Does anyone else find this disgusting and offensive?

Message

Taryth · #1 Post by **Taryth** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:08 pm

http://www.neopets.com/games/letea/game1.phtml

Grab the le tea drinks and avoid the other bottled drinks!

Each girl can catch the le tea bottles while standing upright. To avoid the other bottled drinks, click on the girl to make her dodge. Clicking on her again will bring the girl back to the normal standing position. Catch 3 bottles of le tea in a row to earn bonus points. The game will end when you miss 6 le tea bottles. Catch the le tea bottles and become slimmer and prettier!

My friend sent in a complaint and I agree with this statement completely.
She said:
I think the latest sponsor 'Le Tea' game sends out a very disturbing and negative image to impressionable youngsters who play the game. I find it utterly disgusting that you can endorse a product that states "Catch the le tea bottles and become slimmer and prettier!" I personally find this extremely offensive that a.) You would ever support a company with such shallow and offensive ideologies and and b.) Choose to create a GAME out of it!!

Perhaps you are not aware of how sensitive a subject weight is to some people, and young people have enough troubles without having their apprehensions brought into an online game.
I find it extremely irresponsible that this game should appear on your site sending out such a message to young women. Being slimmer DOES NOT necessarily mean one is prettier. It is messages like that which encourages eating disorders and on a site with such wide reaching audiences i find it wholly unacceptable. I have used this site for over 5 years and i must say that game seriously put into question what kind of company i am supporting.

kali · #2 Post by **kali** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:13 pm

I think it's really funny. the girls in the game actually get fatter and thinner. besides, chilled tea is good for you, and soda makes you fat, so it's not exactly lying!

Taryth · #3 Post by **Taryth** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:20 pm

Yes but it's sending out a message to young girls that being thin makes you pretty.

There's too many problems going on with supermodels being role models and children starving themselves.

I find it a bit disturbing.

pipsqueeek · #4 Post by **pipsqueeek** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:27 pm

Maybe tea is better for you than soda or other sugar drinks, but the way they're presenting the message is just wrong. drinking soda doesn't make you fat, and drinking tea doesn't make you skinny, you need to do a lot more than that. And just because you're not super skinny doesn't make you ugly. Some skinny girls look, er, not so great, and some not so skinny girls are really pretty. There's more to it than weight. In the game, the girls get noticably prettier when the 'drink the tea', not just because of weight. Their hair gets less ratty and their faces get less sunken, which isn't really a weight thing.

Asparagus Queen · #5 Post by **Asparagus Queen** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:30 pm

I don't think it's offensive, I think it shows that soda makes you unhealthy and overweight, and that tea and good drinks make you skinny and healthy. I don't think it's showing that you have to be skinny to be pretty, I think it's showing that if you drink properly you'll be skinnier, which I think leads to being healthier.

Ellaie · #6 Post by **Ellaie** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:45 pm

I do agree with you, because they're placing the words skinny and pretty in the same sentence. If the game only quoted "thinner", than the phrasing would be fine with me. However, for thinner and prettier to be put in the same sentence, it gives the impression that one has to be thin to be pretty, which isn't true. It also isn't a good impression to give to young kids because some of them could take it in the very wrong way.

#7 Post by **theonlysaneone** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:45 pm

Being thin, for the most part, does make you pretty, or at least prettier. After all, most girls ARE happier when they are thin, and think they are prettier, which they are. I think it's perfectly fine to show a health food product making you healthier. Besides, they're trying to sell a product. Drinking tea doesn't make girls that much prettier, and drinking beer doesn't cause mobs of scantily clad women to appear.

kentieness · #8 Post by **kentieness** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:05 pm

I think they could've avoided this situation by just giving the impression that le tea will make you 'happy and healthy, rather than 'thin and pretty', whilst soda will make you 'fat (and therefore ugly?)'.

kimiko_00 · #9 Post by **kimiko_00** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:10 pm

Yes, badly worded and not a good impression to give impressionable young people.

Alas, Neopets is not about giving healthy messages. It's about making money, whether we like the way they do that or not..

My advice is not to discuss this on Neopets if you don't want to get a warning or worse.

littleboy6326 · #10 Post by **littleboy6326** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:25 pm

I think you're being a bit oversensitive, but within Neopian standards, it's disguisting.

One thing girls fail to realise; is that those 'pretty women' in the magazines are not only made of plastic, but are photoshopped too.

psyco_chick32 · #11 Post by **psyco_chick32** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:31 pm

Asparagus Queen - I take a bit offense at your statement of pop making people unhealthy and overweight. I don't LIKE the taste of tea, and drink pop, but the only health risks I face are inherited, like epilepsy. Pop isn't doing a think about that.

About the statement - I don't really like it - but then again, I'm an avid pop drinker and still waaay below the "average" weight for my age - I think it's very inaccurate to say that drinking pop makes you "fat" and "ugly" and think it's a very narrow viewpoint for people to have. There are a lot of other factors that go into weight and whether or not somebody is pretty, not just what they drink.

I also agree that having the statement "Thinner and Prettier" IS offensive... within this context. In Neopets, a statement should not be worded like that. Yes, older people know that models are photoshopped and usually plastic, but the younger crowd may not. Neopets doesn't need to enforce the image that girls are prettier when they're skinner.

kimiko_00 · #12 Post by **kimiko_00** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:36 pm

It doesn't matter if those young girls know the models they see are plastic and photoshop. What matters to them is that all the other young girls want to be skinny and they don't want to be different. Different equals ugly at that age (many keep that notion into adulthood too).

psyco_chick32 · #13 Post by **psyco_chick32** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:39 pm

Just because many KEEP that thought doesn't mean that the media, magazines... ANYTHING should encourage it.

Including neopets.

Ecstacy · #14 Post by **Ecstacy** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:48 pm

I agree with the statement that it's bad wording. Sure, avoid the pop, good idea. It doesn't make everyone fat - but drinking it in excessive amounts will not have good effects on your body anyway.
If they said happy and healthy, it'd be fine. But that wouldn't sell the product, would it? -_-

Lots of girls already know that the models in the magazines are plastic and photoshopped, but often it's not just the models making them want to be skinny. We played with Barbie at a very young age, but it's not all her fault either. (Personally I think she's ugly, but hey..)
Where the problem mostly comes from is having everyone around you be skinny. And I mean stick-like. I'm just a bit overweight (like, seriously, a few KGs last I checked) and I'm still one of the fattest girls of my age I know. Everyone else almost looks annorexic.

Anyway.. that tea can't be perfect for you and actually make you skinny. Why can't we have a game where you get the fruit and vegetables and water instead?

Rayen · #15 Post by **Rayen** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:53 pm

On one hand, it's just a game. I mean it is incredibly funny.

On the other hand, I do see where you're coming from. "slimmer and prettier" isn't exactly the type of message you want to send out to young girls (or boys for that matter) in this sort of fashion.

Yeah, kids get the "be thin and beautiful!!!" everywhere from TV to Mags to alot of kids toys (barbie, bratz etc) but Neopets indorsing it I think is going a bit too far.
Especially since they try so hard to keep anything that could be contriversial off of the site, bad language, religion, politics etc. I think they made a mistake on this one.

Wether I agree or disagree is meaningless though, the fact that you saw something that in your opinion was out of order, and did something about it, shows great strength in character, and you should feel proud in yourself wether neopets takes notice or not!