There was a time – and not too long ago, actually – when it wasn’t offensive or politically incorrect to call fat people “fat,” cheap people “cheap,” or lazy people “lazy.”
Today, you can’t do these things any more. It’s supposedly distasteful… not classy… and it “hurts people’s feelings.”
Is it any wonder why therapists offices are filled with people who have a hard time being direct and candid? People who feel “awkward” and struggle with speaking their own truth?
Perhaps this cultural limitation of what’s “appropriate” and what’s not appropriate, is why passive-aggressive is the new “normal” today. Finding someone who’s open and direct is about as hard as finding a unicorn, nowadays.
Back when Lane Bryant put this ad out, however… they were actually being benevolent. See, it was hard to find any nice clothing if you were overweight, back then.
This is one of the tamer ads that marketing guru, Craig Garber discusses in his blog post today. Go see the rest of the ads that will make you raise your eyebrows – www.kingofcopy.com/offbeat-ads/
Amazing how much things have changed since I was growing up.