Weight Loss & Diet Industry

By Brittney Johns

Is the diet & weight loss industry ethically justified in their advertising methods, especially in the United States?

Position: socio-anthropological

situation

In the summer of 2015, Protein World, a "meal replacement and supplement" company released a series of advertisements in the United States to promote their new latest product, The Slender.

With the tagline “Are you beach body ready?” it was accompanied by a picture of a seemingly fit woman, implying: "you can look like her if you try the product. "

This single advertisement angered many people who went to social media to show their disapproval of the ads while creating counter-ads to deconstruct the original ad's message.

• And parodies

• Protein World isn’t the only company to use advertisement to lure their audiences.• Other companies such as

Used similar methods.

values

• Freedom of speech/expression

• Individuality

• Normality

principle

Mill’s Utilitarianism

“Greatest good for the greatest number of people”

• The Protein World’s ad proved that many people are feed up with weight loss advertisements. Even go as far as considering the ad fat/body shaming women.

• However, 100 million people who have brought a weight loss product.• As well as over 79 million Americans are considered obese.• In 2014 alone, the weight loss industry generated over $64 billion. • In this situation, the “greater good” is “help” people with their weight

problem. • It would also generate a huge profits.

• To add more to Mill’s Principle, the weight loss industry always relay on people to give them profit.• The ads the left took place in

1908.

loyalties

• The American mainstream culture.

judgment

• Americans are being more “health conscious”.• exercise regularly• eating healthy• checking their weight.

• As more people become increasingly critical of damaging information, the weight loss industry are not ethically justified.

• However, if one includes magazines, especially health/lifestyle magazines, “healthy” food products, and even language, the weight loss industry is ethically justified.

• American culture values individuality, but it has limits. In order for weight loss industry continue being successful is to feed on many people fears of being fat or the “Other”.• The “Other” is position as being different,

not of a culture’s norm. • Fat is not valued in American culture, as it

is seen as lazy, weak, less feminine as thin (or “healthy”) seen as the exact opposite.• As millions of Americans struggle with

their weight and view fat as non-desirable, the diet & weight loss industry is ethically justified in their advertisement.