Do you want to look 20lbs thinner instantly? “That’s right – INSTANTLY!” “All you need is Kymaro’s New Body Shaper!” Or so claims a fascinating infomercial I’ve had the pleasure of viewing on 2 consecutive weekends (sad but true).
In fact, as a transfixed viewer I quickly learned that “Kymaro’s New Body Shaper is the only way to get your figure back!”
Of course, this claim is prefaced by the weight loss infomercial staple of demonizing the more viable treatment options – most commonly, diet and exercise (“ No more endless dieting or […] complicated exercise programs” ).
This is quickly followed by an absolutely preposterous computer generated animation ‘illustrating’ the effectiveness of the Body Shaper - another favorite tool for pedaling useless products.
And finally, if the mesmerizing animation wasn’t enough to convince the viewer, we are treated to a ‘real-life’ demonstration of Body Shaper’s ability to make “the inches melt away!” However, the use of a young, attractive, and most importantly, very lean female for the purpose of this demonstration is overwhelming perplexing. If anything, in this absurd example, Kymaro’s New Body Shaper may actually add abdominal girth to the model’s almost non-existent waistline.
Again, my biggest issue with the way this product is marketed is that it encourages the perpetuation of an individual’s poor lifestyle habits. Here is a perfect example. Somewhere in the middle of the infomercial, the ‘host’ talks to ‘real’ women (who we are to assume are not paid actresses) in what appears to be a store. The scenario is repeated a number of times throughout, beginning with the overweight women complaining about the way their clothes fit, followed by a completely unreliable baseline measurement of waist circumference. Afterwards all the women try on the Body Shaper, and voila - the 2nd unreliable waist circumference measurement shows reductions of up to 5”.
During one of these segments, a woman’s waist circumference is measured to be 49” – that is, 14” beyond the clinical cut-off for abdominal obesity in women. The host then asks the brilliantly provocative question: “What does 49” mean to you?” “Too many doughnuts”, replies the woman, to which the host rebuts: “Well, you can keep your doughnuts!”
Really?
Is this the best message to be offered to a woman who, based on her abdominal obesity, is at increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality, among others? Wear a constricting girdle but continue living an unhealthy lifestyle – now there’s a strategy for success.
If you are skeptical of my criticism above, I encourage you to view a segment of the infomercial below and judge for yourself. Continue reading here part 2 of my evaluation of Kymaro’s Obsolete Girdle, um, I mean, New Body Shaper.
Peter
Related Posts:
1. Slender Shaper: Another Fat Loss Gimmick?
2. The Air Climber: Walking on a Cushion of Hot Air
3. What's the Magic of Leg Magic?
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Anonymous Said,
I completely agree with your views on this product! I laughed the whole time I read your review. Unfortunately, I was channeling surfing from boredom the other day and watching the infomercial from beginning to end. I found the idea of losing inches instantly, with no dieting or exercise ridiculous. Has anyone ever considered those occasions when you might have to wear a bathing suit or get undressed for bed, shower, etc? Do you only want to lose inches when you are fully dressed and have to slip on a body shaper? I just found this to be misleading and sad...Loved your review!
Posted on August 27, 2009 11:32 AM
Peter Janiszewski, PhD (Cand.), MSc Said,
@ Anonymous: Thanks very much! Before we had this blog as an outlet, I used to get so frustrated and angered by the stupidity I saw being peddled on tv on a regular basis. Now, I can watch and laugh along because I know I can discuss it on the site and hopefully save someone from blowing their money on such nonsense. By extension, I would also hope we'd take a bit of a jab at the profits from the sales of said product - but for this we need a bit more readership:)
Peter
Posted on August 27, 2009 12:22 PM