First 5 California tries to draw attention to huge problem, is criticized for its method

Jun 11, 2013 20:41 GMT  ·  By

A public service ad from First 5 California, meant to draw attention on the ever-worrying problem of childhood obesity, is being harshly criticized for the method it chooses to do so, according to a new ABC News report.

A video is embedded below, at the end of the article.

The campaign has a very clear message: sugary drinks will make kids overweight, milk will make them healthy.

However, to prove the point, the ad offers two photos of the same girl for comparison: one has been photoshopped to make her look obese (in which she’s drinking from a fizzy drink), the other is an unretouched one (in which she’s drinking milk).

The intention behind the campaign might be an admirable one, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired, angry voices are saying online.

“They are taking a perfectly healthy little girl and Photoshopping her to make her look unhealthily obese. It's no surprise that people are outraged at that,” Adweek media reporter Emma Bazilian tells ABC news.

Marilyn Wann, author and an activist in the fat acceptance movement, also finds plenty of reasons to be offended by the ad, which she brands as “creepy.”

“How creepy is it to Photoshop this child in this manner? If public health messages lie like this, why should people trust them?” she says on her Facebook page, as cited by the aforementioned media outlet.

On the other hand, an older similar campaign used real overweight kids – and that too was criticized.

As Bazilian puts it, this is a classic damned if you do, damned if you don’t type of situation.

“If you use real kids, you're going to be called fat-shamers. On the other hand, if you take this kid and you Photoshop them, it's really a no-win situation,” Bazilian explains.

First 5 California stands behind the campaign, though, saying in a statement that, “it serves to educate parents on the realities and dangers of childhood obesity and get them to change their behaviors.”