Fat Whale

 

While my dad was driving me to an out of town basketball game, I noticed a billboard of a unattractive, corpulent, women in a bathing suit.  The billboard says, "Save the Whales.  Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian."  The billboard is satirical.  What it is really saying is nothing about real whales, which are endangered species, but rather something about fat people: that is, fat people will lose weight and therefore be at less risk of dying if they become vegetarians. 

The truth value of the billboard is debatable. There are plenty of people who are fat that are vegetarians.  Pastas and other carbohydrates are very high in calories, and they raise your glycemic and sugar levels.  There are plenty of recent studies that show that high protien diets based upon meat can actually increase your metabolism and help you lose weight.  One of these diets is the Atkins diet.  There is also the paleo diet, which I go on during the basketball off season to gain strength and build muscle.  The paleo diet combines lean meat with complex carbohydrates like fruit and vegetables.  

 
This is a very emotional appeal, especially to fat women.  By looking as this billboard, it suggests that all fat people are whales and that they should consider becoming vegetarians.  Many people are very conscious about their weight and might be offended by this add while others might actually consider taking the advice of the billboard. Thus the billboard can easily offend some and motivate others. 

The billboard is very biased because it does not acknowledge that weight loss can occur by eating meat.  The reason for the bias is revealed in the smaller print. The billboard is sponsored by PETA: an organization that has the agenda of protecting animals from humans. Thus, the whale analogy is a bit of a red herring because PETA's agenda has nothing to do with weight loss but rather everything to do with protecting animals.  It is also quite amusing and ironic that an organization that seeks to protect animals claims through the billboard that it seeks to protect humans: fat woman in particular.  
 
It is also funny that the billboard is a bit off a spoof on Coppertone and other advertisements that feature attractive women in bathing suits and then associates their attractiveness with their products.   The beach colors are very attractive and the billboard uses colorful  fonts. This is another gimmick generally found in advertisements rather than billboards that brings attention to the message.