Apple's new iMac Campaign states, "You can't be too thin. Or too powerful." The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness calls upon Apple to rethink their new media campaign. The Alliance asks, "What kind of message is Apple sending our youth with an ad campaign of this nature?"
Apple was simply applying the Duchess of Windsor's adage to technology, but fears are that it will trickle down to body image. What do you guys think -- Was Apple crossing the line by using the phrase "You can't be too thin. Or too powerful"?
(Oh, and thanks to GeekSugar for bringing this issue to my attention.)
Pedro Garcia
Juicy Couture
Converse
i'm so glad they pulled that headline. seriously, what were they thinking? how did this make it past the focus group phase? first our jeans got skinny, then our phones, and now our computers? what's next? skinny toilets? skinny cars?
equating power with being thin is wrong on so many levels. they could have just let the overall beauty and the obvious advanced technology speak for itself without adding that connotation.
1Geez, you can't say anything these days without offending someone.
I did not get offended at all when I read that, and I'm pretty sensitive to the media portraying "too thin". Now, if they would have put a woman up there, then maybe I would have took notice. But, they're talking about electronics. We like our electronics skinny, as does everywhere else in the world.
Our opinions about electronics do not necessarily translate to our opinions about body shape. If we're going to get on someone's case for not promoting a healthy body image, there are plenty of other companies I can think of that are more offending than Apple.
2
um...I didn't even think of weight related stuff when I read that headline...sigh. I
agree with forkyfork.
3I put undecided...while i agre I did NOt associate weight with this (haha, i know, beleive it or not, i'm telling the truth!
) I think that some people might, more importantly, kids who aren't clever
enough to realize that they are talking about technology, not the actual perosn buying it.
4Im not personally offended by this ad...I do thik its stupid though...U can be too skinny. Some girls die bcause they think that way. Clearly they are talking about electronics but still...Not a good message.
5I couldn't agree more krampalicious!!!!
6Am I the only one who remembers that this phrase has been around forever? Was it a bad marketing plan, sure, but it didn't cross any lines.
7Well ultimately they have the right to say whatever they want in a media campaign - freedom of speech - but if their target audience is 18-24 women and men this could send out the wrong message. The first thing I thought about was weight and I'm definitely not a weight-obsessed person. They will need to decide whether or not they are a socially-responsible company - if they are they would get that ad team of theirs to come up with something better and equally - if not more - clever.
8Looks like the hyper-PC police are on the loose again. Lame. People need to grow up. No one should be taking body image cues from Mac.
9they are alluding to the saying that IS about weight.
apple is a huge name. everything has an 'i' on it these days. people listen to what they say. although we should be smart enough to differentiate between an attempt to be clever and a statement that is actually telling people to go be skinny, i still think that apple ought to have gone in a different direction. i'm glad they pulled it.
10no kidding jkat. i couldnt have said it better myself.
11i dont think im going to be taking dieting advice from apple anytime soon.
12It's just a play on the term 'you can't be too skinny or too rich'. People need to stop flipping out over EVERYTHING.
13I agree with everyone who thinks this got taken too far. On the one hand I can see why this may affect someone who has an eating disorder but if something like a lame tag line for a computer drives you to anorexia you were probably already half way there. Everything is so politically correct now even something innocuous and innocent send shock waves. I hate it.
14whtevjenny is right. This is a play on the quote from the Duchess of Windsor, and Apple is touting how thin and small their products are. I don't see a problem with that. It's not offensive. But the original quote is offensive. The play on the quote doesn't bother me at all, just trying to use a familiar/catchy quote to sell a product.
15The Duchess of Windsor? Yeah that's who we should take our media influence from...What was Apple thinking?
16People are WAY to sensitive now. You can't say anything without offending someone! It's ridiculous!
Can we just not take something for what it is? Why does everyone have to read so much into everything? It's like society is looking for excuses to complain.
17"The level of discourse reaching a mailbox simply cannot be limited to that which would be suitable for a sandbox." ~Justice Stevens.
Not everything in this world has to be perfectly safe, non-controversial, non-offensive, warm fuzzy sunshine. This isn't even provactive. It is just a play on words applied to technological advances. People need to stop being victims of the media. Own your life and your choices. If you don't let a media slogan dictate your body image, it won't.
18i'm iffy on this issue. being a female who struggles with body image issues, i can see how that ad might have an affect on some people. but when i think about apple's target market, i'm pretty sure that the majority wouldn't see that far into it.
19I agree with whtevjenny.
20as someone who struggled with anorexia for 8 years, i didn't think a thing about it, because it's referencing a computer..
21maybe i have my head in the sand, but i think the attention drawn to it causes more damage than the original campaign.
I think its pretty obvious its a tongue-in-cheek reference to the saying....if they said something like that out of the blue, then yeah it would be in poor taste. I personally think its cute
22Some people are way too sensitive...I thought this was amusing.
23they aren't talking about people, they are talking about computers. Society seriously needs to relax. And by the way a little more thinness in this country would be a good thing.
24People are twisting the meaning just to start an argument. It's a COMPUTER ad, it's not an ad for health purposes. I don't think it's worth the fight at all.
25No I don't think they did.
26Oh, please. Next thing you know, you won't even be able to say the word "thin" on television without negative consequences.
I highly doubt our youth are THAT sensitive. If people really want to make a difference in the media regarding the images young people see, stop showing stick-thin models in every commercial and on the pages of every magazine! Don't worry about cutting one word out of an electronics commerical.
27i'm in the "wayyy too sensitive" corner for sure! getting ridiculous. i thought it was funny and did not first think of weight even though i know where the original quote came from.
28You can never be too thin, too rich, or too powerful; if you've never heard that before, you've lead a very sheltered life haha, I don't think they crossed the line, they used a really common phrase and applied it to their product
29it didn't cross the line! they are marketing a computer for the love of god it is not that serious! but also some people may take it seriously!
30It's a well-known, famous expression that is simply being applied to a computer! It's just a tongue-in-cheek slogan! Anyone who takes it as a statement about how WOMEN should look already has a LOT of serious body issues already.
31People CAN be too thin/ and or too powerful.
32I agree that people are just taking it too far. It's almost sarcastic, taking off of the saying "you can never be too thin", applying it to their computers. I'm sure they know you CAN be too thin, but it IS a saying that Hollywood takes to extreme measures. Maybe Apple is being clever and facetious, using that dumb saying, and applying it to electronics. I'm sure they're not telling everyone to barf up their dinner, jeez
33no way i don't think they crossed the line, although the issue is certainly interesting...they wanted to make an ad that caught people's attention, and for sure, it did.
34I don't believe they were thinking in terms of weight.
35They're right -- computers can't be too thin or too powerful. People are another matter.
36I don't think they're crossing the line. You always want your gadgets to be thin and light, it's convenient.
Why do people think they're sending message about body weight?
37Its supposed to be clever, its a play on words so it sticks in your head.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if people ACTUALLY took ad slogans as solid advice? Come on.
38hello people, they are talking about a computer, not a person. now if they'd used an olsen twin as a spokes person, than yes. but get a grip, it's a computer, no one wants them big and slow.
39I can see how this can offend people. However, I agree with JenBrett. They are talking about the computer and I honestly didn't think about it until the subject was brought up. No one wants a big clunky computer. Everyone wants a thin, powerful computer. Relax everyone...
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