Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
OldNavy ad: girls that look like 14 yo skinny boys
- Thread starter ShovelHead84
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
According to my wife, capri pants are the dumbest fashion ever.
Personally I think cutoff jeans are the dumbest ever. And possibly knit skullies for non-Muslims.
Personally I think cutoff jeans are the dumbest ever. And possibly knit skullies for non-Muslims.
I definitely have an opinion on this matter, I just don't really have much to cite when it comes to facts.
I remember hearing a few months back that a certain proportion of british schoolgirls were unhappy with the way they looked, and another proportion were considering or had had plastic surgery! The figures shocked me at the time, but I can't remember %'s anymore....
The point about gay men being in control of the industry, and thus they have no appreciation for a curvaceous woman is one I'd never heard of even considered before. But it certainly made me think!!
I remember hearing a few months back that a certain proportion of british schoolgirls were unhappy with the way they looked, and another proportion were considering or had had plastic surgery! The figures shocked me at the time, but I can't remember %'s anymore....
The point about gay men being in control of the industry, and thus they have no appreciation for a curvaceous woman is one I'd never heard of even considered before. But it certainly made me think!!
"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we must alter it every six months."
The above is courtesy of Oscar Wilde, who ironically spent a two years in a British prison for the crime of inversion (what they used to call being gay).
Old Navy commercials creep me out. They just seem so...fascist and cultish.
The above is courtesy of Oscar Wilde, who ironically spent a two years in a British prison for the crime of inversion (what they used to call being gay).
Old Navy commercials creep me out. They just seem so...fascist and cultish.
is it even worth noting that the particualr commercial that prompted this discussion is animated?
ShovelHead84 said:
noooooooooooooooooooo. that's a real girl, I just checked it after freaking out.
Yeah, I think she's a bit unattractively skinny. Slim, I can understand, but this is totally sending the wrong message....
Almost makes me feel fat @ 5'6" and 130lbs.
and I know I'm not overweight....
Almost makes me feel fat @ 5'6" and 130lbs.
and I know I'm not overweight....
Onizuka said:
Some of it did look CG'd to me on my one pass...but I haven't seen it on a full TV screen...just in a little QT embed. Is any of it CG?
Which is why women have often played the role of Peter Pan.vniow said:Hey, some of us girls actually do look like young teenage skinny boys.
Beyond that... what women find attractive in women is often different than what men find attractive in women. There is an obvious difference in body type between the women you see in women's magazines and those you see in men's magazines... and it is playing on what the makers of those magazines feel will attract their target audience.
This ad seems to be aimed at getting women to buy these products... not make men hang out at old navy. The ad seems pretty targeted at women.
... and this is not to say that it shouldn't worry people, it should. Young girls are not only going to be attracted to the ad, many are going to have self image issues if they don't physically match that ideal.
In that way, I can understand why people find the ad troubling.
hob said:
Yeah, and it made me think how wrong that comment was.
If anything, lots of gay guys have a better perception of which women look beautiful, and which ones look ugly, but just happen to have big boobs and a handful of ass, which makes them popular amongst most guys. I don't think being a gay man means you prefer girls that look like guys.
And yes, the girls in the commercial are much much too skinny. Yes, it's unhealthy, and after being bombarded with this sort of image of women, I can understand why so many girls in real life have such an image issue.
ShovelHead84 said:
Who's the boyish one? All the girls look pretty hot to me...perhaps a little too skinny but its hard to tell in that low-res video.
Won't argue with you about the image problems they create, though.
ShovelHead84 said:
Why single out Madison Ave?
They have the same shops on Melrose and more young trendy shops also.
Madison Ave caters to the rich 40+ society ladies.
It's funny that people notice the skinny girls in the Old Navy ad. After all, out of the Gap Inc. family, I think that Old Navy is the most accepting of big women offering XL-XXXL, a plus size section and a maternity section in most stores. But I'd hardly say that the main girl in the commercial looks at all like a "14-year-old boy" -- she's just as tall as the main guy! They did make sure to include a diverse mix of races, as they usually do with their printed ads as well, but I agree that they should have added people of different shapes and sizes.
That's my $.02 but I did work for the company for two years..
That's my $.02 but I did work for the company for two years..
Well, not to put too fine a point on this, but are you (the OP) arguing that we should have overweight and unattractive people in ads? Yeah, that'd sell things.
The point - the whole point - of advertising is to improve sales. Thin, attractive people do so (improve sales) in ads because people like to see thin, attractive people. If people wanted to see overweight, unattractive people, then that's what the ads would show.
Does it cause young people to become anorexic? Maybe some. But the increasing numbers of obese people would suggest that it doesn't really cause a whole lot of people to go that route.
The point - the whole point - of advertising is to improve sales. Thin, attractive people do so (improve sales) in ads because people like to see thin, attractive people. If people wanted to see overweight, unattractive people, then that's what the ads would show.
Does it cause young people to become anorexic? Maybe some. But the increasing numbers of obese people would suggest that it doesn't really cause a whole lot of people to go that route.
marissaaa said:
Yeah, I think I saw the requisite black girl, black guy, and asian girl in there, so they definitely met their requirements.
Abstract said:Yeah, I think I saw the requisite black girl, black guy, and asian girl in there, so they definitely met their requirements.
Eh, well better having token ones than none at all. Not many people even notice the fact that most ads are biased.
I'm beginning to think my earlier post was too blunt. What I meant was that ads feature those types because that's what sells. And they will continue to feature those types unless/until people want something different. It's not the fault of the ad agencies. It's the fault of the public. The ads merely reflect what we, in general, want to see.
The reality is that thin, attractive, tall people do better - all other things being equal - than the rest of us, so it's not exactly a false picture those ads are painting.
The reality is that thin, attractive, tall people do better - all other things being equal - than the rest of us, so it's not exactly a false picture those ads are painting.
It's all ***** fake. Getting depressed because you don't look like model X is about as pointless as getting depressed because you aren't a wizard like Harry Potter. They are both equal works of fiction.
Of course I find this usual complaint a bit sexist. What about boys? Is He-Man anymore of a realistic body type than Barbie? Don't you think a guy might think, "Man, girls would dig me a lot more if I looked like Brad Pitt." Or what about those ripped, male underwear models (lord knows not very many guys have bodies like that)?
Anyway, I'm off to kill myself now since I don't have dozens of people charging $700 a day each to make me look pretty for my movie/commercial/photo shoot.
Lethal
Of course I find this usual complaint a bit sexist. What about boys? Is He-Man anymore of a realistic body type than Barbie? Don't you think a guy might think, "Man, girls would dig me a lot more if I looked like Brad Pitt." Or what about those ripped, male underwear models (lord knows not very many guys have bodies like that)?
Anyway, I'm off to kill myself now since I don't have dozens of people charging $700 a day each to make me look pretty for my movie/commercial/photo shoot.
Lethal
OK she is way too thin , there are naturally skinny tall people ( my partner is 6'8" and 140lbs) but that isnt it...
bad message, ugly clothes, next...
come on we live in a society that label marilyn Monroe as plus sized, and I remember a couple years ago JLo was labelled as plus size...
why have the size charts changed, a size 10 is now a XL !!!! yes a size ten woman is now considered to be a plus size... if you dont believe me go to a 2nd hand store and buy a shirt from a well known chain and compare the same actual size shirt to the label size...
bad message, ugly clothes, next...
come on we live in a society that label marilyn Monroe as plus sized, and I remember a couple years ago JLo was labelled as plus size...
why have the size charts changed, a size 10 is now a XL !!!! yes a size ten woman is now considered to be a plus size...
if you dont believe me go to a 2nd hand store and buy a shirt from a well known chain and compare the same actual size shirt to the label size...beatzfreak:
Madison Avenue is a metaphor the ad agencies anybody that is in the business of shaping public opinion
i speak in metaphors a lot it is safe it is illustrative: i am an old guy old enough to remember the campaign and it was a campaign a campaign that Madison Avenue foist upon us the campaign to teach people to take their keys out of their car when left unattended it shaped peoples mind changed behavior caused them to get away from the attitude that it was OK to leave the keys in the car and it was OK to shoot a guy if he tried to drive off with your car
seems hard for even me to remember when people didnt steal cars
before that most people felt it was their right to do certain things to protect themselves and that attitude protected us all the bad guy couldnt be sure if the victim would shoot them or otherwise give them a lesson as to how to act
after that we learned to change our lifestyle to accomodate the bad guy we began to depend on the police authority to protect us and we all know how effective that is certainly the bad guys know that doesnt work
*
Abstract:
lots of gay guys have a better perception of which women look beautiful, and which ones look ugly
*
my point exactly! gay guys are telling us what is beautiful
there is a reason no emergency medicine types the guys that give roadside CPR in emergencies there is a reason that none of them are allowed at the Miss America contest: they would roll out their gurneys and be off to the ER with half the contestants thinking they were in desperate need of help medical intervention they would be giving them IV's on the way to the ER
*
jsw:
ads feature those types because that's what sells. And they will continue to feature those types unless/until people want something different. It's not the fault of the ad agencies. It's the fault of the public. The ads merely reflect what we, in general, want to see.
*
i hate to burst your bubble
Madison Avenue tells us what to want what to find beautiful acceptable to say that they reflect attitudes of the masses misses the point: Madison Avenue does what it does: sells soap tells us what to think who to vote for whether or not a teacher should go to jail Madison Avenue the metaphor mind you includes all of the media anyplace anywhere the public relation types hold court if that wasn't true Howard Dean would be President
Madison Avenue is a metaphor the ad agencies anybody that is in the business of shaping public opinion
i speak in metaphors a lot it is safe it is illustrative: i am an old guy old enough to remember the campaign and it was a campaign a campaign that Madison Avenue foist upon us the campaign to teach people to take their keys out of their car when left unattended it shaped peoples mind changed behavior caused them to get away from the attitude that it was OK to leave the keys in the car and it was OK to shoot a guy if he tried to drive off with your car
seems hard for even me to remember when people didnt steal cars
before that most people felt it was their right to do certain things to protect themselves and that attitude protected us all the bad guy couldnt be sure if the victim would shoot them or otherwise give them a lesson as to how to act
after that we learned to change our lifestyle to accomodate the bad guy we began to depend on the police authority to protect us and we all know how effective that is certainly the bad guys know that doesnt work
*
Abstract:
lots of gay guys have a better perception of which women look beautiful, and which ones look ugly
*
my point exactly! gay guys are telling us what is beautiful
there is a reason no emergency medicine types the guys that give roadside CPR in emergencies there is a reason that none of them are allowed at the Miss America contest: they would roll out their gurneys and be off to the ER with half the contestants thinking they were in desperate need of help medical intervention they would be giving them IV's on the way to the ER
*
jsw:
ads feature those types because that's what sells. And they will continue to feature those types unless/until people want something different. It's not the fault of the ad agencies. It's the fault of the public. The ads merely reflect what we, in general, want to see.
*
i hate to burst your bubble
Madison Avenue tells us what to want what to find beautiful acceptable to say that they reflect attitudes of the masses misses the point: Madison Avenue does what it does: sells soap tells us what to think who to vote for whether or not a teacher should go to jail Madison Avenue the metaphor mind you includes all of the media anyplace anywhere the public relation types hold court if that wasn't true Howard Dean would be President
Seems normal to me too. Then again, I live in Japan where on average folks do not carry the weight that American's seem to these days.Dr.Gargoyle said:
I remember visiting the states with my wife for the first time. She was very surprised by the size of everyone.
...and I must admit, that I too was surprised to see just how big people were getting these days.
Of course huge serving portions might have something to do with it as well. My wife and I could easily share a meal they were so huge. Yet I would see most people eating a meal and desert.
You got that right.Dr.Gargoyle said:
Outsides fade with time. What is left is the personality or lack there of it.
And as for valuables, your health is the most important. Once it goes, you're off the game board!