You're the Worst And Other Slogans

“YOU’RE THE WORST” AND OTHER SLOGANS

Thoughts From Within Agency Walls

I’M NOT ONE TO COMPLAIN, BUT…

I am one to examine.

As such, welcome to an examination of the manufacturing of self-loathing, and an exploration of the ways in

which we’re pushing back.

INFORMED OPINION:

The western world has lost its collective marbles over the concept

of the personal aesthetic.

Especially in terms of weight.

INARGUABLE FACT:

24 million people suffer from eating disorders in the United States

Even more disturbing, eating disorders have the highest mortality

rate of any mental illness.

Information from ANAD.org

SIMPLY PUT… BODY IMAGE IS A PROBLEM IN AMERICA.

FROM WHERE DOES THE PROBLEM STEM?

Although unhealthy obsessions with weight and assault on body image are

issues brought on by a variety of factors, we can look to mass media messaging as a major manufacturer

of self-loathing in America.

WE SEE BRANDS PAIRED WITH MESSAGING LIKE THIS

Feeding yourself is not comparable to an ethical or moral dilemma. It’s time

to save guilt for things that actually warrant it, friends.

AND REPRESENTATIONS OF BEAUTY LIKE THIS

AND IT’S MAKING US FEEL LIKE THIS

NO SERIOUSLY. CLOSE TO 50% OF PEOPLE WITH EATING DISORDERS MEET QUALIFICATIONS FOR

DEPRESSION.

READY FOR A TRUTH SLAP?According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

(ANAD)…

“The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American

females”

“47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures”

“20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from complications related to their

eating disorder, including suicide and heart problems.”

HOW DID THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

PRETTY SLIMY? ME TOO.

SO WHAT ARE WE DOING TO PUSH BACK?

EXAMPLE: DOVE REAL BEAUTY

Over the past several years, Dove has worked to promote self-love amongst

women through its “Real Beauty” campaign

REAL BEAUTY SKETCHES

This past week, they released “Real Beauty Sketches”

In just 4 days, it garnered over 7 million views and generated incredible buzz in the social sphere

WIDESPREAD SOCIAL MEDIA STIR

DIVERSE EDITORIAL ATTENTION

TOP TERMS ASSOCIATED WITH REAL BEAUTY SKETCHES CONVERSATION

TOP HASHTAGS ASSOCIATED WITH REAL BEAUTY SKETCHES CONVERSATION

#itsabouttime

#WEAREBEAUTIFUL

BUT DOVE ISN’T ALONE

There are still other brands working to encourage pushing back against the messaging to which we’ve become all

too accustomed.

LOWLOW’S “ADLAND GAL”

Watch the video here

EXTENDING THE “ADLAND GAL” EXPERIENCE

Users can create their own “bad ad” using the Bad Ad App which lives on the LowLow Facebook page.

“YOU ARE NOT A SKETCH”

This ad series more directly calls out the horrific linkage between models as seen in advertisements and other mass media messaging and eating

disorders… and most impressively, it comes from a modeling agency (Star Models)

BRAVO. THIS IS GOOD.

These are truly wonderful steps towards improvements, but let’s not pretend like things

are ok.

I want to see better. I want to see more campaigns like the ones in the slides before. I want to see more tweets, posts, and blog posts about loving

ourselves as opposed to working tirelessly to change the things about ourselves that are already

plenty beautiful.

BOTTOM LINE:

WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS

WE ARE…

SMART. FUNNY. CARING. TALENTED. GIVING. UNIQUE. EXCITING. WONDERFUL. CAPABLE.

CHARMING. DYNAMIC. WITTY. TOUGH. RESILIENT. SENSIBLE. LOVING. KIND. POWERFUL. CHEERFUL.

ABSOLUTELY, INCREDIBLY, AND UTTERLY BEAUTIFUL.

BELIEVE IT. DEMAND CREDIT. INCITE CHANGE.

NEVER STOP

PUSHING BACK.

KYLIE KAGEN | @KNKAGENTHANK YOU