Herbex gets flak over ‘fat-shaming’ advert
Some consumers say the ad is offensive, and have accused Herbex of sending ‘a message that women don’t deserve to feel good about themselves if they are overweight’
Herbex Health SA has become the latest advertiser to irk consumers. The weight loss supplements distributor has drawn the ire of hundreds of social media users for "body shaming" in its new advertisement. The advert features a cake topper of a bridegroom and an overweight bride with a voice-over of the traditional wedding vows. When it gets to the line "through thick and thin"‚ the cake cracks under the weight of the bride and she falls through. The advert ends with the tagline‚ "Don’t spoil your big day." "Why would you make people think that if they are not thin‚ that it will ruin their big day? I am big and my wedding is in five months. Why should I worry about getting thin for my ‘big day’ if my fiancé is loving and marrying me just the way I am?" Lydia Bothma responded to the advert on Facebook. "It is important to be healthy but it is also very unhealthy to have a low self-image and ads like this does not help."
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