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My bum ain't your business!

happyinternationalwomen'sday | 11.03.2010 00:10 | Culture | Gender | Cambridge

Some feminist subvertising of gym billboards

Before - this morning
Before - this morning

After - this evening
After - this evening


Went past this billboard outside Green's gym near coldham's common this morning - and again this evening. The poster used to have an antifeminist image of a 'perfect' woman's bum - making money from women trying to conform to a standard body image. Previous versions were even worse, with the caption 'does my bum look big in this?'. The owners clearly thought they were getting rid of the business deterring decoration their poster had recieved, but instead revealed another body-loving message which must have been there underneath all along.

Good timing for the week of international women's day, and maybe a bit of a mother's day present as well!

happyinternationalwomen'sday

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Spoil sport!

11.03.2010 00:29

Jealousy is a bitter emotion.

anon

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Beauty is only skin deep,

11.03.2010 01:30

but ugliness goes right to the core!

reader

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The ad was for a gym.

11.03.2010 08:46

Are you saying no-one should want to improve their sex appeal?

Men are subject to this kind of advertising too - constantly - and you don't see them sinking to this sort of triviality.. we just suck it up!

Get a life!

anon

good point, though there are health issues too

11.03.2010 09:37

good point with the body fascism, although there are health issues too - being overweight isn't just about looks, it's about health as well.

anon

Greens advert in Cambridge or hurrah for bums of all sizes...

11.03.2010 13:19

Good work people. To anon... the size of your arse has nothing to do with how healthy you are. Health comes in many forms including freedom to have the size and shape of bum you would like and not to suffer the insecurity and unhappiness of not conforming to a stereotype. Physical health is about a balance of good food, exercise, mental health and leaving out the toxins. Many people with big bums, tummies etc are physically healthier than their ' thin' counterparts if their lifestyle is healthy. So I say lets celebrate all those arses in all their various guises...xx

sam
mail e-mail: sam@mouth-music.co.uk

Brilliant

11.03.2010 13:55

Nice work. Great to see people talking action on this issue which causes so much unhappiness for so many people.

\o/

Rich

further appreciation

11.03.2010 14:03

when I saw this in the afternoon a woman with a small child and bike trailor was reading 'everybody is beautiful' out, and she commented how she continuously found the posters offensive,
she referred to the ones which said "we spend millions of pounds on our state of the art equipment for you"-
which emphasised the point that gymns are about capitalist exploitation of insecurity.
Also, spending time and money to do artificial exercise is a ridiculous luxury activity that isn't an option that really fits into the lifestyles of most people.

an airbrushed bum in tiny shorts isn't about a bit of healthy exercise, it's about a beauty regime.

beva

health vs looks

11.03.2010 15:16

Being healthy is important and encouraging people to respect their bodies, excercise regularly and eat well are all worthwhile goals.

Pictures of faceless womens semi-bare bums has nothing to do with any of the above.

beet

not beautiful not ugly just angry

11.03.2010 16:18

Every where i look there are adverts like this advertising every possible product, gym membership, chocolate, jeans, yoghurt, whatever.
They predominantly show white, young, slim, sexually available women, and they are racist, sexist, ageist, ableist, etc etc.
We cannot tolerate this.
The capitalist machine encourages us to feel insecure, hate and damge our bodies, shave our hair, etc etc all so we can spend our money on a quick-fix expensive product to becoming the idealised image of womenhood.
Adverts like this must be subverted, destroyed, reclaimed....our mental and physical health is at stake.
Sisters resist.

anarchafeminist

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peaceful soolution

12.03.2010 11:32

Ladies ladies - this is all getting a bit heated.
Perhaps the most sensible solution woulds be for all those who object to the original poster to post up pictures of their bums, then we chaps could decide which is the best Simple, really.

saaphi

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I disagree on some points

12.03.2010 20:03

I hear too many overweight people saying that size is still healthy and that they are a lot more healthy than their skinny friends etc.etc. Baring smoking, alcohol, etc, Size is a huge factor in health and fitness.

I regularly use a gym and notice the 'fat' ladies spend most of their time talking rather than exercising. Exercise and fitness requires a good amount of effort.If you are not breaking a sweat then you are not really exercising effectively and are pretty much wasting your time. To argue against that may be 'cool' and reassuring but it is also lying. These people are just kidding themselves.

The average healthy person should be able to jog a mile and just start to break sweat.
Most healthy people can do a 10K run baring injuries. In my experience, most overweight people are not capable of doing that.

If you arn't bothered about size etc. Then fine. Just ignore the advert.
Yes, it is vain etc. Many things in life are. We wouldn't be human if we didn't have a vain streak
A lot of people want to achieve the fit look. I doubt anyone is trying to strive for the 'fat look'






I dread to think what they would be like doing a 10k run, cycle or row.


Its vain but thats how a lot of people think. I don't think anyone strives for the 'fat look'. The advert is a good advert. Its effective and is clearly aimed at people who wish to achieve a 'fitter' look.

peter

lol

13.03.2010 19:02

Cease & desist from making our streets humourless politically correct spaces. If you don't like her bum, make a massive poster of your bum. Free competition innit.

Love,

bring back bum lady

re: "the size of your arse has nothing to do with how healthy you are"

14.03.2010 19:59

re: "the size of your arse has nothing to do with how healthy you are"

It's not a perfect link, but there is certainly a correlation between the two. That's not to say there isn't a middle range where healthy people can have a range of different sized bums, though. But e.g. if you were grossly obese it is definitely not healthy.

In fact the NHS website says that fat round the abdomen (apple shape) is more dangerous healthwise than fat on the bottom (pear shape):  http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/Appleorpear.aspx
(higher risk of type 2 diabetes or heart disease)

anon

they also

16.03.2010 18:49

said that a certain drug would help childbirth a while back......

that turned out well.

NO not every body is beautiful, some are not nice at all
NO if you weigh over or under the optimum then you will suffer health problems and that is a strain on an over streached NHS

and as for complimentary, hollistic and alternative treatments, well good will and ballencing a crystal on your head maybe ok for you but it wont fix my broken leg.

Healthy, happy people is what we want, all clean skin and physically fit.

anon

lenin and then some

30.03.2010 16:35

feminism has become a playpit for deranged neurotics.Man as a species has sadly become a filth slinging polluting pestilence.Putin ,Medvedev, Da Silva,Mubarak et. al. are almost on the verge of total global thermonuclear bloody warfare and all you rug munchers can do is bleat about physical attributes. the truth is this: nature abhors obesity.

Pyotor Gabor

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