As Meghan Trainer Sang, "It's all about that bass"..... But is it?

Source: PETA of Florida in 2009

To the left is a picture of one of the many PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) advertisements about not consuming animals, but saving them. It is important to note that PETA encourages people to transform his/her lifestyles to a more distinguished one, like Vegetarianism, or completely going off the consumption of meats, poultry, and seafood. 

So what does this advertisement suggest?

On the surface, the advertisement depicts a large woman in a red, polka dot bikini at the beach. The caption on it reads: "Save the Whales. Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian." But it doesn't literally mean save the whales; it is an analogy comparing whales to heavier women (or heavier men). When the advertisement says "lose the blubber", it is referring to the extra "fat" on a person. 

This advertisement could also be viewed as a double entendre. The statement "save the whales" refers to actually saving whales. It becomes a double entendre because it also means save the heavier women.

 

Of the deadly sins, this advertisement definitely represents Gluttony; it is used as the driving force behind why people should switch from a meat-like diet to a non-meat diet. But looking at this advertisement through a health related lens, two other deadly sins arise: Sloth and Pride. While not all heavier people feel self conscience, some are, which is why this would represent pride (humility); it would then connect with the sin of "Sloth" because it may be interpreted that these larger people don't exercise and don't take care of his/her body.

The audience this advertisement is targeting is heavier people on the outside; however, it is geared more into the direction of women due to the ways in which this advertisement presents itself.

But how does the advertisement present itself, you may ask?

First, a woman was used on the front cover, and not a man. One thing to take into consideration is that women are associated with caring more about their weight, so it seems reasonable that the PETA group would do that. If they target the stereotypical woman who cares about her weight, then mathematically there would be a higher percentage rate for the number of non-meat eaters. 

Going off the fact that women care more about what they look like, the advertisement also dresses the woman in a red, polka dot bikini, with the woman's hand on her hip, and with emphasized "back fat". This alludes to several aspects of a woman: being pretty and confident.

Red is the color associated with love, lust, and power. But the way the woman's hand is on her hip suggests she is angry or upset, and feels like she isn't comfortable outside. Though while the face of the woman isn't showed, a conclusion can be drawn that the woman wants to be out in the beach; she has a desire to flaunt around but she cannot. Also, the "back fat" of the woman bulges out of the bikini, which- to some- may imply that woman only feels pretty if she are skinny.

Not only does the picture send a message, but the language used in the advertisement does too.  The first major statement is "save the whales". One thing that should stand out is the word "whales", because PETA could have used any other animal (or sea animal), that they wanted, but they chose "whales". The reason to this is becuase PETA is implying that women are in fact whales without having to state it. 

The next statement is "lose the blubber", which is automatically connected to "fat". PETA used the word "blubber" instead of using the word "fat" in order to lesson the harshness of the main idea of the advertisement. "Blubber" is also a word associated with sea animals, so it seemed like an appropriate place for this usage of the word. 

The final persuasive technique (though, I think this advertisement is a bit crude), is how much the advertisement loses the meaning if the heavy woman is not in the advertisement. Picture this: a warm, sunny day in the sand, the waves, and the same message as this advertisement has on it. Most likely,  PETA's advertisement would look as if if they were encouraging people in a positive way. But with the heavy woman, the advertisement is almost attacking large women in a derogatory kind of way. 

As Meghan Trainer sang, "It's all about that bass".... But is it? Because according to this advertisement, it's all about saving the whales, losing the fat, and eating healthy. 

As Holy Eyes sang, "Being God's Child is Higher than Everything"

Chapter seven of Charlotte Bronte's, Jane Eyre, focuses on how all the school girls should act as one, meaning that everybody lives equally, having no more, or no less, than the girl beside her.  This includes learning how to deal with temptation and learning how to live with as little as they need to.  The passage that best describes this theme is when Mr. Brocklehurst says, "I wish these children to be children of Grace." While the phrase is short in length, it is wide in context; it is the umbrella that covers all Mr. Brocklehurst's intentions and purposes of the girls. 

For example, when Agnes and Catherine Johnstone were invited for tea by some friends, they were each given a clean tucker. By the rules of the school, though, the girls are only allotted one. Mr. Brocklehurst responds by saying that Ms. Temple, the teacher, should "not let [these] circumstances occur to often." If these circumstances occurred more often, then the students would expect more, which is what Mr. Brocklehurst is most afraid of.

The scene worsens when Mr. Brocklehurst uncovers that the students have been given extra meals. He follows what he uncovers with a long paragraph explaining his "children [as] children of Grace". Summing up his lengthy speech, it strongly focuses on how the students should not become "[accustomed to] habits of luxury and indulgence" because they need to be "patient [and] self denying". The students should also follow God and only God. Mr. Brocklehurst says that "If ye suffer hunger or thirst for My sake, happy are ye." This means that they are better off being hungry or thirsty, than having what they need. 

Towards the end of the chapter, Julia Severn has curly hair, which clearly sets her apart from the rest of her classmates. Mr. Brocklehurst is unhappy with it, even though her curly hair is natural, so he explicitly states that all the girls should get haircuts.

Charlotte Bronte presents the theme throughout the whole passage by the use of examples and Mr. Brocklehurst's extreme reactions; however, the theme is tied all together with the phrase mentioned earlier: "I wish these children to be children of Grace." One thing that should be noted is that Mr. Brocklehurst uses the word "children" and the word "Grace", which, to the minds of the girls, may sound more appealing to get them to conform to his way(s). 


As Holy Eyes sang, "Being God's child is higher than everything". It is as if these song lyrics were taken right out of the mouth of Mr. Brocklehurst (Or maybe he secretly composed this song name under an alias!).