Public backlash to the 2015 "beach body ready" advert marked a shift toward body positivity.

Social ideals of beauty have since intensified, with pressure to meet globalized, visual standards.

The outrage over beach body messaging might be less intense today, replaced by a resigned acceptance.

Co-authored by Heather Widdows and Jessica Sutherland, University of Warwick

It’s been over 10 years since Protein World’s notorious "beach body ready" advert received spontaneous pushback from the British public. The large yellow advert showed a beautiful blonde in a yellow bikini staring down the camera. It asked in large black letters, "Are you beach body ready?"

The emphatic response was—give us a break, sod that! In one way or another, people objected. The adverts on the London Underground—the metro—were routinely defaced. Sometimes, Protein World was told where to go; other times, the advert was answered, "Yes, you are." Pushbacks included "your body is fine just as it is" and "your body is not a commodity." When the........

© Psychology Today