EFFECTIVE OR OFFENSIVE?

What is represented on the page? • What could this image mean? • Is it possible to read this image in more than one way?

Protein World’s 2015 ‘Are you beach body ready?’ advertisement sparked media outrage as one of the most controversial ads of our time. The ad was originally published on the London Underground as a campaign series for the brands’ ‘The Slender Blend’ protein and supplement powder. However, it was met with extreme criticism, “provoking public outrage and vigilante acts of vandalism” (Mulcahy, 2019), due to its inadvertent support of internalised media ideals surrounding body image and women’s beauty standards. The denotations of the advertisement feature a young beautiful woman posing confidently in a bright yellow bikini. Surrounding her in large bold writing are the words

“ARE YOU BEACH BODY READY?”

This coupled with the image of protein powder and “The weightloss collection” next to her creates a complex image, with several interpretations, that can severely damage the conversation of healthy body image. The signifier of the image exists to be the words “beach body ready” as they give meaning to the text; whilst the signified is the potentially harmful message interpreted by the audience of the ad. Although this seems innocently unproblematic the connotations of the image target the vulnerability of young women in society; failing to acknowledge and educate women and girls on the unique beauty of each of their bodies. The most concerning and immediate interpretation of this image favours societies dated ideologies that

'Only skinny is beautiful.'

Dr Jasmine Fardouly states that,

“fitspiration images, which are designed to motivate people to exercise and eat healthily...can also increase women’s body dissatisfaction, particularly when women compare their body to the thin and lean bodies in these images" (Tiggemann & Zaccarco, 2015).

The advertisement by Protein world is a direct example of the type of ‘fitspiration’ image that can damage the mindset of women and girls everywhere. Further to this, the subconscious message of this promotional advertising creates a toxic cultural environment that has the power to harm our relationship with what we eat (Kilbourne, 2015). The woman modelling in the ad is representative of the target market, thus, the company is promoting their product to young women of approximately the same age. Not only is this harmful because of the easily influenced nature of young girls, but it serves to set a beauty standard for women of this age bracket that rejects the progressive nature of the 21st century and societies evolving ideologies.

The 2015 protein world ad is a direct example of complex marketing material as the denotations and connotations vary significantly in the message it’s trying to convey to the target audience; also emphasising the need for brands to thoroughly consider their advertising and marketing strategies and promotional material with regard to the audience and message sent.