Have you seen this?
Watch it. Seriously.
This advertisement floored me when I saw it a couple days ago for the first time.
More than a number? It may seem like simple advertising techniques to a marketing excecutive.
“Oh women are always concerned with weight and sizes. What if we just made sizes flattering names instead?”
What I don’t think they realized is the impact it would have on someone who struggles with ED.
The whispers of my ED were stunned into silence after seeing this commercial. It was terrified of a world where it couldn’t dictate to me to get down to that size. To the winning size.
How could the whispers possibly hiss and bully without the elusive 00 goal?
In this beautiful boutique the commercial paints; all sizes are merely empowering descriptors.
It’s a deep, dark struggle to tell friends or partners “…now I’m a size 7.”
But wouldn’t it be beautiful to tell a friend “Now my size is fabulous! What about you?”
The hissing and bubbling and bullying would be forced to cower and grumble in disappointment. It’s hard to make words like Stunning, Confident, Courageous, or Charismatic a punishment.
I like radiant myself
I think Special K has made a surprisingly strong (and perhaps unintentional) message to not only the general self image we are obsessed, but the size focus a lot of eating disorders and other mental-health diagnoses struggle with.
I’m ready to re-label all our sizes! Let’s do away with numbers! It’s time for some positive change!
The Goddess Ana and Mia can only crumble before these heroes. I imagine these modern heroes fighting just as bravely as the famous Greek ones of mythic lore.
Meet Radiant: A fiery redhead who in the past would rather sleep than do anything. Now she uses her two powerful short swords to slash at the black curtains of depression and self-harm that these hateful goddesses erect daily.
Meet Charismatic: A smiling blond whose song can stop a truck. She used to sing the blues but now she rocks out with all the energy of hope. She loves it even more when she can get others to sing with her. Her friends and family comment how much her smile lifts their spirits and how glad they are to see it again.
Meet Fabulous: This brunette used to stay in the bathroom, bogged down by the whispers and tormented by what she thought was her own desire for death. But now she stands strong and using a mirror shield, reflects the goddesses own images and nasty words back at themselves.
These are today’s heroes. They want nothing more than to drive away the black hole that only sucks and sucks. To replace it with the shining light of hope, healing, strength, love. To show you that you are a beautiful person.
And you can be a hero too.
What new size do you like the sound of?
Disclaimer: I don’t work for or with Kellogg’s in any way. I haven’t received any compensation. I did this post merely because their ad struck me on a personal level. I actually don’t even eat cereal.
pen, paper, and crazy 
This ad did for me a lot more than the Dove ad that everyone was going crazy about recently (where women think of themselves differently than how they are actually seen).
I would love to be Stunning, though Radiant happens to sound a little like me LOL.
Yeah. I hated the Dove ad. I felt more like it was saying “You see things ugly you dumbass.”
I think you would make a lovely Stunning!
i watched and it made me cry a bit. i wish the world were like this. *hugs*
Aw. I’m glad it touched you. Hopefully it wasn’t bad crying. I got slightly choked up when I saw it first too. ❤
Lots of hugs darling ❤
Wow, that was just so incredible. I don’t get too worried about my size these days – I mean, come on, have you seen my husband? But I do get that the fashion industry has had a huge impact on the self-esteem of women everywhere, in a terribly negative way. And Kellog’s is right – we are so much more than the numbers that define the size of pants we wear. We should be more concerned that our bodies are healthy and that we’re taking good care of ourselves than what size we can force ourselves into.
Thank you for sharing this. More women – particularly YOUNG women – need to see such affirming messages as this one.
Isn’t it? I thought some of the YouTube comments were ridiculous. I don’t think they intended any “weight loss!” message at all.
I agree with you, I think it was all about being and feeling healthy. No matter what size or “number” that is.
The only “important number” about me that isn’t where it’s supposed to be according to conventional medical “wisdom” is my weight – everything else is spot on. So really, in the grand scheme of things, is it better than I’ve been consistently 100lbs over weight for almost 20 years, or would the resultant organ damage from yo-yo dieting to lose 50 here that I gained back there really be worth it? Not to me.
I have a friend who is about 100 lbs overweight (according to doctors, I think she’s lovely) but has better blood levels, cholesterol, organ function, blood pressure than I do!! Obviously the docs and society have it wrong.
Side note: she does some lovely artistic nude photography on dA. She is so very brave.
You’re lovely and brave as well, my dear.
Aw. You know how to make me smile. You’re a doll, despite your contagious illness 😉
❤ ❤
Reblogged this on Not a Punk Rocker and commented:
Earlier this year, in another place, I went on a mini-rant against an ad that Dove had put out about women and how they see themselves. It had gone viral and while I appreciate the message (and the fact that it is, in fact, just a way to sell soap and deodorant) it hit me the wrong way. Part of it was the person who sent it to me was a jerk known for such lines as “You are OK looking now, but if you got thin again you would be hot!” and part of it was the fact that it seemed kind of condescending “There, there, sugar. You aren’t as bad as you think you are.”
I am sure my post made no sense so I haven’t resurrected it. Instead, I am sharing the post my good friend, Pen, wrote about another commercial that I think does a better job at trying to encourage acceptance. Body image issues and eating disorders have plagued me my entire life, from when I was little kid, up to a 5′ 9″ teen in a size 4 (110 pounds via anorexia) through today (bulimia) when I have weight to lose (not telling you specifics on that info, for sure!). It is always a numbers game, to see who can get the lowest one. Nothing will ever be perfect, but being Stunning and Radiant and feeling it would be a good start.
PS. I don’t like this cereal.
Reblogged this on Fiona Fay and commented:
Amaizing advert! ….In real life, it seems much more difficult to let go of a number, or numbers in general.
This is so lovely. Up until a year ago I outright refused to wear jeans because shopping for them made me feel so insecure about my body and just the thought of it would send me into a panic. This ad really touched a nerve with me, thanks for sharing 🙂
I hate shopping for jeans too. I won’t do it with other people. I hate that so many struggle with this insecurity.
Glad you liked the ad! If only it could be like that for real 🙂
I wrote Kellog and told them of your absolutely beautiful post. I hope they stop by and read it. Great job y’all!
Wow. I’m flattered you thought this little tumble of words was worthy of their attention. Thank you for the kind action and thoughts!
Let me know if you hear anything in return 🙂
I loved this post – thanks for sharing it. I think it is such a wonderful idea, and yes you’re right – it’s just an advert, but the idea is that everyone is beautiful and different and sizes don’t matter – brilliant 🙂 xx
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I think it’s nice to see ads that occasionally encourage nice things instead of praying on our insecurities or vices.