Planet Fitness… who decided this would be a good idea? Sure, in the communications field you sometimes have to do risque things to get your advertisements noticed. Especially because the competition is so steep in the advertisement industry but some people believe they took it a little too far this time.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQfmpXsLV_4[/youtube]
Planet Fitness completely contributes to societies view of the gender role that women are sex objects. The commercial starts with a young woman in a locker room who’s hair is wind blown, make up done, shirt that only covers her chest, saying the words “soooo hot” repeatedly. Two other “hot” women join in as a middle aged woman with no make up on stares at them in confusion. If you look in the background, two women are in bath towels stroking one another as well. The commercial then shows the middle aged woman walk into a Planet Fitness and says to an employee “…and thats why I don’t like gyms.”
Was the point of Planet Fitness’s commercial to say they don’t have women like that in their locker rooms? I hate to break it to you Planet Fitness, but I highly doubt any gym has women in the locker rooms that are acting that way. People will never stop turning women into sex objects if society doesn’t make a change.
I kind of beg to differ when it comes to your views on this ad. Although I can understand where you are coming from, that the girls are viewed as sex objects, which I believe is true when it comes to the gym lunks. However, the one woman that is sitting to the side sees this, dis likes what is going on, and then does something about it. The commercial shows that not everyone is like the sex objects shown and that other more “normal” people are a prime example of that. The woman also symbolizes that things can be changed about this, that this situation and these girls don’t have to be and aren’t the norm.
I think its incredibly interesting that they used women as sex objects in an unexpected way. Normally companies sexualize women to bring in their business because of the sex appeal of their product or services. In this case they are using attractive women to show what their business is not about. Considering this is not typical, they still used women as an attention grabber. I talked to one of my guy friends and they said that the tactic planet fitness was too sexualized and that it didn’t make them want to get a membership there. I also find it interesting that Planet Fitness is trying to appeal to people who aren’t ‘young and hot’. I don’t think that this was an effective advertising method for Planet Fitness.
Oh the infamous Plant Fitness commercial! I understand your point of view of media always turning women into sex objects but when i watch this video in a way i feel as if Planet Fitness is doing the complete opposite. When the lady who is in regular work out clothes that covering her body without all the make up and hair says “and that’s why I don’t like gyms” Planet Fitness is using the example of the women who are sex objects to show the viewers that their company environment does not encourage that. In my opinion, I see Planet Fitness challenging the stereotype of women who work out. Planet Fitness is attempting to challenge gender norms by explaining to the women who isn’t dress as a sex object that their gym does not condone the idea of workout women as sex objects.
Heide, I really enjoyed watching this video because I find this commercial really humorous. I agree with you when you say that most people in gym locker rooms don’t act and think like this. However, the Planet Fitness commercial makes me think about the “ideal” image women in our society must have. Most people would agree that the women calling each other hot are, in fact, hot. I think it is unfair that our society puts such a high standard on women to have such athletic, slender bodies. Another question that comes about is, is Planet Fitness supporting the idea that women should have these “ideal” body types by having these “ideal” women calling each other hot?