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Did Apple Cross the Line?

Fri, 08/24/2007 - 11:30am by FitSugar
4,377 Views - 40 comments

Apple's new iMac Campaign states, "You can't be too thin. Or too powerful." The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness calls upon Apple to rethink their new media campaign. The Alliance asks, "What kind of message is Apple sending our youth with an ad campaign of this nature?"

Apple was simply applying the Duchess of Windsor's adage to technology, but fears are that it will trickle down to body image. What do you guys think -- Was Apple crossing the line by using the phrase "You can't be too thin. Or too powerful"?

(Oh, and thanks to GeekSugar for bringing this issue to my attention.)

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40 Comments Add a Comment

  • krampalicious's picture
    krampalicious
    1

    i'm so glad they pulled that headline. seriously, what were they thinking? how did this make it past the focus group phase? first our jeans got skinny, then our phones, and now our computers? what's next? skinny toilets? skinny cars?

    equating power with being thin is wrong on so many levels. they could have just let the overall beauty and the obvious advanced technology speak for itself without adding that connotation.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • forkyfork's picture
    forkyfork
    2

    Geez, you can't say anything these days without offending someone.

    I did not get offended at all when I read that, and I'm pretty sensitive to the media portraying "too thin". Now, if they would have put a woman up there, then maybe I would have took notice. But, they're talking about electronics. We like our electronics skinny, as does everywhere else in the world.

    Our opinions about electronics do not necessarily translate to our opinions about body shape. If we're going to get on someone's case for not promoting a healthy body image, there are plenty of other companies I can think of that are more offending than Apple.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • tchan01's picture
    tchan01
    3

    Shocked um...I didn't even think of weight related stuff when I read that headline...sigh. I agree with forkyfork.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • cravinsugar's picture
    cravinsugar
    4

    I put undecided...while i agre I did NOt associate weight with this (haha, i know, beleive it or not, i'm telling the truth! Laughing out loud) I think that some people might, more importantly, kids who aren't clever enough to realize that they are talking about technology, not the actual perosn buying it.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Ikandy's picture
    Ikandy
    5

    Im not personally offended by this ad...I do thik its stupid though...U can be too skinny. Some girls die bcause they think that way. Clearly they are talking about electronics but still...Not a good message.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • ReverendZelda's picture
    ReverendZelda
    7

    Am I the only one who remembers that this phrase has been around forever? Was it a bad marketing plan, sure, but it didn't cross any lines.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • syako's picture
    syako
    8

    Well ultimately they have the right to say whatever they want in a media campaign - freedom of speech - but if their target audience is 18-24 women and men this could send out the wrong message. The first thing I thought about was weight and I'm definitely not a weight-obsessed person. They will need to decide whether or not they are a socially-responsible company - if they are they would get that ad team of theirs to come up with something better and equally - if not more - clever.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • jkat's picture
    jkat
    9

    Looks like the hyper-PC police are on the loose again. Lame. People need to grow up. No one should be taking body image cues from Mac.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • llendril's picture
    llendril
    10

    they are alluding to the saying that IS about weight.

    apple is a huge name. everything has an 'i' on it these days. people listen to what they say. although we should be smart enough to differentiate between an attempt to be clever and a statement that is actually telling people to go be skinny, i still think that apple ought to have gone in a different direction. i'm glad they pulled it.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • EcannDallas's picture
    EcannDallas
    12

    i dont think im going to be taking dieting advice from apple anytime soon.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • whtevjenny's picture
    whtevjenny
    13

    It's just a play on the term 'you can't be too skinny or too rich'. People need to stop flipping out over EVERYTHING.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • mlmoreno47's picture
    mlmoreno47
    14

    I agree with everyone who thinks this got taken too far. On the one hand I can see why this may affect someone who has an eating disorder but if something like a lame tag line for a computer drives you to anorexia you were probably already half way there. Everything is so politically correct now even something innocuous and innocent send shock waves. I hate it.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • sharp's picture
    sharp
    15

    whtevjenny is right. This is a play on the quote from the Duchess of Windsor, and Apple is touting how thin and small their products are. I don't see a problem with that. It's not offensive. But the original quote is offensive. The play on the quote doesn't bother me at all, just trying to use a familiar/catchy quote to sell a product.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Chaoticfury's picture
    Chaoticfury
    16

    The Duchess of Windsor? Yeah that's who we should take our media influence from...What was Apple thinking?

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Tutta's picture
    Tutta
    17

    People are WAY to sensitive now. You can't say anything without offending someone! It's ridiculous!

    Can we just not take something for what it is? Why does everyone have to read so much into everything? It's like society is looking for excuses to complain.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • jkat's picture
    jkat
    18

    "The level of discourse reaching a mailbox simply cannot be limited to that which would be suitable for a sandbox." ~Justice Stevens.

    Not everything in this world has to be perfectly safe, non-controversial, non-offensive, warm fuzzy sunshine. This isn't even provactive. It is just a play on words applied to technological advances. People need to stop being victims of the media. Own your life and your choices. If you don't let a media slogan dictate your body image, it won't.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • purrtykitty's picture
    purrtykitty
    19

    i'm iffy on this issue. being a female who struggles with body image issues, i can see how that ad might have an affect on some people. but when i think about apple's target market, i'm pretty sure that the majority wouldn't see that far into it.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • phatE's picture
    phatE
    21

    as someone who struggled with anorexia for 8 years, i didn't think a thing about it, because it's referencing a computer..
    maybe i have my head in the sand, but i think the attention drawn to it causes more damage than the original campaign.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • magita's picture
    magita
    22

    I think its pretty obvious its a tongue-in-cheek reference to the saying....if they said something like that out of the blue, then yeah it would be in poor taste. I personally think its cute

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • xlove33's picture
    xlove33
    24

    they aren't talking about people, they are talking about computers. Society seriously needs to relax. And by the way a little more thinness in this country would be a good thing.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • leeluvfashion's picture
    leeluvfashion
    25

    People are twisting the meaning just to start an argument. It's a COMPUTER ad, it's not an ad for health purposes. I don't think it's worth the fight at all.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • moonlite's picture
    moonlite
    27

    Oh, please. Next thing you know, you won't even be able to say the word "thin" on television without negative consequences.

    I highly doubt our youth are THAT sensitive. If people really want to make a difference in the media regarding the images young people see, stop showing stick-thin models in every commercial and on the pages of every magazine! Don't worry about cutting one word out of an electronics commerical.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • lovekailua's picture
    lovekailua
    28

    i'm in the "wayyy too sensitive" corner for sure! getting ridiculous. i thought it was funny and did not first think of weight even though i know where the original quote came from.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • tralalala's picture
    tralalala
    29

    You can never be too thin, too rich, or too powerful; if you've never heard that before, you've lead a very sheltered life haha, I don't think they crossed the line, they used a really common phrase and applied it to their product

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Hollisterbabe01's picture
    Hollisterbabe01
    30

    it didn't cross the line! they are marketing a computer for the love of god it is not that serious! but also some people may take it seriously!

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • The City Girl's picture
    The City Girl
    31

    It's a well-known, famous expression that is simply being applied to a computer! It's just a tongue-in-cheek slogan! Anyone who takes it as a statement about how WOMEN should look already has a LOT of serious body issues already.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • gumdrops334's picture
    gumdrops334
    33

    I agree that people are just taking it too far. It's almost sarcastic, taking off of the saying "you can never be too thin", applying it to their computers. I'm sure they know you CAN be too thin, but it IS a saying that Hollywood takes to extreme measures. Maybe Apple is being clever and facetious, using that dumb saying, and applying it to electronics. I'm sure they're not telling everyone to barf up their dinner, jeez

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • lanuchan's picture
    lanuchan
    34

    no way i don't think they crossed the line, although the issue is certainly interesting...they wanted to make an ad that caught people's attention, and for sure, it did.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • paii's picture
    paii
    35

    I don't believe they were thinking in terms of weight.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • junebrug's picture
    junebrug
    36

    They're right -- computers can't be too thin or too powerful. People are another matter.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • angiee's picture
    angiee
    37

    I don't think they're crossing the line. You always want your gadgets to be thin and light, it's convenient.

    Why do people think they're sending message about body weight? Sad

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • Wikipedia's picture
    Wikipedia
    38

    Its supposed to be clever, its a play on words so it sticks in your head.

    Can you imagine what the world would be like if people ACTUALLY took ad slogans as solid advice? Come on.

    1 year 19 weeks ago Report Comment
  • JenBrett's picture
    JenBrett
    39

    hello people, they are talking about a computer, not a person. now if they'd used an olsen twin as a spokes person, than yes. but get a grip, it's a computer, no one wants them big and slow.

    1 year 18 weeks ago Report Comment
  • millarci's picture
    millarci
    40

    I can see how this can offend people. However, I agree with JenBrett. They are talking about the computer and I honestly didn't think about it until the subject was brought up. No one wants a big clunky computer. Everyone wants a thin, powerful computer. Relax everyone...

    1 year 18 weeks ago Report Comment

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