# Does it bother you when companies use "skinny" to describe products? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2011, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608 "2011-02-16T18:13:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/21 "2011-02-17T00:57:07Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I know that some pretzel company was criticized for the use of the word skinny as well. Does using “skinny” or “thin” as a desirable or good thing bother you? Equating it with beauty and confidence? Yes. And I say that as a slim women who doesn’t struggle with her weight, despite constant reminders that I should be worrying about it, and my looks, every day. If you don’t care at all, at least consider the message being sent to any kid who can read, particularly the girls. Also, from an advertising standpoint, [it feels so dated](http://www.euro-cig.com/gal_images/20060405161024.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/22 "2011-02-17T01:02:58Z")
I find it annoying. It makes me worry a bit for the children; I know little girls (most of whom are slender but still have an ideal of being ‘skinny’), and they take this kind of thing much too literally. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/23 "2011-02-17T01:14:56Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > I find it annoying. It makes me worry a bit for the children; I know little girls (most of whom are slender but still have an ideal of being ‘skinny’), and they take this kind of thing much too literally. I’m somebody who generally bristles at “protect people from themselves” thinking, but I gotta agree – the prevalence and danger of eating disorders as well as other body-focused self-abuse in young women is pretty alarming. At the very least, it’s something large corporations probably shouldn’t be flip about. Especially if you’re a leading producer of products that I think history will prove to be major, major players in the rise of obesity and diabetes. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/24 "2011-02-17T02:21:36Z")
> [@typoink](#): > > I’m somebody who generally bristles at “protect people from themselves” thinking, but I gotta agree – the prevalence and danger of eating disorders as well as other body-focused self-abuse in young women is pretty alarming. Considering that .5% of girls are anorexia and 2-3% bulimic, but more than 15% are obese, shouldn’t we be at least as worried about the negative effects of products calling themselves extra large too? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/25 "2011-02-17T02:33:37Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Considering that .5% of girls are anorexia and 2-3% bulimic, but more than 15% are obese, shouldn’t we be at least as worried about the negative effects of products calling themselves extra large too? As soon as it’s a societal meme that extra large is desirable. (not yet… still waiting) ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/26 "2011-02-17T02:33:41Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > And isn’t diet soda by its very nature skinny? Actually, [no](http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html). Artificial sweeteners appear to [disrupt](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19634935) appetite control mechanisms. They’ve already verified [insulin secretion](http://www.springerlink.com/content/g9674756255810p0/) in response to sweetness from a non-caloric sweetener. IOW, diet drinks can make you fat by tricking your body into preferentially storing incoming calories, and by making you eat more later, probably through a feedback loop in that same mechanism. So not only is the ad campaign silly, ham-handed, and possibly offensive, it’s also painfully wrong. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/27 "2011-02-17T02:47:34Z")
The only way it would actually bother me is if it was a “skinny” can that was taller, but not tall _enough_ to actually have the same amount of pop in it (so if a standard can is 12oz, but the skinny can is, say, 10 or 11 oz) and is the same price as the standard size. But that has nothing to do with it being called a “skinny can”, just companies being slick, cheap bastards. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/28 "2011-02-17T02:54:36Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Considering that .5% of girls are anorexia and 2-3% bulimic, but more than 15% are obese, shouldn’t we be at least as worried about the negative effects of products calling themselves extra large too? When the ad buzzword becomes ‘OBESE!’, I’ll start worrying. I’m much more worried about kid’s mental health than I am their daily habits, much less their weight or body fat percentage. Most fat kids are reasonably healthy at a purely physical level. Heck, so are most fat adults. Relatively few girls and women are diagnosed with clinical anorexia nervosa; metric fucktons of women fight their entire lives with disordered eating and self-hatred no matter their weight, and these habits can damage their physical health as well. I hate hate hate anything that reflects and contributes to this. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/29 "2011-02-17T02:57:05Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > This sort of thing was featured on Jezebel a few months ago. If you really want to understand why it bothers some people, read the comments in[these posts](http://ca.jezebel.com/search/skinny%20pretzel/), and particularly [this one.](http://ca.jezebel.com/5606654/pretzel-crisps-changes-pro+ana-ads-to-something-not-much-better#viewcomments) I sometimes read Jezebel but to be honest, I don’t really get their world view. The way they refer to being thin as being “privileged” like it’s something to feel guilty about…I just don’t really get it. I think of it as–some people may be thin or attractive or smart or whatever, but I don’t understand all the guilt over it. The way they refer to it, though–being “privileged” is this horrible thing you should feel bad about. Like the whole “white guilt” thing you sometimes hear people talking about… ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/30 "2011-02-17T03:01:25Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I sometimes read Jezebel but to be honest, I don’t really get their world view. The way they refer to being thin as being “privileged” like it’s something to feel guilty about…I just don’t really get it. I think of it as–some people may be thin or attractive or smart or whatever, but I don’t understand all the guilt over it. The way they refer to it, though–being “privileged” is this horrible thing you should feel bad about. Like the whole “white guilt” thing you sometimes hear people talking about… Yeah, you really don’t get it. Having privilege is not shameful. Either you have it or you don’t by virtue of being white all your life, or thin all your life, or male all your life. _Denying privilege exists_ once you’ve been made aware of its existence is the shameful part. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/31 "2011-02-17T18:58:06Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Yeah, you really don’t get it. > > Having privilege is not shameful. Either you have it or you don’t by virtue of being white all your life, or thin all your life, or male all your life. _Denying privilege exists_ once you’ve been made aware of its existence is the shameful part. I just don’t know how I feel about that. I know that people go on about Privilege, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out because I’m not white. Maybe when I’m not around, all the white folk give out cash for free and party it up on the bus and I just never knew. I think it’s the same with being thin. I think if you’re not thin, maybe you think that your life would totally be different if you were…but I know a lot of thin people, myself included, who obsess about all kinds of other issues, too. And it’s not like _everyone_ thinks being stick thin is the ultimate ideal. Don’t studies show that guys prefer women who are curvier/heavier than women think is the ideal? I guess what I’m saying is that it seems easy to think that people are privileged because they have something you don’t, but I don’t know that that’s necessarily the case. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/32 "2011-02-17T20:41:58Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Considering that .5% of girls are anorexia and 2-3% bulimic, but more than 15% are obese, shouldn’t we be at least as worried about the negative effects of products calling themselves extra large too? No.\* Because products calling themselves “extra large” make you extra large. There’s nothing wrong with selling unhealthy food if you’re honest. If somebody is buying a King-size bag of pork rinds thinking they’re eating healthy, well, that’s on them. “Diet” soda is a lie. “Lite” chips are a lie. Selling cane sugar in soda is (more-or-less) a lie. They’re ways to make people (many of whom are food addicts) think they’re buying food that’s much healthier than it is. \*Okay, extra-large is a problem, too. When I was a kid in the 80s, a junk food run was buying a can of soda and a regular candy bar from the gas station. It’s now a 20oz bottle or a 32oz fountain cup and a king-size bar. Companies price their wares in a way to make the extra-unhealthy versions seem like such a good deal that the comparitively-reasonable portions don’t appeal. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/33 "2011-02-17T20:43:09Z")
Edit: Nevermind; pointless babble. ---
**Author:** ![phantom\_lamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@phantom\_lamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phantom_lamb)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/34 "2011-02-18T10:35:19Z")
Oh Jesus Christ. Does this country ever run out of bulls\*\*t to get offended about? I’m skinny as hell, now I’m offended that someone is offended about a skinny can. Some people need to get laid more. ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/35 "2011-02-18T13:36:32Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > As soon as it’s a societal meme that extra large is desirable. Isn’t it already :rolleyes: ? I mean, with the countless BBW stuff (are there porn categories for ‘skinny’ ? No, but there are for BBWs), the fat acceptance movement… Claiming extra large is desirable is as subversive as claiming racism is bad. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/36 "2011-02-18T14:20:51Z")
I’m happy to use ‘skinny’ as a term to describe things that are slim or thin, including people. It’s a fairly neutral descriptor to me a synonym for thin. When I order a skimmed milk latte, I ask for a skimmed milk latte - even if the menu calls it a skinny latte (or worse skinnilatte or some such). I don’t feel comfortable calling it a skinny latte, but only because it sounds idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/37 "2011-02-18T18:06:17Z")
> [@Khaki\_Campbell](#): > > Isn’t it already :rolleyes: ? > > I mean, with the countless BBW stuff (are there porn categories for ‘skinny’ ? No, but there are for BBWs), the fat acceptance movement… Claiming extra large is desirable is as subversive as claiming racism is bad. Not to overextend the metaphor, but what you’re saying here is equivalent to saying “racism was over” once the civil rights movement _started_. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/38 "2011-02-18T18:31:25Z")
Huh. When I opened the thread, I thought you’d be referring to the Starbucks skinny latte or Potbelly’s skinny sandwich. In this context, it never occurred to me to give it any thought, much less find it offensive. It has fewer calories, and is therefore “skinny”… makes sense to me. Calling a pop **can** “skinny” and then equating the shape of the can to a woman’s body… oh yeah, they stepped in it. First of all, I note that they make no mention of men’s bodies. Wonder why not? Secondly, confidence does not equal body shape. Honestly, it’s just bizarre to conflate the two. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I’m personally _offended,_ but if I had been on their marketing team I would have been speaking out loudly as soon as the idea was advanced about just what kind of PR disaster this was going to be. It was a dumb, dumb move. I seriously can’t understand why no one at Pepsi saw this trainwreck coming from miles away. > [@](#): > > Isn’t it generally accepted that in our culture, thin/skinny is preferred to overweight or **normal**? Emphasis mine. Addressing this… the point at which skinny is offensive is where you cross the line to saying that it’s better than being at a normal, healthy size. Yes, being thin is better than being overweight, because there are a whole host of health and other problems that come with being overweight. Better than being _normal?_ That’s where it crosses over to pathological obsession, as far as I’m concerned. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/39 "2011-02-18T18:42:25Z")
Bah, missed the edit: Also, humans come in a wide variety, so “normal” is, in fact, pretty broad. People need to work with their natural bodies, not against them, and that goes for people who are too skinny as well as those who are too heavy. Insisting on starving yourself into a size 0 is no better than eating yourself into a size 26. Some people are genetically pre-disposed to being a bit thinner, or heavier, and that’s okay, as long as we continue to take care of ourselves and stay within our own body’s range of normal/healthy. We as a society need to get over this idea that there’s only one body type, only one clothing size, that’s “acceptable.” ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608/40 "2011-02-18T18:50:11Z")
Ironically, if Pepsi had just made a “skinny” can, without the made-up BS “philosophy” behind it, it probably would have passed largely unnoticed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-it-bother-you-when-companies-use-skinny-to-describe-products/571608.md?page=3)