You have insulted all women, everywhere.
Never in my life, have I had such a deep, almost physical response to anything as I did last night, watching your latest commercial on television. The TVC sought to portray the story of an overweight woman’s journey – based on a client’s true story – who’s world apparently changed with her decision to undertake a London Weight Management weight loss programme.
The fact that the team who supported you in writing this story, making this TVC, and allowing it to air, got away with denigrating all women but especially any woman battling weight issues, is shocking.
That London Weight Management strongly views women in this light, and finds it acceptable to send this message out to the world is extremely troubling. It should serve as a warning sign to all women to avoid your services entirely, if this is the psychological backbone of your weight loss business.
In this TVC, you, and all who supported you to produce it, have colluded to portray women as pathetic, unworthy individuals. Losers on every level if they are overweight; winners at every level if they are slim.
This is irresponsible, vile, atrocious advertising, and in every scene you have gone ahead to make many claims. Sticking statistics in small print at the bottom of the screen does not reverse the damage.
Let me break it down for you, because no doubt as you read this, with your lawyers looking over your shoulder, it can be easily assumed you will go on to claim no responsibility.
But you wrote the story, it’s based on an apparent real life client, and your company logo is all over the ad, which means you own the rights to this advertisement.
So let’s discuss:
Scene 1: a woman with a crying baby, looking over the edge of a building.
Impression: The trivialisation of post partum depression and suicide.
Scene 2: woman being thrown out of her firm, because she doesn’t portray the right image.
Impression: That workplace bullying is acceptable, as is the objectification of women in the workplace.
Scene 3: Woman on the scales, then proceeds to have a meltdown.
Impression: The immortalisation of women as screaming, helpless, unhappy out of control banshees – because they cannot manage their weight.
Scene 4: Woman’s husband comes home, ignores his wife, they argue, he then proceeds to violently shout at her.
Impression: That verbal abuse, violence in the home and spousal control is acceptable – if you are overweight.
Scene 5: Woman faints. Lies alone in hospital.
Impression: Your entire life will decline, you will bear the brunt of no income, no love, no family support, and illness – if you are overweight.
Scene 6: Woman has an a-ha moment. The answer to your problems? A weight loss company called London Weight Management.
Impression: London Weight Management has the ability to change your life. If you lose weight that is.
Scene 7: 20 kgs or so less, the woman is happier, dresses sexier, can’t stop looking at herself in the mirror. And, she has a better relationship with her husband. Look, even her baby is happier.
Impression: As a slim woman, you can have it all. As an overweight woman you having nothing. All overweight women should aspire to this fantasy world, for the sake of their sanity, their marriage, their children. As a slim woman, you too can be loved.
It is companies like yourself that constantly prey on the insecurities of women – and men – and have done so, unchecked, for years. Coupled with the clear lack of advertising standards in this country – how else would this advertisement have aired – you continue to be allowed to send out psychologically dangerous and inappropriate messages about self esteem, weight management and femininity.
You should be thoroughly ashamed at this atrocious, shallow television commercial. It is not only the worst reflection of your business ethos and morals, whether you intended this or not, but it serves to reflect how you view women and overweight women: unworthy, unloved, unsupported, and deserving of any and all abuse as a result.
Yours,
Anita Kapoor
The Euro Group is one of the highest ad spenders, if not the highest, on MediaCorp. It is not economically sane for them to say no to the group. Even MDA would probably just close an eye and perhaps ask for a ‘infomercial’ to be included in fine print to demonstrate regulatory intervention.
A lot of the programmes that one sees on the MediaCorp channels are paid for by commercial entities dressed up as neutral and objective content. In fact one can see a lot of these on the pan-Asian news channel on programmes about companies going for IPOs, rising Asian enterprises and property developments. But that’s another story for another day.
Big money can be made preying on the insecurities of humans and companies like the Euro group are merely capitalising on the superficiality of the modern man. One can’t blame them or the enablers entirely when it goes a long way to meet the bottom lines.
The soul-searching should start when one looks into the mirror every morning.
This company is the biggest scam, and should be ashamed of itself for its illegal dealings and blatant corruption. Why they have not been bankrupted by thousands of law suits for making false claims and swindling vulnerable, honest people’s money is beyond me.
Everyone who works for this establishment should be ashamed of themselves and the establishment they represent. Whatever you do – do not enter their doors – it is like entering a dark, sinister vortex with no hope of return.
If the devil ran a business – this is what it would be; it even resembles it with its cheap red logo and flashes of tacky red all over the place.
It is also the most repulsively unhygienic establishment I have ever stopped foot in – worse than high way petrol station lavatories and McDonalds roadside lavatories..disgusting.
The branch in Ngee Ann City is so filthy I don’t think it has ever been cleaned – hence why the staff wear equally filthy flip flops on the perpetually wet, black floor. The grime is an inch thick, the ‘slimming’ equipment is filthy and never cleaned – hence why everything wreaks of sweat.
The paper underwear they give you is obviously reused from client to client as it does not come wrapped in plastic but frayed and dirty. When I insisted on wearing my underwear underneath they tried to persuade me to take it off! I got a rash immediately after I left their premises – the place is riddled in disease and bacteria; and whatever you do do not touch the floor / walls with bare skin.
When I asked where the lavatory / toilet was – one of their staff told me to pee in the shower – and said this is what “all the clients do” !!
When I tried to explain how disgusting this was – she looked totally blank..I kept the filthy flip flops on and should have left at that point..it only got worse after that – finally ending in a row with 4 of the staff as they tried to bully me into paying $1500 for the pleasure of their “free” session which ‘guarantees’ 2-3 kg weight loss in 1 treatment. Absolute nonsense – you don’t lose a thing except money, dignity and hygiene – and perhaps some of your faith in humanity. Whoever is responsible for this disgrace of a business should be truly, profoundly ashamed of themselves. Stay away.
Well written! Shame on London management for being socially irresponsible.
[…] Yahoo! News Singapore: Controversial slimming ad sparks debate. This woman voices the opinion of many plus size women here in Singapore, in response to London Weigh… […]
Bravo Anita! I think the issue here is how the woman is being portrayed. It’s ok if you want to lose weight because you just want to feel healthier, better about yourself. But using weight loss to settle ALL of life’s ups and downs is a real fallacy.
Having said that, if I may have a light hearted moment, after losing all that weight, the woman has one more thing to worry about…getting blown away by the wind or toppled over by her growing child!!! Have you seen how skinny some of them look? Hehehe
One of the best posts, keep up the good work, I visit your blog regularly to see what you add new and I added to my bookmarks
What a fantastic site and informative posts I definitely will bookmark your website
Dear Anita, I came across your blog via Mr Brown.com. Thank you very much for writing this BRILLIANT piece that also reflects how we have let the media and corporates dictate how women (and now increasingly men) should look like, for their own profit. I’m following your blog from now on! 🙂
Its a brilliantly written article Anita. I believe that the other type of TVC which really dent the confidence in a woman are the fairness creams advertisements. Just like you mentioned here that the lady had to go through a world of troubles because of being overweight, in India, a country obsessed with fair skin complexion, these commercials only make the lives of dark skinned women more difficult. False promises and claims are made by the producers of such products who prey upon the troubles the person would be going through. These companies have made profits by playing with the feelings of people. High time we let go off the racism within our country and then complain about the rest of the world.
well said anita!
bye bye LWM, i think this can be the start of your downfall
Thank you Maryanne
But as I’ve clearly written in my blog piece I was not quibbling with the need to lose weight if it threatens your health. The piece is from start to finish, about the insult to women in the imagery, the story line and the assumption that overweight equals to loser, in this ad. As a woman, and a formerly overweight woman, I would think you would understand that the need for respect – and self respect, no matter what your size, is key. Demeaning advertisements like this only have one aim: to prey on body insecurities in the hope of shaming women into some sort of misguided action. And that my friend, is just plain wrong.
Thank you for your comment.
My weight has nothing to do with standing up for an ad that insults ALL women. I think that as a woman yourself, should this not be the main point? And for the record, if you’ve watched any of my shows, I am, and always have been extremely far from being a model. And so you rest easy, I was once 20K overweight. So yes, I have been an overweight woman. I was also happy, had the respect of my partner, and never lost my job because I didn’t look the part. Look deeper at the ad: it’s an insult to your womanhood.
I hate it when I first saw the London Weight Management ads, more so when I heard the lady screaming. Each time I saw the commercial, I will turn away, feeling disgusted…
awesome letter ANITA!! u deserve a standing ovation!! u spoke the truth on behalf of all the women who are suffering in silence.. u didnt have to cos u dont even look the slightest overweight urself but u did..as a woman. as a gd human n for that.. i salute u! we all salute u! no one had the guts to do what u did.. god bless ya!
What about people who are fat because they are ill? What about people who are happy as they are? What bout those who esperately want to gain weight, but cannot? Just because this clip has not broken any laws, it does not mean that it is fair, or decent. Incidentally – does nto the opening scene give the idea that a fat woman occasionally thinks she would be better off dead?
Bravo Anita! Well said. Your piece was brought to my attention by a friend, and it has certainly garnered the correct response-overwhelming public disgust. To London Weight Management-very simply-shame on you for being willing to stoop so low for the almighthy Sing dollar.
Excuse me Anita.. have you ever been that overweight woman? Do you really know how mean society can be to overweight women? Of course, you have not, you are enjoying the benefits of a slim woman and hiding behind this skin thinking that whatever you achieved is based purely on your wit and effort. I believe you will still get your modelling jobs if you are fat and I believe you will think your agency still employs you because you have great modelling skills. If you really think that overweight women can enjoy and share the same treatment as slim women, then I dare you to pile on the pounds. See if you can still keep your job.
London Weight Management,
This company is not an honest company. Please do not get cheated like me!
LWM, do not try to fool me…. You might easily fool a group of aunts to undergo your so called “professional” consultations and treatment. But, you are wrong for the youngsters. I am regret to trust you in the beginning and not doing any survey before going.
I am actually bought a voucher costed RM10 for 5 sessions and free LWM products. When i was there, this lady name Chris from LWM Penang at First Avenue told me that what you bought is for 1 session only and is useless. She persuaded me to sign for 15sessions in the beginning and later reduce to 10 sessions. I have no choice but to sign as she was non-stop talking and persuading. SHE EVEN FOLLOWED ME TO ATM MACHINE!!! It’s scary!!! After signed only i was allowed to go for my treatment that i already bought. So, my consultation time is almost 2 hours.
Right after all the sessions, I requested to cancel the sessions i newly bought but was requested. This CHRIS insisted that she has no wrong in anything and did not force me. Anyway, she was forcing me indirectly!!!!
So, never go to LWM if you are having a trying heart………
Obviously, those in support of Anita…. the advertisement has touched your sore point. Honestly, from one who used to be obese, it pays to lose those pounds. I may not agree with their approach, but life is better in fact great without those pounds weighing one down-both physically and mentally!
the advertising agency,the production house,the director,the writer,the art director,the producer….of this contumelious advertising should be named and shamed…
This show disgusts me. I can’t believe that it managed to make it’s way past Singapore’s board of censorship.
If they are trampling on Heath issues I am not bias towards the ad. But seeing how they actually send the message across about how weak women are in terms of social and personal rs is totally sad. Sometimes business is about being really concern and out to help and not just about making money. Even my mum who is very slim felt irritated with the ad and say it’s meaningless and disturbing. Sad..
[…] Impression: As a slim woman, you can have it all. As an overweight woman you having nothing. All overweight women should aspire to this fantasy world, for the sake of their sanity, their marriage, their children. As a slim woman, you too can be loved.” – Anita Kapoor […]
Thank you Anita for having the courage to write this open letter. I BELIEVE things will change when all of us take action to voice our opinions from the heart like that. With awareness, people have the choice to make a difference. With more women supporting the stand that Anita makes, less women will buy into the deals what London Weight Management offers because they believe more in their own rights and values. With that, if London Weight Management wants to continue their business, they will HAVE to look into their company ethics and values to cater to women for the right reasons. London Weight Management, maybe start looking at positive reasons for why you are providing services for women being slim? Instead of such an old ineffective idea that women in the world today need to be slim to be happy? We are living in a world where communication is fast and therefore, ideas around the world are shared and it is blatantly obvious that other countries do no believe in this limiting concept that women must be slim to be happy and successful.
[…] see an open letter by Anita Kapoor on her blog, using very strong […]
London weight management, your services are no longer required.
Bravo, Anita. Thank you for this open letter on post and you said it perfectly well that LWM is definitely insulting women everywhere by playing on their insecurities and trampling on their self-esteem. LWM is being irresponsible and unethical with their advertising.
on similar subject. i was at sephora and noticed range of products known as FATGIRLSLIM. hhmm… tongue in cheek? personally i felt the brand name is degrading to women. of course not everyone agrees with me. =:O)
In some countries it is discrimating to even ask the age of a person, let alone insult someone about their weight. Everytime the commercial reach the part the girl starts screaming I want to turn off the tv. Eventually stopped watching local tv at night just to avoid that watching that commercial.
First off, thank you. Thank you so much for posting this, especially someone of your influence. This needs to be said. The way they portray a woman’s weight as deciding all her paths in life is definitely wince-worthy. And honestly it is annoying that people assume that just because you’re fat, you’re unhappy/unworthy or anything in life especially in such a small country. Seems like nothing can escape stereotype or judgement nowadays, huh? And this is available on free-to-air mass media for goodness’ sakes. What if an impressionable young girl who still has her baby fat, watches this, and decides she needs to take drastic measures to become skinny to fit society’s standards? Honestly, do the advertisers never think of anything? This wouldn’t have been accepted in a different country.
Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention. I was just so appalled to watch the ad – I couldn’t believe that it was ever given the okay!
It’s double standards… Proper healthcare organizations like hospitals with real medical solutions are not allowed to advertise, yet cosmetic companies like London and Yunnan pump in millions playing on people’s emotions and claims that their ‘treatment’ works. This is terrible as people (note how they have been advertising in Ch 8 & u in reality shows) are being deceived. Govt needs to relook into it’s laws on ads by these companies though I doubt the media owners like Mediacorp and Sph are going to be happy on the loss of income.
Oh my God, that’s a good letter! I have a fat wife and I love her very much. The advert is downright insulting to fat women. For a company to use fear/insults to drive more business to their weight management company is really bad. I will definitely boycott that company.
Anita, beautifully written and straight to the point. OMG that LWM thinks that their bludy services are the answer to happiness and happily ever after.
you know this kind of thinking is so seductive and deceiving. We all fall for it.
I remember catching myself when i heard abt Arnold S’s love child with his chubby maid.
I thought… ” Aiyo…Maria is so thin and vivacious and even prettier than the maid.”
But hang on…. its NOT about weight is it, people?
If Maria Shriver believes in this myth too.. she must be feeling like a piece of useless, dried up dead meat having been trumped by a fat maid. I wonder what LWM’s answer to happiness for Maria would be………
(of course if the extra pound was on Maria.. the advert suggests that LWM’s position will be that Arnold screwed the help coz Maria was a fatty)
sensible women lets chorus: dump the abusers (men/bad employers/etc) ….. and LWM.
keep naming and shaming them Anita!! you go girl!!
Very well spoken and I agree entirely.
Unfortunately that’s how the world works. Deny, shout, kicking and screaming, the mentality will never changed. I don’t agree with tonnes of the tvcs or media print because it plays on women insecurities, but we all know there will be one fat person after another entering LWM in a hope that they too will be looking slim and hence finally be accepted by the society.
Totally agree with both hands up! It’s not even ‘creative’ nor ‘interesting’ to portray women as shown in the commercial, to make matters worse, stereotyping women as who/what they look like isn’t commendable. Like how did they even get that idea that women on the larger side = sad, frumpy looking or even leading an unhappy life, seriously?!
If this is really based on a real life story, then what does it say about the husband, the office and the lady herself?
And she is not even that overweight.
Thanks for putting all our sentiments so eloquently in this letter Anita! Bravo to you! AND Shame on YOU LWM! I cannot imagine how your marketing and advertising partners could allow something like this on air. It’s bad enough this is going to affect women who think they are overweight, but now they will see ANY negative thing that happens in their lives as a result of their being a little heavy. Sigh. And god knows what those poor women suffering from anorexia and bulima, who BELIEVE they are fat inspite of their bones sticking out of their ribs, are going to think about themselves after seeing this. And to add to this , imagine a depressed, slightly overweight woman who suddenly THINKS that SHE needs to lose weight to keep her sanity, her husband, her job and finds that she CANNOT afford LWM prices… what is her recourse now?? Shame on you London Weight Management.
Nice one! Such idiotic ads like this gets approved and aired on local TV while other more pressing issues like repression of gays, abuse of maids, poverty in Singapore and all are downplayed.
Are we such an aneroxic nation in terms of how a woman’s beauty is perceived?
“Scene 4: Woman’s husband comes home, ignores his wife, they argue, he then proceeds to violently shout at her.
Impression: That verbal abuse, violence in the home and spousal control is acceptable – if you are overweight.”
I’m afraid the impression, in the context of the advertisement, is far worse. It is that verbal abuse, violence in the home and spousal control is YOUR FAULT if you are fat.
100% Fully agree on this article. This tvc is utterly disrespect to all women in this world!
well said. that’s some of the thoughts in my mind after watching that tvc. even as a man i feel that the tvc is totally insulting.
[…] Kapoor writes an excellent piece detailing why this ad is deplorable. Share […]