Sunday, March 11, 2007


This makes me mad!!!!

There's a Nutrisystem commericial getting a lot of air right now that really honks me off. It features several "Desperate Housewife" wannabees. The first woman says, "My husband says I look sexy." Oh, yeah? And I wonder if she can tell him the same thing. Besides if your husband really loves you he tells you you look "sexy" even if you look like a Winnebago. Then the next one says, " I haven't had a body this smoking hot since I was in college." So, I have the same body as I had in college. Yes, of course I was 25 pounds overweight in college, too.

What's really disturbing about these ads is the "Before" photos don't look like the usual sideshow fat ladies. They actually don't even look very overweight; these "before" ladies just don't look as if they'd be showing up on a Hollywood soundstage. Cara, shown here in the web site ad is a good example. I'm sure that there are plenty of guys who'd not only find the buxom version of Cara sexy, but in fact prefer her over the nutrisystemized Cara.
I understand Nutrisystems' marketing model here. They way their system is set up, the average person on the program could only hope to lose about 10 to 20 pounds. So starting out with a client who is obviously obese is not going to show dramatic 'smokin' hot bod' results. What I just don't understand why someone would be driven to pay big bucks to have someone else tell them how to starve themself. It seems it's not a weight problem these women have, as much as it is a self-esteem issue.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I do, I do prefer the "before" version of what's-her-name. Of course it's a self-esteem, and the tragedy of it all is the constant pounding of this "message" from, um, questionable self-interests that unhealthy thinness is now the optimal target.

When did we lose sight of healthy is healthy?

On a related topic, I'm probably late in coming to the understanding that what we think of as physically beautiful comes from a different place altogether. About a year ago I started having monthly lunch dates with someone I vaguely knew in college. She was friends with one of my best friend's housemates and she ended up working at our college radio station and dating my housemate for a time.

I never disliked V, but I wasn't particularly fond of her either and it never occurred to me that she was attractive. V and I have become quite good friends over the last year and a couple of weeks ago I realized a likeness she has to Diane Keaton, who I've also never thought of as being particularly attractive.

All of a sudden I find Diane Keaton to be one of the most beautiful women in the world. Beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that, but based on a fondness for someone, a fondness which has absolutely nothing to do with physical beauty itself.

zippychik said...

Well keep me updated and let me know how things go with V.

I attribute my husband's preference for healty ladies to the work of comic artist, Robert Crumb.

Deathlok said...

Before - - -After!! I prefer my women HAPPY! That's a good start. Starved and miserable. That's want you want.

Also, 30 pounds from Nutrisystem or from Exercise??

zippychik said...

You've got a point there, Dlok. You don't get a hard bod like that from dieting alone. ( Ishould know, I don't have one.) I wouldn't be surprised if it comes out eventually that Nutrisystems also paid for personal trainers for these women.