Fit/Fat

June 19, 2007 9:43 AM

These women are supposed to disgust you into buying low-fat yogurt.
posted by brittney (106 comments total)

Interesting commentary on this at the always excellent Tiny Cat Pants.
posted by brittney at 9:45 AM on June 19, 2007

I like the bigger Mena, Sharon & Marilyn better. This man's preferences will never change. Chow down, ladies.
posted by jonmc at 9:46 AM on June 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

Yeah, when I first looked at the ads, I thought they were implying that men liked the larger models better, so women should go ahead and eat more. Then I saw it was for low-fat yogurt.
posted by frobozz at 9:54 AM on June 19, 2007

dude, they're selling low-fat yogurt, how in the hell are they supposed to do that? "chow down ladies"? that shit's not gonna fly, that's a FatBurger ad. what else could they do, "fatties are icky" is about your only strategy if you are so unlucky that you are in marketing (I defer to Bill Hicks for more on that point) and you have to pimp watery yogurt
posted by matteo at 9:55 AM on June 19, 2007

I always kinda thought Mena Suvari looked like she should have been in an X-Files episode, just something alien about her. This is actually much more natural looking to me.
posted by pupdog at 9:56 AM on June 19, 2007

Low-fat yogurt? Bleech. I'd rather be fat.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:57 AM on June 19, 2007 [2 favorites]

"Ads that make you go Grrr," they call it.

Grrr, indeed.

How do you do onomatopoeia for that gargling, growling noise in that back of your throat that signifies sexual arousal? Because that's what I was going for. In case you didn't get it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:57 AM on June 19, 2007

I had to read the ad N times to even figure out what it was trying to say (maybe because I was being distracted by that HOTTT woman in the rose petals). Anyway, I still don't get it: If men's preferences for women can't change, why can women's preferences for food?
posted by DU at 9:57 AM on June 19, 2007

...and I close the small tag.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:57 AM on June 19, 2007

men's preferences never change

No?
posted by scratch at 9:58 AM on June 19, 2007

matteo: I'm just saying that for those who prefer heavier women, the adds backfired. And the ad is kind of insulting to men in assuming that we all have the same preferences.
posted by jonmc at 9:58 AM on June 19, 2007

just wait about fifteen seconds - we're about to be hearing about how we're all so concerned for their health. I can't say I enjoy being even a little overweight, but you know? I've learned rather recently that I can't make my choices or my preferences be a referendum on anyone else's life. I choose to try to keep my weight down, but that doesn't mean that other people aren't happy at a heavier weight. It's like the fact that I don't want to have kids is NOT a referendum on whether or not you were right to do so.

When in doubt, it's probably nunya business.
posted by Medieval Maven at 9:58 AM on June 19, 2007

"How do you do onomatopoeia for that gargling, growling noise in that back of your throat that signifies sexual arousal?"

Rrowrrrrr!

(I was doing it too).
posted by mr_crash_davis at 10:00 AM on June 19, 2007

(Also, I would like to take issue with the claim that a film still apparently from less than 10 years ago, and that I've never seen, could be "iconic".)
posted by DU at 10:00 AM on June 19, 2007

Of course those sappy eathy-assed 'Activia-aaa-a' ads are annoying as fuck, too. Yogurt is fucking up the culture.
posted by jonmc at 10:02 AM on June 19, 2007

I liked the larger Mena better too. But they shouldn't do that to Marilyn. And low fat yogurt is vile.
posted by vronsky at 10:04 AM on June 19, 2007

If it's wrong to print this out on the office color printer and take it into the men's room for some alone time, I don't want to be right.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:04 AM on June 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

Yogurt is fucking up the culture.

*rimshot*
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:04 AM on June 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

They should have tried to work one of these into the picture.
posted by found missing at 10:07 AM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

I was wondering why everyone is getting so fat lately. I should have realized that the culprit all along was yogurt. It makes perfect sense.
posted by ODiV at 10:07 AM on June 19, 2007 [2 favorites]

I love fat women. Not too fat, though. You know, so fat you have to use flour to find the wet spot. That's no good. But skinny women are ok too. I didn't mean to insult the vegans and marathon runners out there. And medium, average-size women are great too. It's yogurt that sucks.
posted by sluglicker at 10:07 AM on June 19, 2007

fat is only ugly until you put a nipple on it
posted by quonsar at 10:08 AM on June 19, 2007 [4 favorites]

I like that they realistically assume that simply can't sell low fat yogurt to men.
posted by srboisvert at 10:09 AM on June 19, 2007

, the adds backfired.

the ads are not aimed at men, they're aimed at women who want to lose weight or are afraid to gain it


And the ad is kind of insulting to men in assuming that we all have the same preferences.

OK, but if you compare the success of, say, Victoria Secret models with the success of plus-size models I think you'll see you're in the minority. or, you know, the money that Jenna Jameson makes versus the biggest plus-size porn actress out there. as lame and as anti-women and as ruthless as it is, the market says something that ad people cannot ignore, more males find Jessica Alba or Jessica Biel hotter than they find Kirstie Alley. when that changes, you'll see plus-size models on every billboard, and really big women on the cover of FHM
posted by matteo at 10:10 AM on June 19, 2007

LOW FATTIES
posted by fandango_matt at 10:11 AM on June 19, 2007

I personally prefer more "athletic" women but there ain't nothing wrong with these chicks. They look good. Especially the first girl. More power to them for being in these ads, and fire whoever thought the campaign was a good idea.
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 10:13 AM on June 19, 2007

I'm just saying that for those who prefer heavier women, the adds backfired.

Those ads aren't aimed at those who prefer heavier women. They're aimed at women who are paranoid about weight, who have, in this country at least, turned it into some national fixation. The ads don't work on you, they don't work on me either, but I don't think we fall into the health nut spectrum of the yogurt eating demo. (FWIW, I don't think the larger Mena is hotter than the original, but she's still way hot. The others? Not so much.)
posted by eyeballkid at 10:13 AM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

I like low-fat yogurt just fine. Fat-free, even. Such a freak.
posted by brittney at 10:16 AM on June 19, 2007

Oh, I realize they're aimed at women, and that sucks for a variety of reasons. I'm just saying that they inadvertently gave out some free BBW cheesecake is all, which probably contradicts their intentions.
posted by jonmc at 10:17 AM on June 19, 2007

Men's preferences never change? This company has never heard of Rubens' women?
posted by Zinger at 10:21 AM on June 19, 2007

Yeah, because the #1 source of fat in a woman's diet is yogurt.

Ladies, eat the whole-fat yogurt. No one ever got fat eating yogurt. I'd suggest using the yogurt to replace cheetos, snickers and/or your nightly tub of Cherry Garcia. Those things make you fat.

Every time I go to a US grocery store I can never find a tub of good ol' plain, 2% yogurt. Why do you Americans complicate everything so much?

was this supposed to be about women's body imagein advertising? pffft. whatever.
posted by GuyZero at 10:21 AM on June 19, 2007

For the record, I think non-fat plain yogurt is pretty good, especially as a substitute for sour cream. But there's also plenty of 2% plain yogurt at MY grocery store.

/luv u kroger
posted by thirteenkiller at 10:29 AM on June 19, 2007

It's funny how this thread is a referendum on the pictured women.
posted by OmieWise at 10:34 AM on June 19, 2007 [5 favorites]

They're aimed at women who are paranoid about weight, who have, in this country at least, turned it into some national fixation.

This is true. Maybe their next campaign can feature a close-up of the snakily veined forearm of Angelena Jolie or a one of Nicole Richie's stick thin calves, with "THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING FOR, LADIES" printed underneath in 72 pt Helvetica.
posted by maryh at 10:38 AM on June 19, 2007 [6 favorites]

And they laughed when I copyrighted my Lard Parfait○!
posted by robocop is bleeding at 10:38 AM on June 19, 2007

shouldn't that be 'LardFait?'
posted by jonmc at 10:41 AM on June 19, 2007

For the record, I think non-fat plain yogurt is pretty good, especially as a substitute for sour cream. But there's also plenty of 2% plain yogurt at MY grocery store.

Those are both inferior yogurts.
posted by rxrfrx at 10:45 AM on June 19, 2007 [2 favorites]

jonmc : "I'm just saying that they inadvertently gave out some free BBW cheesecake is all, which probably contradicts their intentions."

I doubt it contradicts their intentions. I don't think it even approaches relating to their intentions. The folks who make the yoghurt just care if it causes increased sales. If a guy rubs one off to the ad, that doesn't cause sales to go down, so it doesn't contradict their intentions. And the folks who made the ad just care if the yoghurt company is happy with it or not. As long as your rubbing one out doesn't annoy the yoghurt company, there's no contradiction with the ad agency's goals, either.

Now, if everyone gathers in front of their billboards and starts rubbing one out in public, and it gets taken up in the media, and becomes a big scandal, and drives people away from the product, pissing off the yoghurt company, who then complains to the ad agency, well, then, yeah, it contradicts everyone's intentions.
posted by bugbread at 10:47 AM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

maryh: " Maybe their next campaign can feature a close-up of the snakily veined forearm of Angelena Jolie or a one of Nicole Richie's stick thin calves, with "THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GOING FOR, LADIES" printed underneath in 72 pt Helvetica."

Ya know, the other day I saw a pic of Angelina for the first time that made me say WTF? Ewww... Seriously, up until now, I always thought she was hot, but I swear, she's getting anorexic or something. It's fucking disgusting.

BBW forevah!

And fuck this company for preying on women's insecurities like this. ugh.
posted by symbioid at 10:48 AM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

dude, they're selling low-fat yogurt, how in the hell are they supposed to do that?

Exactly. Horrid stuff.

Whenever I'm stuck with it, all I can think of is a Viz 'Top Tip,' viz:

"Tired of runny low-fat yoghurt? Stir in a spoonful of lard to thicken. Simple!"

2%? Ew. No. Good yoghurt should have a lot more of the cow in it. My favourite: Happiness Is Creamy...it is amazingly thick and creamy but contains only 8.5% milk fat.
posted by kmennie at 10:49 AM on June 19, 2007

As long as your rubbing one out doesn't annoy the yoghurt company,

'rubbing one out' and 'yoghurt' being in the same sentence frightens me.
posted by jonmc at 10:49 AM on June 19, 2007

Are advertisers seriously still trying to hang male approval over women's heads? Whether or not any of these women are objectively "hot," the idea that male approval ought to be the motivation for anything as basic as food choice at this day in age is pretty appalling.

And yeah, I know advertising in general tends towards the misogynistic, but still: the implication that someone thought this tactic would actually work on women is insulting.
posted by AV at 10:53 AM on June 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

symbioid, Jolie's mom just died. I'd probably lose weight too.

As far as the ad goes, it's just kind of pathetic that so many people think that by substituting one "low fat" or "diet" something or other for the more calorie laden stuff is somehow going to make one healthy and svelte. Eat the good food, ride your bike. How hard is that?
posted by oneirodynia at 10:57 AM on June 19, 2007

Metafilter: rubbing one out in public
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:00 AM on June 19, 2007

Someone put chocolate in my peanut butter.

And someone else put h's into my yogurt.

The thick Mena is hot.

And jonmc, I would expect you, of all people, to know that sometimes in porn they substitute yogurt for...

Well, that's enough said about that.
posted by Ynoxas at 11:03 AM on June 19, 2007

Hips, hips, hooray!
posted by vito90 at 11:07 AM on June 19, 2007 [5 favorites]

Absolute size versus shape. Nancy Etcoff, Survival of the Prettiest, p192:

Psychologist Devendra Singh has tested men's perceptions of body shape in eighteen cultures. He finds that waist-to-hip ratio is often more important than breast size or weight (barring extremes) in making a woman's body appear attractive to men... Overwhelmingly, men in his studies have chosen the average-weight woman with the .7 waist-to-hip ratio.

The Mena Suvari image (rose petal model) has a .7 ratio according to my measurements: the image is very attractive. The marketing people need to use a model with a squarer, less hourglass figure - perhaps an apple shape.
posted by alasdair at 11:12 AM on June 19, 2007

Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks thick Mena is hot. And not in a BBW way.
posted by lostburner at 11:13 AM on June 19, 2007

i buy exclusively 100% whole-milk yogurt
and 100% whole-milk mozzarella cheese
and 100% whole-milk sour cream
because i like to cook, i'm pretty good at it, and when i take the time, i want the result to be the bestest. we're all gonna die sometime, i'm going out well-fed and well-wined.
posted by bruce at 11:13 AM on June 19, 2007

AV writes "the implication that someone thought this tactic would actually work on women is insulting."

Yet accurate, unfortunately.
posted by brundlefly at 11:27 AM on June 19, 2007

AV : "the implication that someone thought this tactic would actually work on women is insulting."

Well, will it work? I think it might, in some markets, and it might not, in other markets. I could see it go either way. I think it's an appalling, horrible campaign, but just because something is appalling and horrible doesn't mean it won't work. So who is insulting whom by thinking this might work, and why is it insulting?
posted by bugbread at 11:42 AM on June 19, 2007

Whoops, shoulda previewed...
posted by bugbread at 11:43 AM on June 19, 2007

A while back I went through all the playboy centerfolds from day 0 to about a year or two ago. I think the link might have been on the blue. Looking over the pictures as, um, research, I have to say mens tastes certainly do change, and just over a decade or two. And change significantly.


(*) This is assuming playboy in some way represents mens tastes. It is worth noting that playboy models have gotten quite thin, but still much more voluptuous then your average Hollywood star.
posted by Bovine Love at 11:49 AM on June 19, 2007

The chick in the roses was kinda hot.
posted by delmoi at 11:49 AM on June 19, 2007

And not in a BBW way
What does that even mean? "I like not-skinny women but not big women"?

The OP suggested that these ads are meant to disgust the viewer, but I think it's more complicated than that. There's more of an ambivalence in these images: the models don't really look "bad" in any traditional way—they're made up well, they're smiling, look confident, etc. So I see these ads playing more of an attitude like: "Okay, those women look alright, but it just looks wrong. There's a place for larger women but it's not in men's fantasies!"

It's such a tenuous line that I don't imagine the ads will be very successful. Heck, maybe the idea came from a designer who just wanted to get some hottie naked and cover her in rose petals.
posted by wemayfreeze at 11:52 AM on June 19, 2007 [2 favorites]

The marketing people need to use a model with a squarer, less hourglass figure

Well, there's the rub and the reason why the ads get an F-*. If they ran a campaign featuring genuinely morbidly obese and grotesquely overweight women, no one would want to buy because of that association. Unless the company wants to damage their brand, the models, regardless of their size, still have to be attractive.

The ads are trying to have their regular fat yogurt and eat it too by walking the fine line between planting seeds of insecurity and body image issues in their target market's respective heads, without crossing a line that'll make the ads and by extension, the product, repulsive.

*In one sense at least; after all, we are discussing it.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:54 AM on June 19, 2007

*Throws container of frozen yogurt at wemayfreeze's head*
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:55 AM on June 19, 2007

Looking at the larger image it's clear that the Mena Suvari pic was actually photoshoped. I think the other ones at least had body doubles.
posted by delmoi at 11:56 AM on June 19, 2007

How does Brittney's profile have an image in it? I thought they were all gone?
posted by 517 at 12:08 PM on June 19, 2007

Of course the real joke here is that low-fat yogurt does not, by any means, guarantee low-calorie yogurt. In fact, the low-fat yogurt often has more calories than the equivalent volume of 2% or full fat because of all the sugar added to it to pump up the taste.

Unless you buy low-fat yogurt with aspartame in it, to which I say, what the hell is the point?
posted by jokeefe at 12:10 PM on June 19, 2007

517, any special stuff put in profiles before the shutdown will stay, as long as the user doesn't edit their profile.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:12 PM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Now, if everyone gathers in front of their billboards and starts rubbing one out in public, and it gets taken up in the media, and becomes a big scandal, and drives people away from the product, pissing off the yoghurt company, who then complains to the ad agency, well, then, yeah, it contradicts everyone's intentions.

Well now, that sounds like a challenge.
posted by Brak at 12:16 PM on June 19, 2007

I am 100% in agreement, rxrfrx. That stuff is the shiznit. I am SO addicted to it, even though it's overpriced even at Trader Joe's. No matter, I still buy two tubs at a time.

Love love LOVES me some nonfat Greek yogurt... it's like buttah, people! Mmmm.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:20 PM on June 19, 2007

Although rxrfrx linked to the classic 23 gram fat yogurt, and I like the nonfat or 2%...
posted by miss lynnster at 12:23 PM on June 19, 2007

Of course Marilyn Monroe was hardly a waif in the first place.
posted by davros42 at 12:43 PM on June 19, 2007

This is assuming playboy in some way represents mens tastes.

Playboy's playmates have also changed over the years because Hef's preferences have changed over the years. He consistently goes for augmented blondes with very "Hollywood" looks, as The Girls Next Door illustrate, and thus the proportion of blonde playmates has significantly increased. The PMOY seem to garner the most votes if they are in Hef's inner circle, too.

Of course Marilyn Monroe was hardly a waif in the first place.

Heavy girls all over the US seem to take delight in the fact that Marilyn is often cited as wearing a size 14, despite the fact that the size 14 tof oday is completely different than in Marilyn's day.
posted by misha at 1:01 PM on June 19, 2007

of today, sorry didn't catch that on preview!
posted by misha at 1:02 PM on June 19, 2007

Of course Marilyn Monroe was hardly a waif in the first place.

Well, actually...she was pretty damn small. (And you should see the size charts on dress patterns for that era).
posted by dilettante at 1:08 PM on June 19, 2007

I am really surprised ad people hating on low/nonfat yogurt in here. Uh, it is a filling source of protein and a very effective part of my diet plan. Sometimes you have to cut calories and portions, idjits. The yogurt is not the issue, here, Dude.

But keep talking about the Mena girl. That's my figure!!

Lastly, wtf Brazil? They seem to be the only culture which impresses me as being more out than ours about keeping women objectified. Oh well, none of my buttwax.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 1:13 PM on June 19, 2007

I think the real story is the fact that these ads are from Brazil. I've been told that Brazil has one of the largest per-capita plastic surgery industries in the world...i.e. intense body image scrutiny...i.e. this ad campaign...
posted by bullitt 5 at 1:25 PM on June 19, 2007

I'm pretty sure vaginal sex is outlawed in Brasilia.
posted by bardic at 1:39 PM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

I would do all of those chicks -especially the first one.
posted by squidfartz at 1:39 PM on June 19, 2007

err, Brasil. But Brasilia too, of course.
posted by bardic at 1:40 PM on June 19, 2007

Me kant stand seeing pelvic bone. Me likes meat. Me likes cheeseburger eating women. I can has cheeseburger women.
posted by doctorschlock at 1:43 PM on June 19, 2007 [3 favorites]

I think what squidfartz is trying to say is that he would do all those chicks -except the last two.
posted by found missing at 1:47 PM on June 19, 2007

AV writes "the idea that male approval ought to be the motivation for anything as basic as food choice at this day in age is pretty appalling."

Have you seen those Nutrasystem for Men commercials? It's all about female approval of the male's weight (body). Why do men go to the gym at all, besides as a stress reliever? Why do they buy expensive clothes and cars?

Sometimes it's not just about what men approve. Sometimes it's about appealing to the opposite sex, whatever that is. It's easier to market to more specific demographics.
posted by krinklyfig at 1:48 PM on June 19, 2007

Worked for me.
posted by Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America at 1:48 PM on June 19, 2007

"the implication that someone thought this tactic would actually work on women is insulting."

Why? It works on men. Desiring the approval of the opposite sex is basic biology. The tactic may be manipulative, but it's hardly misogynistic.
posted by Ictus at 1:58 PM on June 19, 2007

Why do men go to the gym at all, besides as a stress reliever? Why do they buy expensive clothes and cars?

Yes. The advertising business is now succeeding in making men as insecure as they have women.
posted by tkchrist at 2:00 PM on June 19, 2007

KRINKLYFIG!
posted by Ictus at 2:00 PM on June 19, 2007

The Brazilian market is different. "The only ugly Brazilians left are those who want to be ugly," declared Veja, the country's popular news magazine."

Yet, "Magazine advertisements significantly show Brazilian models to be larger than American models."
posted by desjardins at 2:47 PM on June 19, 2007

Ictus writes "KRINKLYFIG!"

Yes?
posted by krinklyfig at 2:50 PM on June 19, 2007

krinklyfig:

Oh, of course it goes both ways. tkchrist is right on point there -- just because it's done to men too doesn't mean that it's okay.

And to expand on my point above: I'm not so naive as to assume that playing on women's insecurities doesn't work (especially in a culture like Brazil's), but just because a certain tactic can be employed doesn't mean it should. My point is that nowadays, "it works" is not an acceptable reason to make ads like that.
posted by AV at 3:22 PM on June 19, 2007

If I hired an advertising agency to promote something, and did not explicitly state what I considered to be unacceptable at the outset, then I would consider them to have violated their professional ethics if they didn't use a manipulative, evil campaign. They are supposed to move your product, not be the moral arbiter for society. If you dislike what they are doing, vote with your wallet.

Also, I quite enjoy non-fat yogurt, but I strongly prefer Brown Cow whole milk yogurt. Sometimes I mix a plain whole milk Brown Cow with a flavored non-fat. That seems to give the best balance of sweet and fat.
posted by BrotherCaine at 4:16 PM on June 19, 2007

All this piping up about liking fatter women and whatnot sure has made it questionable to point out that, yes indeed, there are some of us men who would prefer Marilyn to Mena. I for one am not going to pretend that's not the case just to not look like a supposedly insensitive jerk on a talkboard.

If you think it's insensitive, misogynistic (or any of the other sometimes ridiculous accusations upthread) to say one's more attracted to a leaner women than the model in the pictures, then you need to have deep long think about how Orwellian your perception of what someone's own tastes have a right to be has become.

Guess what? Most of the world's men prefer fit women. Guess what else? Most of the world's women prefer fit men too. Holy living shit! Crazy, mis(-ogyn,-andro,-owhatevah)istic stuff! Get over it. Most of the world thinks Americans are a bunch of lardasses and they are totally right. Sure, there's room for fetish, etc, but to embrace becoming land whales and pretending that's sexier than a washboard stomach is not only odd from a reproductive perspective, it is dangerous from the health one as well.
posted by anatinus at 4:41 PM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Plain yogurt. Just some, not a whole 6-8 oz cup. Just a few bug heaping spoonfuls. Drizzle with raw wildflower honey. Add many blueberries and whole oats. Yum, and incredibly good for you. /California.


Seriously. Americans in general should worry less about "how much / how many" and much more about "what the hell is it, exactly" and "is it fresh? is it real?", because without first determining that, simple metrics like calories and grams of poly/un/monosaturated fat are pretty useless for the purposes of diet control.

Not to mention "Is it bigger than my fucking head? Should I really eat that?"

After messing about with my diet over the years - eating everything from the worst vending machine junk to the most bean-sprouty of hippy diets, I'm pretty damn convinced that transfats, hydrogenated fats, hyper-sugars like high fructose corn syrup, colorants, preservatives, binders, plasticizers, "mouth-feel" agents and such are seriously fucking us all up.

Let me repeat that: Transfats, hydrogenated fats, hyper-sugars like high fructose corn syrup, colorants, preservatives, binders, plasticizers, "mouth-feel" agents and such are seriously fucking us all up.

In the past few months I've managed to almost entirely eliminate transfats and/or hydrogenated oils, refined sugar and - much worse - high fructose corn syrup, and I have to say it makes an amazing difference to me.

Much more energy, better mental space, better use of what food I do eat and 60+ pounds down from this time last year.


Jesus Christ, jon, go hump your wife, not MetaFilter!
posted by loquacious at 4:58 PM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

anatinus, thank you for pointing out the hypocrisy. Check out Cosmo's "hottest single guys" pictorial. I wonder what their average body-fat percentage is, and whether it's any higher than the Maxim 100 women?
posted by desjardins at 5:24 PM on June 19, 2007

Your favourite yoghurt sucks.

Shit, until you put the garlic in, my favourite yoghurt sucks.
posted by pompomtom at 5:42 PM on June 19, 2007

Men typically have lower body fat (significantly) then women, even when both are very fit. Women are more starvation resistant and have built in padding.

I like my women medium to lean, occasionally very lean. That wouldn't excuse me preying on womens (or mens) fears of rejection in order to get them to buy my product; that is exploitive, much in the same manner most 'hygiene' products are sold, or breath fresheners for that matter. Preying on people in such a way is dispicable.
posted by Bovine Love at 5:42 PM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ummmmm, forget the yogurt.

Picture 1 shows me something that looks more fun to eat...
posted by Samizdata at 5:43 PM on June 19, 2007

Sorry. That was crude...

(True, but crude...)

And I like women in all shapes and sizes. Really just depends on the woman.
posted by Samizdata at 5:46 PM on June 19, 2007

Ambrosia Voyeur : "Lastly, wtf Brazil? They seem to be the only culture which impresses me as being more out than ours about keeping women objectified."

Aw, c'mon, there are plenty of countries which keep women objectified more than the US. Look at Japan or Korea, for example.
posted by bugbread at 6:25 PM on June 19, 2007

Guess what? Most of the world's men prefer fit women. Guess what else? Most of the world's women prefer fit men too.

Even if you're right, 'fit' is not interchangeable with 'thin'. There's no way you can convince me that this is significantly fitter than this. You might credibly argue that neither are 'fit' but not that the no-breasts-ribs-showing one is significantly healthier than the chunky one.
posted by carmen at 8:14 PM on June 19, 2007

I prefer slim women; all the women in that add are too heavy for me, although the first one in the roses is close enough for government work. Sorry.
posted by Justinian at 8:22 PM on June 19, 2007

Man, I would fuck the smile off that plus size Mena Suvari. Twice, if I could work up the energy.
posted by jonson at 8:41 PM on June 19, 2007

Your favorite size of woman sucks.
posted by found missing at 8:42 PM on June 19, 2007

Well, me too jonson, but I'm just sayin' I'd probably be thinking of someone else at the time.
posted by Justinian at 8:44 PM on June 19, 2007 [1 favorite]

So in Beverly Hills the women want big breasts and small bottoms. In Brazil they want small breasts and big bottoms.
In France they want small everything.
posted by hortense at 9:05 PM on June 19, 2007

in texas, women want big hair, big breasts and small bottoms. in china, women want small hair, big breasts and really small feet. no matter where you are, fat-bottom girls still make the rockin' world go round.
posted by bruce at 10:56 PM on June 19, 2007

The bigger the cushion, the sweeter the pushin'
That's what I said
The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand
Or so I have read

My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo
I'd like to sink her with my pink torpedo

Big bottom, big bottom
Talk about bum cakes, my girl's got 'em
Big bottom drive me out of my mind
How could I leave this behind?
posted by vronsky at 11:14 PM on June 19, 2007

All low-fat products are inherently disgusting and foul-tasting. Just eat less of the 'real' stuff.
posted by chuckdarwin at 3:02 AM on June 20, 2007

chuckdarwin : "All low-fat products are inherently disgusting and foul-tasting. Just eat less of the 'real' stuff."

I dunno. We have some good yoghurt that we eat. This thread prompted me to go check it, and it turns out it's non-fat yoghurt. So low-fat products aren't inherently disgusting, they just have a higher likelihood of being disgusting.
posted by bugbread at 4:06 AM on June 20, 2007

I have no interest in convincing you of anything, carmen, especially considering that you've made clear you can't be convinced. So hey, check with your doctor about what s/he'd say about it. Or, failing that, consult your local medical library's statistical section to check the correlation between being overweight and dying early of coronary disease.

Regardless, I'm more attracted to the girl in the first link by a long shot (all other things being equal about the girls in question, of course).
posted by anatinus at 5:24 AM on June 20, 2007

anatinus, you've missed my point. In the original picture, the person is clearly underweight (for a woman... I'll grant you there is a period around pubescence where a girl's body weight can be very low and still be healthy, but for an adult woman that degree of body fat would be very unhealthy). My objection was neither your attraction to her nor your claim that fat can be unhealthy. My objection was your claim that thin=fit. It can but it doesn't necessarily.
posted by carmen at 6:42 AM on June 20, 2007

The more I learn about Brazil, the more I'm glad I've never been there.
posted by koeselitz at 8:31 AM on June 20, 2007

Anatinus, BMI is not a very useful metric for health outcome, except maybe in the grossly obese. They are moving to a waist to hip ratio, which is the easiest way to approximate the real issue which is visceral rather than subcutaneous fat. People who appear to be thin can have surprising amounts of visceral fat, you can even be medically obese and appear thin if you avoid exercise.
posted by BrotherCaine at 12:45 PM on June 21, 2007