t they just use store mannequins and rub the lotion on their plastic legs and then claim that u can have firm plastic legs?!
I am a counselor at a university so I work with a lot of students who struggle with eating disorders and body image issues. Everytime I see this Nivea commercial it makes me cringe! This type of advertising perpetuates society’s warped perception of what defines self worth and beauty. After reading everyone’s comments, I am inspired to contact Nivea. Maybe if enough people speak out they will take notice!
You don’t have to be fat to have cellulite. I weigh around 105 pounds and I have it. Although I’m not a serious case, it’s still there. You don’t have to have a lot of fat to get cellulite. Just a little layer of fat can do this. It’s just pockets of fat that are stuck between the bands of tissue connecting your muscles to your skin. Everyone has some layer of fat between their muscles and skin, even the thinnest women.
i am 14 years old and i weigh 102lbs. i have cellulite on my legs anyone can get it.
Yes yes, skinny woman can have cellulite. That’s beside the point. This commericial is ABSURD! Seriously, who is their target audience? That model in no way motivates me to purchase their product. I did see the Tyra show where they had women of all sizes try the Nivea 30 day challenge and they all had good results. But that blonde girl is painful to look at. And now at the end of the commercials they have her in this tiny bikini that is LOOSE on her. You can practically see up her boy shorts. It’s nasty. I feel kind of bad for putting her down personally, because I’m sure she has body issues of her own. The casting is just all wrong though. I’d love to contact Nivea, but I’m not sure how.