Despite the meaning of the ads, those pictures of an XXL-size lady look good! I asked my friends' opinion on them and 3 out of 5 guys said they find her very attractive! It made me really wonder... may be workout 3 times a week and vegetable salads for lunch and dinner are not taking us anywhere?

Hum... Yes, Brazil is a skinnier nation... But it's weird, I didn't see this ads yet... and no one is talking about them here... Maybe I'm a little "off" in my own country? lol
I'm pretty sure I'd heard something if there was some sort of commotion... But in my personal opinion, the tagline is crap. We are all talking about healthy food and they aim for beauty? Hum...

brazil is known for having a HUGE plastic surgery addiction.

I'm brazilian but I still didn't see those ads yet neither !!
They are so damn cool!
Actualy maybe because this brand is not sooo famous as Danone or Nestlé.
Great ad!! lol

Can we say CHOPPED? How about AIRBRUSHED? The MM looks like a guy, and WHAT is up with the neck on the bed of roses chick?

I'm brazillian too and I haven't seen those ads yet. I really don't believe that they would be stupid enough to put those ads out. It doesn`t make any sense. It's patetic. Brazillians are extremely shallow people!!!

Sad to hear but, absolutely true. Human beings, as nature's creatures, have prediposed "preferences" to physical attributes...let it be women OR men...Come on now, we can ALL tell when someone is beautiful or NOT...and this has nothing to with size per se...The "American Beauty" girl looks great but the others do not do justice! It's a fact of life and we must accept it for crying out loud!! If you are confident with your size and weight and overall well being you wouldn't let such blogs get to you or your morals. You are what you are...own it and be proud (don't just pretend for the sake of being fat!!!)

wow.. they suck at ads.. and besides whats wrong meaty or urvy women? they look beautiful..sheesh, people need to get thier own lives in stead of judging others...

i like these ads....its true. not a single one of those women have a healthy BMI. they are all at risk for heart disease and diabetes if they don't already have them...

however. what was the point of airbrushing them and making them look so great just to slam them? and are those women so desperate for a paycheck that they will star in ads making fun of them?

When I saw those pics I thought the message was:
"Eating our yoghurt will make you fat, beautiful and happy! Dig in!"

That ad actually sounds really funny and I'd like to see it aired in the states. The airbrushing shouldn't have been done though. I like it though.

That's just wrong and insulting to the originals.

I'm brazilian, I live in Brazil, and I have NEVER seen those ads, I have NEVER heard anything related to them whatsoever.

WEIRD.

I'm Brazilian and I have never seen these ads...but despite the fact that they are politically incorrect, I believe this is very clever advertising. To get the biggest number of people discussing the campaign is the point of it, no matter if people like it or dislike it. And it is working since we are discussing it in a foreign website and therefore spreading the bransd's and product's name. Sorry about my english.

if you've never been to brazil than you wouldn't know. we're having the same problem as the united state, we're getting fat.
we've ditched eating healthy foods and gone to eating mcdonalds.

to me its not offensive at all. brasilian women are proud, and it takes a lot to offend us.

I don't get it. If their message is to eat their yogurt to slim down, why are they showing sexy beautiful big women? Are we supposed to think that they are NOT beautiful because they are big? If so, what is the point? Maybe they want us to think that by eating the yogurt we can be big and beautiful?! Doesn't make any sense, but as a BBW myself, I think the women in the ads are gorgeous, esp. the one covered in roses. If you care so much about someone else's body (by taking the time to judge or criticize) you obviously have too much time on your hands.

I think the ads are very clever but highly offensive to those who are struggling with their weight. I have a man who thinks I'm sexy no matter WHAT I look like.

Also, let's not forget that Marilyn Monroe was overweight herself by today's standards. She was full-bodied and curvy (though not as much as the model in the ad).

I can appreciate the creativity in these ads... but I just don't like the negative stereotype they project.

First, in response to jess....you may be able to guess that their BMI isn't healthy, but that doesn't mean they are at risk of heart disease or diabetes. My body is similar to the American Beauty one and I'm in perfect health. At my yearly physical, all of my tests show fabulous. My blood sugar is never even moderately high. I work out six days a week and my doctors have assured me that I'm not at risk for anything! A little extra weight does not insure that you will get those diseases and plenty of people die from those diseases that are at the "perfect" weight. Normal weight does not equal healthy!

And in regards to airbrushing..... my sister is in the photography business and there are no commercials or print advertisements that don't use airbrushing or digital enhancement anymore. Everything is altered regularly!

As for the ads? Who really cares? Wasn't the model that dropped dead recently who looked like a skeleton with skin from Brazil????

What can I say, full figures are in. These women are beautiful and obviously have more self confidence than a lot of these fetus-fetish stick thin girls out there anyway...

Why do we care about ads in Brazil? If they want to further send their women into the anorexic bulimic abyss...let them...Brazilian women are obessed with their bodies even more so than Americans...

Personally I find it very amusing whenever somoene looks at another person, throws out the insurance/health industry ridiculous BMI calculation and uses that as the yardstick by which all human bodies must be measured for health. HELLO, it's a profitable industry for a reason. If you are outside their unreasonable standards, you NEED them....and of course they need you. How else are they going to buy their next Cadillac Escalade and afford a countryclub membership?

OBVIOUSLY science has defined, beyond measure of doubt, that BMI is THE Only determining factor for heart disease and diabetes! (note: this is sarcasm).

Puhleez.
If the ladies in the ad are happy, then obviously they've found something that the judgmental, body-obsessed freaks need to discover in some considerable therapy.

My father always said EVERY woman is beautiful, no matter what size, age, color. I have to agree. As a woman I have looked at other women thru my fathers eyes and no longer feel insecure. I am naturally thin and my sister is a full figured woman, we are both proud to be women. What's the problem? Marilyn Monroe was a full figured woman in her own rights and considered beautiful, so are these women. Hurrah for womanhood!

this is rediculous! these ladies look great despite their size i personally know alot of guys who think these girls are gorgeous so all of you who are slamming them obviously have issues with your own weight and it makes you feel better to be jerks

GET A LIFE!

I love love love them! Get over it and lose some darn baggage. Very clever.

Marilyn Monroe had a 24-inch waist.

Shrug.

Oddly enough, a large percentage of Brazilian men absolutely looooove larger women. They like to have a woman with curves, especially if she has a big ass. so this ad probably turns them on. Sadly, not all Brazilian women look like Adriana Lima. Most of them look like men :o/

yeah, Marilyn Monroe was NOT overweight. That myth started because she was a size 14 back in her time, which people assume is a size 14 now. But, what was a size 14 then is actually today's size 6. She just had big boobies, she was by no means overweight.

I think these woman look beautiful. I think it's about time companies start using different types of woman in their ads. I think the ads are great and people should stop complaining about them.

I can't believe that no one has mentioned the most offensive part of these ads yet...not that they are mocking women of larger stature, but that they imply women should make food choices based on men's perceptions. What year is this? Haven't women gotten past living their lives according to men's preferences?
Personally, I try to eat well and exercise 3-5 times a week. But I didn't choose my lifestyle to make a man happy. It's about living a longer, healthier life. These ads are pathetically old-fashioned.

With regards to those of you who think these "models" look wonderful, wish them well, and argue about their health: their names are Sharon Stone, Marilyn Monroe, and Mena Suvari. They are actually skinny, and have been airbrushed to make them look fat. The point of the ad is that these beautiful women were skinny, these would not have been famous images if these were fat, and that skinny is what men prefer.

All 3 of those ads feature the SAME woman. She is a model and its just a job.

I lived in Brazil for over 3 years, and yes, there are a lot of beautiful girls down there, but I´m sorry, it´s not a skinnier nation, they are obsessed wih their bodies, but yet every mc donalds is full at all times, they eat horrible fattening unhealthy food, and then either spend hours at the gym or get a surgery or throw up everyday.

I will always love Brazil, but you really have to be there to see what it´s like, because they always try to sell a different and healthy image to the world.

Most of the people in Brazil who are over 30 years old are fat, I saw it! ´cause they just keep eating like horses and quit the gym.

Lets see in a few years who is the world´s fattest country...I have a pretty good guess.

The add looks great! Let’s not lie to ourselves about BIG being beautiful. Every BIG woman I know would cut her right arm off to be skinny. People claim they love it because they have no will power to change it.
I suggest people get real, and realize that if a man/woman had a choice between a skinny or fat person they will 100% of the time choose skin.
THIN IS IN!

Those women are obese. Overweight. Fat. Obesity is killing many people. Why are people trying to deny this?

95% of men do NOT find those women attractive. No way. Many men will not tell their fat female friends or sisters or wives the truth. When men are alone with each other, that is when the truth is told. These obese women are not attractive. They never will be. Never.

Many of the posters here seem to be in some sort of fantasy pro-fat world.

As someone said before, I thought that it was actually saying that eating the yogurt would make you happy, even if you were big.

I don't understand who this company thinks is going to buy their yogurt. It seems like this type of humor is intended to appeal to men, but I doubt they are going to run out and buy peach yogurt in response to these ads. Big women certainly aren't going to respond well, and I doubt a girl who is self-concience enough to respond to this type of negative advertising is going to be caught dead buying the "fat girl" yogurt. Poorly thought out.

fat people suck and there is a difference between fat and curvy. beyonce is curvy. this chick is fat.

fred,

NEVER! NEVER!! lol, someone has some self-hate issues.

Face it, they are beautiful, and other people obviously think so. They are, and they will continue to be. Get used to it. Your world of biggotry is going bye-bye.

I guess I didn't understand the tagline as being offensive to these women...for some reason I thought "forget about it. men's preference will never change" meant that you should just quit worrying about being fat, because all men really want are vaginas. Is that way off base???

I think the Marilyn and American Beauty are hot. Whats wrong with a little meat on the bones? I guess I am in the 1% of guys who do and not afraid to say it. My wife is a work out freak, sometimes I wish she had a littlel more cushion. Jeff

the last one looks all right. she doesn't have big rolls of fat. the other two are way too big.

I'm an American and I lived in Brazil for five years. When you go to a mall in Brazil ( any mall ) whether it be in Sao Paolo, Rio, or the Amazons you just don't see fat women maybe one or two . The women are very careful about " letting them self go" especially after having a baby. It's a common practice for women to schedule a c- section along with a tummy tuck and lipo procedure at the same time. Is it an extreme? It's about self preservation. In the Latin American culture there's a 50/50 chance that your husband will have a mistress, so women have to do everything they can to stay attractive to their partners.

THE AD ARE SOOOO TRUE! Hooray for honesty!

"I can't believe that no one has mentioned the most offensive part of these ads yet...not that they are mocking women of larger stature, but that they imply women should make food choices based on men's perceptions. What year is this? Haven't women gotten past living their lives according to men's preferences?"

^^ Amy: EXACTLY!! I'm so glad someone else saw the more disturbing message too!

Can we say CHOPPED? How about AIRBRUSHED? The MM looks like a guy, and WHAT is up with the neck on the bed of roses chick?

» THIS COMMENT WAS POSTED BY Dee ON JUNE 21, 2007 2:33 PM

to answere your question Dee.. the model you ask about has a slinky implant !

i think they look great, not despite their size they just look like happy glowing ladies not toothpicks with lips and titts i hope to see more equal representation of the woman in the future. and to the guy who said 95% of men don't find that attractive, i think your wrong since the majority of woman are not skinny and still manage to have boyfriends

Okay, so as a guy i find the original girls (sharon stone, etc.) hot, and I also find the bigger girls hot...is it really hard to understand that guys can like more than one type? and also there all hot even though some are bigger than others. haha theres a guy for any girl. Any guy who has said otherwise should shut up because he knows he would tap any of those girls asses haha.

Fred,

"95% of men do not find these women attractive"

Is that your own personal poll you've done or an assumption?

I've got a figure for you, I'm willing to bet that 95% of women would never find a guy that would think like that or say things like that attractive. The other 5% you can have, you deserve each other.

Shallow asshole men like you are not attractive. They never will be. Never.

The adds are great and they get to the point: healthy people will always attract more attention then fat people.

Brazilian women work harder than American women to look healthy.

Attention, Americans: Skinny is not the same as healthy! What is the point of having skinny legs filled with cellulite?

Cheers to light yougurt, exercise and honesty! Jeers to politicaly correct lies!

Well, in Anchorage, Alaska, USA... we're hearty up here!! We believe in a healthy diet and fun lifestyle. Emphasizing clean air, pure water, good food, and exercise. Where men are proud and respectful of their REAL size women! We'll make an ass out of those skinny, minny, bone knocking, anorexic looking broads. Remember don't nothing want a bone but a dog, and he's lying!! Even he wants some sweet meat!!

I became aware of this ad because the gorgeous "American Beauty" rose petal/nude photo was posted on another site with a link to this article and my curiosity got the best of me. I am ashamed to say that like many women, I am very self-conscious about my figure because I'm no longer a size 2. Quite frankly though, now that I am curvy and have added 25 pounds I get a LOT more attention. I LOVE these ads!! While I have to admit that I'm not crazy about the Sharon Stone and Marilyn Monroe inspired photos, it is more because the clothing and make-up/hair styles weren't necessarily the most flattering looks for this particular model. However, the nude photo is so gorgeous that it actually made me appreciate having curves for a change!! I realize that the pictures have been photoshopped, but surely no one is naive enough to think that the ads featuring thin models aren't equally airbrushed and enhanced. As for being controversial, I'm obviously missing something here. This is an advertisement for light yogurt - not candy bars. They are not trying to promote anything unhealthy. Instead they have used beautiful women - who are far closer to being healthy than the 85 lb. waifs we usually see - to promote a healthy product. I don't think eating light yogurt is going to make anyone gain weight, so what's the problem???

I'm about 5'6/120 and have never been overweight but that dosen't mean I haven't felt fat, ugly and unattractive. These ads are making fun of big women and are atrocious. People should be encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle but I don't see how making women feel ashamed of their bodies will do so. What about mental health?

I'm also offended by the assumption women are only concerned with keeping a figure that is attractive to men. I thought is was well known that the skinny craze is in because women want to be accepted by their female peers. Most of my male friends think it's nuts when me or other women talk about weight loss. Crazy as it sounds men are designed to be attracted to a healthy body which is capable of carrying a baby. This means having hips and enough body fat to store enough oestrogen.

Why can't a women be celebrated for her intelligence and contribution to the world rather than the number on her clothing tags?

The only thing I hate more than this commercial's tagline are the comments written here from American people who actually think they know something about Brazil and us, Brazilian women. Stop it. You don't.

I wonder why most of us haven't seen this ad here in Brazil. Maybe they realize how offensive it is and decided to pull it back before it becomes a huge, negative deal to the company.

And, please, it's not that hard for a nation to be skinnier than US...

It's not aired or seen here yet (is it really a TV ad?) because Itambé is a smaller milk company based mostly in the state of Minas Gerais, and I don't think they have a nationwide distribuction.

About the fatsos: who cares if there's airbrushing? Playboy magazines that show all "pretty" women are airbrushed to death but nobody complains about it. You are taking the ad subject (men love pretty women - if women are fat men won't like them) too seriously. It's not offensive at all.

Katia:
If you don't want other people judging your countries' people, why don't you practice what you preach?

I think they look pretty hot. This could be an ad for JUST MY SIZE underwear.

The picture of the Marilyn Monroe look alike looks a bit like John Travolta's Hairspray screen test.

Maybe it's just me but I find the Mena Suvari look alike pic kind of hot.

I think those women are beautiful- and as a plus size model I think they're inspiring to feel beautiful. Kinda like the Dove commercials.

Hello. I'm from Brazil and have some words about the subject.

Yes, we have skinny persons here, but there's also people that weight a little more.

Yes, in Brazil there are some narcisistic people, just like in the other parts of the world.

And i have to say that there people here who feel extremely unconfortable with this kind of beaty standards. We have that Dove ads here too. There's a lot of persons who fight to desconstruct this kind of mentality. But unfortunetaly, there are people who are obsessed with diets. But i believe this happens in a lot of countries. Right?

I also have to ad that here people like big ass, big boobs and that kind of stuff, that Latina stereotype. Big part of the brazilians say they like something to grab haha

The models are just one tiny part of Brazil. People here is pretty normal, just like everybody else. But yes, there are some people here obsessed to be thin.

BTW, Brazil is the second nation that do more plastics surgery. USA is the number one.

Romeo: cellulite is not an indicator of unhealthiness.

Brazil is known for having a HUGE plastic surgery addiction and fitness addiction (that's why they are beautiful). They are skinnier than US but without exaggerate. Not to skinny and not to fat. They like to be healthy and hot. And no, i'm not brazilian. kiss kiss bang bang

I just want to echo the sentiment that there is a difference between "curvy" and "fat."

I understand that there are men who like big (read: fat) women, but when you are medically overweight, you have to understand that there are health risks associated with that. There is a rather happy medium of body sizes that exist between anorexic and overweight, for women AND men.

I don't think the women in the ads look bad per se, but I wouldn't call them "healthy," just as I wouldn't call an anorexic healthy. As such, I don't think that having a restrictive diet is the best option for everyone; it's not nearly as effective as eating healthily and exercising are. Some people are naturally bigger than others and that's quite all right, but NO ONE pops out of the womb being overweight already - that is due to poor health choices.

I just wish that more people would understand that we don't have to be a size four to be healthy, but also that swinging in the reverse direction and glorifying obesity is detrimental as well.

i like the ads it shows wer open to the market an we want poeple to under stand that larger poeple love yogurt to it a big marketting ploy i hope it works
jay

Well, I'm a Nigerian who lives in Brazil. whether controversial or not, I'm just sure of one thing. Brazil has the most beautiful people in the world. Everybody here is handsome or beautiful,; blacks, whites even Asians
Japanese-Brazilians are sexier than their counterparts in Japan. There is something in the air or food that beautifies people in Brazil.
temple dimkpa Ineh
Sao Paulo
Brazil

"Men's preference will never change"...and lordy knows every woman defines herself by what men prefer...Makes you wonder, just how stupid this company really is? Or sadly, how brilliant.

Fred: It seems that YOU are pretty much the only one on this site who's posted a comment that is absolutely against these ads. You say 95% of men don't like heavy women? Why aren't the saying so as you are? You don't know what you're talking about.

Honestly, I don't get why people hate big women so much. What's the big deal? REALLY, what business is it of yours how much someone else weighs and what does it have to do with you. I feel that people who liked this ad and are saying stupid shit like "GET OVER IT! LOSE WEIGHT" just are insecure about the increasing acceptance of larger women. If they allow big women to become popular, their skinny bodies may no longer be "in style". They're just worried thin won't be fashionable anymore. No one tells thin women to "GET OVER IT! EAT SOMETHING" when they complain about being flat chested or flat assed, so why are thin people so intent on telling big people to change? Like someone else said, not all big people are unhealthy. Many of them workout frequently and are in excellent health. Sorry, just because someone else isn't willing to cave in under the pressure to look like a stick doesn't mean that you've got any reason to ridicule them. Why don't you fat-haters GET OVER IT and worry about your own lives and bodies? You seem to be the only ones who are obsessing over anything or worrying about something that isn't your business. If someone wants to be big, it's none of your damned business.

And to the person who claimed we're all predisposed to like thinness, how about you explain cultures where THICK is the favored shape? We're NOT predisposed to it. We like it because our culture TELLS us thin is the prized body image. We've got plenty of food, so we don't have to look for partners who are large to ensure we'll be with someone capable of feeding us or giving us healthy kids. Now, our culture obsesses over fatness and exaggerates the effects of being overweight so that we think a big partner will be unhealthy, sloppy, or greedy. When will people realize that their reasons for hating big people are totally unjustified and they should mind their own business?

Now about the ad....I DO find it offensive because it assumes all men like the same thing, which is absolutely wrong. I feel that most men actually would like ANY good woman if it weren't for the fact that our society tells us that the "trophy woman" looks like a pencil with arms and legs. My OWN experience says not all men like thinness or ever normal-weightedness. I'm slightly overweight and my boyfriend actually is very against me losing weight and sometimes encourages me to gain weight. And I have numerous friends and family members who may even qualify as obese medically that have men who don't want them to change.

Despite all that, no one should let other people dictate how they should look. I don't care if your boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife says you should lose/gain weight; you should do it unless you REALLY want it yourself or if your health is being affected by your weight. People, in my opinion, are confused about thin versus healthy. Thin because you're athletic and lean is good, but thin with a high body fat percentage and little lean body mass can be just as bad as being 300 pounds. One thing that people need to remember is that being thin can cause health problems too: failure to menstruate, hair loss, risk of death in the case of serious illnesses, inability to reproduce, higher osteoporosis risk, decreased immunity, lung problems, and of course, psychological issues. If they don't accept you as is, then maybe they don't really love the part that matters...I know I wouldn't want to be with someone who lets my looks be more important than my personality.

Seriously, who cares? Only the fat a*ses and PC, whiney, 'liberal' homosexuals. U.S is full of FAT pieces of sh*t, big deal. If you're a fat mofo and happy good on you. Stop your bitchin'. Peace.

I think that these commercials are great. Those women don't look terrible but honestly when you compare them with the originals they're a candle in the sun. Sure you can have a little extra on you. But arguing that fat women are healthy is ridiculous. No one needs all that extra on them. Carrying around 30 extra pounds of fat can do nothing but bad for your body. Those women will probably need wheelchairs in the next 20 years because knees are not made to take all that extra weight constantly. It's like carrying around a hiking pack your entire life. If you are comfortable in your size then great. But don't try to pretend that being fat is healthy. That being said obscenely thin is just as bad. I think the purpose of the ads was not to say everyone should be as skinny as Mena Suvari, that's impossible. But I know skinny girls who have let themselves go and it's sad that a pretty girl is almost visibly swallowed by her girth. I think the ads are trying to say that if you are overweight there could be someone as beautiful as these girls inside of you. But no one will see it. If that appeals to you then buy the yogurt, if not then don't buy the yogurt. That's the purpose of advertising.

Dude, I'm Brazilian and I gotta tell you that I've never seen those ads in any magazine or TV channel I watch...

Men's preferences DO change. Hundreds of years ago, round women were found more attractive because more body fat symbolized child bearing and financial ease.
A skinny woman (or tanned woman) symbolized a working, lower class woman. Even THEN beauty ideals were determined by the social elites (nobles, royalty and artists). But that's where the similarities end because beauty ideals are ever-changing.

And even if men's preferences DIDN'T change, f*ck them right? They'd come around eventually. If not, we'd be better off without the f*ckers.

Also, I'm tired of people saying that women worry about their looks for the sake of other women. In the grand scheme of things, it's always about attracting the opposite sex (speaking in the hetero context). Women compete with each other, but what's the prize? Reassurance that they have what it takes to attract and retain a man.

I think this ad is completely dumb! You should like your body no matter what it looks like confidence is what makes you look pretty and shine! And why does it seem like everybody is always focusing on obesity when there also plenty of problems with anorexia! F THIS AD BECAUSE ITS JUST REPULSIVE TO ME!

People! Stop being so PC. The fact is, the women in these ads, the first two more than the third, are not just meaty, they are fat! The kind of fat that is accompanied by health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, etc. These are not healthy bodies. They are bodies in crisis. A healthy, lean body isa beautiful body, whether it is a size 2 or a 10 (and yes, there are size 10 lean bodies. They belong to women with larger bone structures who take care of themselves and don't give in to over eating and laziness). Stomach rolls are not sexy. Period. Unless you're a chubby chaser.

Marilyn Monroe WAS NOT a big girl!
Anyone who has seen the impossibly small dress she wore at the Kennedy birthday (you know... Happy Birthday Mr President) could tell you that she was a small girl.
That dress is a size 4 or so in todays sizing... very, very tiny.
I wore a size 10 in the early 80's, which would be a 7 today.
Todays clothes are very generous in size compared to years past.

To Cliff and everyone else who keeps saying things like "30 lbs of extra fat":

You're clearly missing the point that not all big people are FAT. Fat, obese, overweight and whatever else are different from big. I've seen MANY large people who are large-framed with large muscle build and average body fat percentages. The thing is that if you're at a high weight to start, and you're of a reasonablely healthy body fat percentage, you might just have 30 pounds of fat that is NOT extra because it is HEALTHY body fat. People try to act like having any fat is bad. What happens if you suddenly fall ill? If you only weigh 110 pounds and suddenly go through a rapid weight loss from being sick, you're a lot more likely to die in your hospital bed than me, who is 160 pounds but a healthy, somewhat higher body fat percentage.

Second, MANY big people are far healthier than thin people. Once again, my experience can show this: I have friends who weigh 120 pounds and have slimmer, less flabby bodies than I do, yet I'm the one who's in better health cardiovascularly and I also have a lower body fat percentage. Another thing: explain why so many female athletes are in very good shape compared to even thin people and yet are not slim looking? I've seen female basketball players who are in extremely good health, better than me by far, and are fatter looking than I am. People, freakin' realize that thin does NOT equal healthy or even physically fit. Plenty of thin people are sitting around with clogged arteries from eating more McDonald's than the fat girls across the room from them.

Like I said, WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE BIG PEOPLE? You're buying in to a pretty overgeneralizing stereotype by assumin fat equals lazy and bad food choices. Do you all not think that HEALTHY foods can put weight on you???????? I can eat healthy if I want but if I eat too much healthy food or have a body that tends to readily store fat, I will NOT be thin. Once again, like I said before, stop letting your insecurities ruin other people's lives. Just because you sat on YOUR lazy ass and stayed thin deosnt give you the right to ridicule someone who isn't as small as you. Even if you DID work for your shape, it's not your place to impose YOUR ideals on someone else. I really do believe that people give big people a hard time just because they're threatened by the recent acceptance of big women and also because they believe untrue stereotypes. If people didn't think EVERY big person was lazy or gluttonous, would you all really hate fat so much? Every body is different and has different needs, so stop trying to tell everyone else how to be.

Sou brasileira e adoro o Brasil. Independente disso, não tenho preconceito com gordas, magras, depressivas, infelizes, felizes, alegres, realizadas, não-realizadas.

So, como todo debate, esse também é interessante, mas viva a tolerância e vamos combinar que a estética é um processo histórico que já priorizou as mais gordinhas, as mais magrinhas. Balzac que o diga sobre as gordinhas! As magrinhas vieram com a esquelética que esqueci o nome. E propaganda é propaganda, gera polêmica e é tudo o que querem nessa sociedade gerida pelo espetáculo vazio mas que impressiona mentes e corações pouco ocupados com assuntos mais sérios.

I am a brazilian woman, so I write in portuguese!

"It's not aired or seen here yet (is it really a TV ad?) because Itambé is a smaller milk company based mostly in the state of Minas Gerais, and I don't think they have a nationwide distribuction."

I live in Belo Horizonte and this is the first time I have seen or heard of these ads. I assure you that if they were out the media would make a huge deal out of it.

...i am an american who has spent much time in brazil and ya know what...
its a big myth
there are TONS of ugly (although skinny) women there
they are NUMBER ONE (sorry) plastic surgery in the world
they have no brains and nothing else to think about except if men will like them so this marketing ploy was PERFECT for this country
they have good butts but really bad boobs (like eight year old boy boobs)
and they HATE fat people

I definitely think this ad should be shown in the US. And I'd love to hear one person say how "beautiful" these bison are without all the airbrushing, replete with stretch marks and cellulite. /shudder

You know, I find it very interesting that the vast majority of negative comments to this ad campaign are from women. I am also intrigued by the coincidence of the opinion from these people that those who don't find it offensive are angry with or frightened by fat people. I am a guy. From what I can see from talking to my male and female friends, a fairly typical guy. I am absolutely not frightened by fat people. I am quite angered by many of them, though. Not most, but many...and why, you ask? Because of the militant attitude they have that because they think they look beautiful that *I* have to agree with them. I don't. I find someone with curves FAR more attractive than someone that is as thin as a board, but the moment they start getting rolls or hanging fat, I am not attracted to them at all. To me, and I emphasize the *ME* there, nearly all of the so-called BBW's are not. There are always exceptions, but they are just that, exceptions. And to comment on the frequent remark that fat used to be the new thin, that is clearly an over simplification. It would be far closer to the truth to say thick is the new thin. The male half of our species is wired to look for a waist/hip ratio of 0.7 (as was pointed out, for a healthy, childbearing partner). This has been the case for as long as there have been recorded images for us to look at. If you look at the truly rubenesque women (the ones he actually painted) they are not obese, they have a waist to hip ratio of roughly 0.7. So did Marilyn, so does Pamela Anderson, and so did Anna Nicole Smith, and so on and so on. Kate Moss and Paris Hilton do not have that ratio, they are too skinny and you will find a lot more men would say they find Pam Anderson more attractive than either of them. And a woman does not have to have a stick for a body to fit that ratio and I bet if someone wanted to measure it, you would find that the American Beauty look-a-like has that very ratio. Even in the middle ages a woman that weighed over 300 pounds would not have been found attractive.

I can't speak for others, but that is the reason I have issues with some fat people. Ones that refuse to call themselves fat, even though they clearly are, using instead terms like heavy, thick, and Rubenesque or voluptuous. There are actual definitions to the last two and they do not fit obese body types. Ones like the woman who sued a movie theater because she was too fat to sit in a regular seat and people could not get past her, so they offered her a seat in the handicapped section and she refused that and demanded that she be allowed to sit like a "normal" person. Well like it or not, she wasn't a normal person. A "normal" person would have been able to fit in a "normal" seat. The same goes for people who sue airlines for making them buy two seats when they have to use two seats to sit. Except for VERY rare glandular conditions where the body only uses 600-800 calories a day, being fat IS a choice. I know. I am a large person, weighing in at over 230 at one point. Before college I used to weigh just over 130, so I am well aware that my body type is my choice and I have to deal with the consequences of my choices. Those that try and change my mind as to what my opinions should be make me just as angry and indignant as they get when people tell them to "Get over it and diet". They need to realize they are doing the very thing they say they hate others doing to them. (Oh, and just as an aside, when I was skinny, people DID tell me to just eat more...when you are skinny, that is EXACTLY what people do to you).

So to bring it back to the ad campaign...I think it is great. It is honest, and truthful, for a change. Like it or not, if you are fat, you ARE far less attractive to men. It is not forced by "society" or learned, it is biology that sets that preference. And like everything in life, it is in the shape of a bell curve, so there will always be people at both ends of the spectrum that love very fat or very skinny women, but the vast majority of the rest of us are somewhere in the middle, and this ad is saying why not join us there.

This is a message for Nika514

If you think we are like that, please stay away... why did you bother to spend time in Brazil if you think we are people with no brains???? You better stay in America then, why bother travelling if you can't appreciate other cultures?

I am Brazilian and love my country, of course it has its problems and I wish I had the power to change it. I've been living overseas for 6 years now and I've learned that we are not that obssessed with image at all compare to other places. Sure we do a lot of plastic surgery, and I believe that majority of it is to increase breast size; most women in Brazil have large bum and wide hips and really small breast and off course we like to look good so we increase the size of our breasts to look more proporcional.

Instead of criticizing people you know nothing about, why don't you get a life because it seems to me you have too much time on your hands.

And remember... stay away from Brazil if you can't appreciate the good things we have to offer!

The Itambé company told that they never advertised it, and it was made by the Salles Chemistri agency without their knowledge.

We can see on the text below (in Portuguese)

http://www.itambe.com.br/Cmi/Pagina.aspx?1656

Comunicado Iogurte Itambé Fit Light

A Itambé ficou indignada ao tomar conhecimento da propaganda do Iogurte Itambé Fit Light, cujas peças publicitárias se encontram disponíveis na Internet e foram criadas pela Agência de Publicidade Salles Chemistri para um festival de Propaganda.

As peças publicitárias enviadas pela Agência para o Festival não foram submetidas à aprovação da Itambé e, portanto não expressam os reais valores da Itambé.

Em carta oficial, a Salles assume a responsabilidade pela autoria da campanha.

Ressaltamos que a Itambé, ao longo de seus 59 anos de existência, sempre teve por princípio o respeito a todos os seus consumidores.

All I know is-- in reference to whoever said Marilyn Monroe was overweight by todays standards you are horribly horribly off base. At the height of 5'5" her peak weight (after aging, pregnancy, the whole nine yards) was 140lbs give or take. She usually averaged in the 118 to 120-something range. At her peak, she certainly wasn't "ideally thin" but she wouldn't even have more than a thin top layer of excess body fat that in comparison to the average (American) woman today is NOTHING.

Also take into account vanity sizing. A size 12 back then is HARDLY a size 12 now.

Big LOL @ Fred:
"When men are alone with each other, that is when the truth is told."

Your kidding right? Haha!

Liking big/fat women are not accepted by our society and men are terrified to be rediculed by other men. So many men don't have the guts to tell what preferences they really like.

@ claudia:
"I suggest people get real, and realize that if a man/woman had a choice between a skinny or fat person they will 100% of the time choose skin."

I choose a fat woman, so how could it be 100%? You don't really know what you are talking about. Stop living in a fantasy world, get real!

@ mynameisstolen:
"All 3 of those ads feature the SAME woman. She is a model and its just a job."

COME ON! Nope, they are NOT the same woman. Is there something wrong with your eyes? For example just look at the first and third picture and compare, there is a huge difference in breast size between the models.

Ok everybody...let's get over it..it was NEVER advertised...the brand is really mad at who made it and also said that would never advertise something like that, that it doesn't respect their consumers.
I am in Advertising and I know how stupid this add is. it would never bring a positive response to the Brand ( money talking..that's what really matters to who advertises...sadly)..it doesn't apply to the target.
I am also Brazilian, living in the US ( american husband who doesnt seem to care about the big ass and not so big boobs). I love America, I love Brazil..every country has its issues...let's all live in Peace!