Lovin’ Your VS Body
Hey guys! How’s your Friday going?? Hope your day goes by quickly so the weekend celebration can begin 🙂
This morning, I was so stoked that I had a raw breakfast cookie waiting for me.
-1/3 C oats (ground into flour)
-1/2 scoop vanilla Sun Warrior
-mesquite and cinnamon
-1/2 banana
-1 T almond butter
-fresh almond milk
Somehow, knowing breakfast is ready motivated me to crawl out of bed, especially on a dreary day like today.
I met with my Lifestyle Challenge group at the gym and we went over incorporating nutrient-dense foods into their diet, since they’re already working on eliminating processed foods. Even though out meeting is extremely early, I LOVE talking with them about nutrition and fitness. Definitely gets me going for the day 🙂
After my group, I did biceps, triceps and abs with Jeni and Ashley, trained a client and then came home.
Snack attack.
Millet bread (Food For Life brand, in your healthy grocer’s freezer) with homemade coconut butter, maca and cinnamon
Since my next appointment isn’t until 1, I figured it would be a good idea to ice the ol’ knee and catch up on Grey’s and Private Practice on the DVD.
This commercial is cracking me up lately.
As ya’ll know, I’m a huge VS fan and rock the PINK collection like nobody’s biznazz but this commercial is a little ridiculous.
I tweeted:
To the average Jane (like me!) I’m pretty sure many of us are going to scoff and subconsciously associate the fact that if we looked like that, we’d love our body too. SO, SO not the case! Our bodies are beautiful for what they can DO — little imperfections make us unique and should be embraced. Of course, these supermodel girls are gorg and I have no prob with VS (and will continue to spend copious amounts of money there), but they could have gone in a really unique and awesome direction with this commercial. And they failed.
Just my 2 pesos. I’m not even going to go into my tirade on how the media warps women’s body image….. Looking at it now, at least I can get a chuckle out of it, but I could definitely see younger college-aged post-weight loss Gina being slightly affected by the commercial, even on a subconscious level.
Do ya’ll agree? Disagree??
Well I’m off to make a hefty smoothie and order more Sun Warrior because once again, I’m almost out.
Have a lovely day,
G
Today’s Workout Jam: “Kings and Queens” 30 Seconds to Mars (perfect for a killerrrr weights sesh or a slow, cardio hill workout)
114 Comments
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I was just laughing about this with a friend yesterday. The message is good, but it’s so ineffective because you can’t relate to it. Models are like an alien species—NO ONE looks like that. Well, I do…in my DREAMS! 🙂
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
Good message, wrong company. haha That would be like PETA showing commercials on their new line of thick juicy burgers.
I have a very similar view as you. I really gave no thought to whether VS was trying to encourage the public to love their body in their bras. Quite frankly…if they had done the commercial was women, not models (similar to the Dove commercials), who try VS clothing and LOVE it + their body = I would pay more attention!
Agreed. I think it is a great message, but at the same time… they failed on setting a good example. They should have used real women with real bodies!!
xo
K
I will be getting some of the millet bread tomorrow! I can’t wait! And I’m glad you didn’t have a smoking VM with the homemade coconut butter 🙂
As Tyler said: Good message, coming from the wrong company though. And like you said: they’re supermodels, of course they love their bodies!
I saw this on another blog and I seemed to disagree with all the comments there too 🙁
This ad only has un “underlying” message if we let it. We are the ones who create the “hidden meaning” and analyse it to death. The ad is some pretty girls in underwear, and it doesn’t have to mean more than that if we don’t let it. It’s not saying they are better/prettier/etc. They’re just models! Their JOB is to to be tall and lean. If we saw an ad for a law firm that bragged about their super intelligent lawyers, we wouldn’t sit there and say “why not show some regular people? dumb it down a bit! they’re too smart!” That is their CAREER, and we need to take control of our feelings and not blame it on the media. Women cant blame the media for their inability to accept themselves, and act like if the magazines/tv shows/etc were to change, THEN they would love their bodies. We need to start from the inside.
D, I think you are spot on! While it might be easier for me to accept my body if the media showed “real women” in their ads, the fact remains that the media isn’t going to cater to my body hang ups. I need to take responsibility for my own mental health and not blame the media. The onus is on me not to let a commercial/movie/magazine dictate how I am supposed to look and feel. I am in control. I can actively turn my attention away from the media and look toward the thousands of “real” healthy, strong, talented, and smart women in the world worthy of my attention. I can choose not to compare myself to models on TV and focus on the positive (non-physical) aspects about myself.
That being said, it is rather amusing that VS thinks that supermodels loving their bodies would resonate with the average American women.?
G$! So I think you’ll be happy to hear that this commercial came on a week or so ago (when I was watching the bach finale with a bunch of girls), and they all responded to it in a similar way! Everyone was either like, eeeek–the VS models haven’t gotten TOO thin lately, or oh well obviously they love their bodies if that’s their job and their frickin’ supermodels!!! hahahha
The raw bfast cookie looks amaze though! I really need a bfast cookie in ma life, right now….but now I can actually make it happen since i’m sittin’ at the tucson airport waiting to head back HOMEEE, right now!
Oh, and you KNOW millet bread is def on my grocery list……
🙂
It’s easy to love your body when it’s so obviously beautiful and as close to perfect as any human could get. Harder when you’re…more normal.
Thanks for your two pesos!
I just looked through a new VS catalog and noticed their models are extremely thin! It was pretty disappointing.
Gina, thank you for saying EVERY girl is beautiful…not just skinny girls like the VS models and not just curvy girls. I do kind of get defensive when woman just focus on curvy as the new way to be and skinny as unappealing. Of course, there are unhealthy and disordered skinny girls but there are curvy girls with eating disorders as well. On the flip side, there are healthy and confident curvy AND skinny women. The focus should be on health and feeling good with your body 🙂
Great discussion!
haha in my long winded comment i missed the main point. i think there should be a variety of sizes/shapes displayed in these types of ads/commericals
I know most people wouldn’t agree with me in this desensitized culture we live in, but their ads are made to make our husbands/boyfriends want to have sex with them. Cleavage and the rest should be saved for the bedroom, and if this was done we could confidently share our bodies with our husband without thinking we should look like a VS model, or wonder if our husband is picturing her instead of you.
i think the ad is a little ridiculous, especially for younger more self concious girls. WHen you are skinny and a model of course you are going to love your body, but how about the girls with more CURVES! they are still beautiful! and hopefully everyone loves their bodies no matter what and i hope this ad doesn’t make anyone stop eating or something, thatd be sad.
My first reaction to this commerciL was that they seem extra thin this year… Normally VS models have healthy booties to go with their boobs, but I’m thinking far left and second from the right are too gone!
Ditto.
But I kinda resent the “of course you love your body” just because you are super model thin, doesn’t mean you automatically love your body. I’m sure they have potential for more issues than Many Average Janes combined!
I totally agree. The only thought that crossed my mind when I saw VS’s supermodels telling me “love your body”, was “EASY FOR YOU TO SAY” haha! But you are right Gina, our bodys are each uniquely beautiful 🙂
Victoria’s Secret doesn’t exist to make women feel good about themselves-it exists to sell bras. Ditto for Dove (except Dove sells toiletries of course). Dove just hit upon a winning strategy for selling their products; if VS thought they could sell more merchandise by featuring average-size models then they probably would.
That is the exact same thing that came to mind when i saw that commercial!!!” Of course u love ur body ur a supermodel!!!!” That is just hilarious!
I think VS markets mainly to men. They make their ads all soft porn looking to maintain the image of being the undies for sexy women. So men feel good buying it for their wives. The only VS customers I know IRL are men.
The “I love my body” stuff looked more like it was hinting about masturbation than self-love, to me. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but as a retail marketing tactic? I guess it’s better to sell bras with super-soft porn than burgers.
The Dove campaign was 100% better because it actually featured real women. The VS ad is just a bit ridiculous.
That commercial is ridiculous. The way they touch their hair and the faces… haha If you love your body so much, why don’t you feed it?
Yes, their skin glows, they have twice the amount of hair compared to normal women, and their boobs are squished to death in order to look nice, but some of them look way too skinny. I don’t know if it is just me, but I think a lot of guys agree, it just does not look that attractive. Am I alone on this?
Oh man….they really screwed up on that one!!! It just makes you want to laugh….who can relate to that??? Very few people. Bad move VS.
These VS ads crack my husband up. He wonders why they wiggle so much – doesn’t really look sexy, just that they have ants in their pant(ie)s.
Agreed! And for the record, you pretty much are a supermodel!
I’m planning on making some coconut butter this weekend….I hope it turns out delicious!!! I’ve never tried almond butter!
-emily http://emilyeatsclean.wordpress.com
Hey Gina,
Seen your lovely face on facebook under Matthew Kenney and 105’s photo’s…awesome!
xoxo
thanks girl!
the commercial IS a bit ridiculous and just promotes the superficiality of women.
have a WONDERFUL weekend. You deserve it 🙂
This ad is ridiculous! I really, really, have become offended by this business. If it offends you to some degree, why do you still want to shop there? It seems like the only the only way to end this crap is to stop buying! Money=power! If we stop giving them our money, we stop giving them our power. That’s the way it works these days, I think…
Am I the only one who realizes that these models are real women? I mean… they didn’t come from space, they weren’t grown in a lab, and they certainly have to put in the effort to stay that beautiful. Too often, we don’t realize that models are women too, and it neither does you nor them justice to had on them. If anyone says they want the body of a VS, I have an answer: go out and get it! It’s within everyone’s reach, no excuses! We should focus on the positives of everyone and use them as inspiration to get there (or maintain it ourselves!)!
i disagree that a body like that is within reach.
no matter what i do, i will never be 5’10 to 6 ft tall and weigh less than 115 lbs at the same time.
Obviously I wasn’t referring to changing things like our height, but our bodies do have an incredible capacity to become healthy and lean based on our own specific attributes. Still, it frustrates me that people will talk about models like they aren’t people! Sure it seems like they have it easy, but imagine you were one of those models who logged on to the internet every day and all you get are comments from people who saw your commercials/pictures/etc. and only ever say how ‘ridiculous’ or ‘unfair’ they are, or how much ‘that model makes me feel bad or damaged about the way I look’ just because of the way you look! I think that would make me pretty sad! I have a great belief in the power of intention and or vibes we send off both to ourselves and other people and they should send good messages rather than bad ones. If we choose to see this VS commercial as ‘damaging’ couldn’t we instead just choose to look at it as fun, cute, an sexy?
i definitely think it’s fun, cute and sexy, or i wouldn’t buy their clothes.
i was just saying they could have done something really cool and different with their commercial and they didn’t.
of course models are real people (i said they were beautiful!) but i think it’s difficult for many people not to compare their bodies when they’re on parade like that.
i am fit and healthy (and feel amazing!) because of my intent and dedication to do so. however, the younger and more insecure version of myself would have been affected by those commercials, as many women are.
fair enough 🙂 I definitely agree with what you were saying about the “younger more insecure version” of yourself/myself not being as cool with it as we might be today! I wish the advertising industry could just find some form of saner middle ground!
Definitely with ya on the VS commercial Gina. I think they should do a version with women who have all kinds of bodies saying they love their bodies!
YAY! I am so excited I finally found the MILLET bread at Whole foods – picked up a loaf today & excited to try it – I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ezekial Bread for toast so this will be new for me 🙂
love your tweet about the supermodels – agreed!!!
blessings to ya!!!
I noticed you are starting to eat more raw again. I was wondering if you have any good introduction resources on eating raw. I know that there are several cookbooks you have recommended in the past but I am looking more for a diet/benefits/ guide/ overview/ not sure how to describe it but more of the why and basics than the actual recipes. Inspiration on the benefits etc. Thanks!
I have seen this commercial, and honestly it doesn’t bother me. I know these women eat healthy, and workout, and have some god-given genetics. More than anything it inspires me to be more healthy. I have no assumptions that I will end up looking like that, but loving my body in its entirety.
Evey
If I remember correctly, the company that owns VS once owned Lane Bryant. When LB was sold to Charming the rumor was that the founder of VS (a man) didn’t want to be associated with plus sized women. Just some food for thought!
All of the VS commercials crack me up…always a parade of beautiful flawless bodies prancing about which is necessary to sell the beautiful undies that VS is selling. But I think we are missing the point here. Of course these supermodels love their bodies. But bodies are not people. What everyone should believe in their hearts is I LOVE MYSELF. That includes not just your body but everything else that makes up who you are. I don’t particularly love the way my body LOOKS right now, but I love the way it makes me feel after a good workout and I love myself for all of the wonderful things I can do. Well enough blah blah blah…it is really just a commercial and models with less than beautiful bodies don’t sell as much underwear.
Personally I love my body and I think I look better than a VS model because I’m not freakishly tall!! Well, that’s how I justify it anyway 😉 It is a nice message, remember to love your body and buy lots of pretty panties to show your body you love it (er…that’s what I got out of it, and that’s what I do, so…I’m right, right?)
Seriously, I look at all my friends who do work in the modeling/acting industry and I feel for them because, while my personal focus is on improving my health for my overall best body, their focus is on the body and the visual, and very few of them actually view healthy eating and a moderately active lifestyle as a way to hot-body central. I wonder where we all got brainwashed into thinking such extremes?
I just saw this ad tonight, and cracked up watching it & then tweeted about it!
Apparently I’m not the only one who found this amusing 🙂
Totally agree. Self love is terrific, but not when it’s sold attached to the bodies of supermodels who all fit within a single size range!