Hello all,

I just wanted to make you are all aware of a new campaign PETA are running in Jacksonville Florida.

I will copy and paste the recent article written on it

PETA’s new billboard campaign in Florida is raising eyebrows and ire among women and health groups. A drawing on billboards in Jacksonville depicts an obese woman with the phrase, “Save The Whales, Lose The Blubber: Go Vegetarian.”

When asked specifically if the billboard shames overweight people, Byrne stated, “If the billboard is shocking, hopefully it will gets people’s attention, and help them improve quality of life for themselves and their families…. it’s designed to help people.”

I’ve also attached the actual billboard.

As a size-acceptance reporter and activist I am alarmed to read this story. Not only is it misleading in terms of telling people if they become Vegetarian they will have a beach body - its also fuelling misconceptions on weight.

I know several Vegetarians who are plus-size and I wonder how they’d feel about this ad campaign.

I understand the need to promote a healthy eating - but by the same token, I do not agree with mothering, badgering, belittling and confusing people in order to do it.

I have a thought process that leads me to promoting living your life the way you want it. Yes; make choices available - but don’t thrust misleading information and hate down people’s throats in order to convey a point.

I have written to PETA via their website http://www.peta.org/mc/contactMedia.asp I am hoping others will do the same. I also hope NAAFA will pick up on this and take it to task.

We need balanced information and then we need to make the choices we wish to. Billboards like this insight more hatred and there is quite enough of that in this world.

Pretty heavy for my first post, but it had to be said.

Hope you’re all well.

Best,

Vanessa

vanessareece.com

Nothing’s too heavy for a first post, and I hope there are many more like it to come. That ad is despicable, but quite frankly, I’d expect nothing less from PETA. There is a South Park episode that makes fun of PETA, and unfortunately for PETA, I can’t get that portrayal out of my head when I think of the organization. This ad only serves to reinforce their lunacy and willingness to propagate misinformation for the sake of their selfish agenda.

I love animals as much as the next person, but I wouldn’t put the life of an animal before the life of a human being. I doubt that ad is driving anyone to vegetarianism either, and even if it were, it’s for the wrong reasons. I have multiple fat vegetarian family members, one of whom I recall being thinner as a meat-eater (though I think he looks better now with his own meat on his bones).

The letter writing is a great idea. Have you considered starting an online petition as well. Though as many letters as signatures is more convincing, you may be more successful gathering signatures. If you do, I’m sure More of Me to Love will put a link on the homepage to your petition.

Jay, thanks so much for the warm welcome and being OK with my first post here.

I received an email from the manager of PETA’s Campaign department late this afternoon. I have posted it on http://www.vanessareece.com along with my normal brand of English sarcasm :P

I’ve always held the firm belief that we can give people the tools they need to make choices on weight and health, but we should never try and bully, mother, or belittle them into doing it. I’m all for eating veg - love it! I often go power walking - love it. But those things I do for me, and not because someone is telling me to do that.

Size acceptance has an issue right now and I feel it does need to be addressed by the size-acceptance movement - I think we need to say look - we know obesity is here, it is among us, but accept our need not to be dictated to. Take stock of who we are - and not what you want us to be. Look at our lives as professionals (for whatever type of job we do) and not what we look like.

We do not live in a directorship, but often if feels just like that.

Their has been numerous letters go to PETA.  I will look into starting a petition, although I want to see how others are responded to first. Good idea though Jay.

Please feel free to read and comment on my blog also. The actual post is here.

http://vanessareece.com/2009/08/19/peta-responds-to-my-complaint-about-their-lose-the-blubber-billboard/

Thanks for your support, Jay.

I have heard about this PETA thing from many different websites I frequent, but this is the first time I’ve actually read a letter they wrote in response to these complaints.

There is so much bias and misconception in there that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. One part that really stood out to me was this:

...we think it would be cruel not to tell people about the health benefits of going vegetarian. Researchers have found that a higher body mass index is associated with a greater risk of premature death from all causes.

This is not proven. In fact, a quick quick Google search on the subject pulls up sites like this:
http://www.sizediversityandhealth.org/content.asp?id=21

That state:

Shouldn’t we do something about the obesity epidemic before it bankrupts our medical system and people die prematurely from diseases related to obesity?

You can’t have it both ways. If obesity causes early death, a large segment of the population won’t live long enough to bankrupt the medical system, since more people are obese. The reality is, while weights have increased over the past four decades, mortality rates have decreased.  Except at statistical extremes, the amount of fat on a body is a weak indicator of life expectancy.

Moreover, some studies suggest that people defined as “overweight” live longer than thinner people, while numerous studies have shown that so called ‘weight-related’ health problems can be treated effectively with lifestyle interventions, without significant weight loss and in individuals who remain markedly ‘obese’ by traditional medical standards.”

What is this…?! Overweight people live longer than skinny people?! I guess PETA going to have to learn to deal with us, because we’re not going away.

In order to stop or reduce this kind of ad we need to band together to push forward with positive views, but it all starts with unity. Are we unified?