Demeaning 'Fat Girl Slim' Cosmetics Range Sparks Protests

We've been discussing "fat shaming" for some time now.

The general consensus is that "thin" doesn't always mean healthy, so it shouldn't be the ideal that we all aspire to.

And while being gravely overweight is also unhealthy, there's nothing productive about making someone feel bad about their body, as all you'll likely do is encourage the bad habits that will worsen their health even further.

Arguably, a company called Bliss have gone one step further.

Not only are they making people feel bad, they're also using fat shaming to sell expensive products.

Marks and Spencer is the latest department store to come under fire for selling cosmetics products that others feel contribute to the fat shaming epidemic.

The products, developed by a company called Bliss, are branded "Fat Girl Slim" and include an "arm-perfecting" cream, a cellulite soap and a body sculpting gel called "sixpack".

Campaigners took to the streets of Brighton to picket Marks and Sparks for selling a range of products that they perceive to be "exploitative, dangerous and sad."

The feeling among the protesters is that Bliss have used offensive and misleading language, in order to prey on young women with insecurities about their bodies.

Protesters have suggested that the branding, which implies that the user will experience a reduction in cellulite and other problem areas, is being used to make vulnerable, impressionable young women part with their money.

And it's no small amount of money at that!

The range is extremely expensive - with the arm cream costing a cool £34 and other products selling for even more.

In reality, though, a glance at the small print will tell you that these cosmetics do not exactly promise to do what they say on the tin.

Looking at the bottom of the product description for the Fat Girl Soap on Sephora's website, you'll notice that it states: "This is not a weight or fat-loss product."

Hmm.

With a little further research, it seems there are plenty of disgruntled customers, dissatisfied with the performance of their purchases.

Poster Marilyn Mercury said in her Amazon review: "I bought this to make me slimmer. It didn't do that."

And SueZ went one step further, saying: "For the same reason that I buy discounted B12 injections and get excited about those weight loss gimmicks, I bought the Fat Girl Slim cream. Which does exactly what it says on the jar - keeps us fat girls WANTING to be slim, but failing miserably."

If these reviews are anything to go by, it seems there are lots of people who didn't get the "this is not a fat loss product" memo and were sucked in by Bliss' misleading branding.

When contacted, a representative from Marks and Spencer simply said: "The products play on the popular DJ's name [Fatboy Slim] and aren't intended to cause offence."

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What do you think? Do you think the Fat Girl Slim products should be taken off the shelves? Let us know in the comments!