Last week Kellogg’s announced that they intend to focus more on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in a future, as apposed to the shame of being able to ‘pinch an inch’, and we think its a good move.
Special K’s Plus-Size Push: ‘Real’ Models Lead New Campaign
UK modelling agency Models Direct has noticed a gradual change in the Kellogg’s Special K advertisements over the last few months and it looks like this trend is set to continue for the brand. Last week, they announced that they intend to focus more on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle in the future, as opposed to the shame of being able to ‘pinch an inch’, and we think it’s a good move.
The trademark Special K red swimsuit appears set to become a symbol of health and confidence for the ‘real’ woman, rather than a reminder – to those of us who have eaten one too many croissants for breakfast – that we just can’t pull it off the way a super-slim model can.
In many articles to hit this morning’s internet news sources, a spokesperson for Special K is quoted as saying: “We want to encourage a responsible attitude when it comes to body image and to show that losing weight isn’t just about the way you look or a certain size you need to conform to, but more importantly about the way it makes you feel.
“The fact that we are using real women for the first time, of a variety of shapes and sizes, is the perfect way to encourage women to think differently about losing weight and not just focus on the numbers on the bathroom scales.”
The company is putting its money where its mouth is by ditching skinny models for plus-size models and ‘real women’ alongside the tagline ‘What Will You Gain When You Lose?’. “It’s not just about the pounds and inches we want to lose, it’s the feeling we gain when we have lost weight that is so much more rewarding. Confidence, positivity, pride, joy,” comes their new message.
New Special K models will reportedly have a BMI of between 18.5 and 29 over the coming months, and to launch this new health-first initiative the brand recently took their campaign to the streets, approaching real women in Covent Garden to take part.
In a brand press release, 36-year-old mother of two Katie McNeil said: “It can be depressing for women when they see skinny models on TV all the time. Thankfully, they didn’t make us wear that red swimsuit.
“I think it’s really inspiring to see more realistic women and body sizes instead of size eight models all the time in advertising, which is why I was delighted to take part. Losing weight for me is about feeling great whatever size or weight I am and this campaign sums that up perfectly.”