"Are You Beach Body Ready?" Advert Outrages Thousands

The term "beach body" is everything from a  popular hashtag, to a lifestyle. That being said, isn't everyone who has a body and goes to the beach "beach body ready" - not dependent on a certain physique? That why when dietary supplement maker Protein World plastered London's subways with "beach body" ads, it didn't exactly go off as well as they expected.

In fact, the outrage is so apparent that more than 45,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to remove the ads, which ask "Are You Beach Body Ready?" and feature a slim woman in a swimsuit next to their weight loss and meal replacement collection.

Charlotte Baring, the author of the petition, wrote: "Protein World is directly targeting individuals, aiming to make them feel physically inferior to the unrealistic body image of the bronzed model, in order to sell their product," People have decided to add their own message to the advertisements: Protein World's CEO, Arjun Seth, told Channel 4 News that the ads are simply "aspirational," and he won't take them down unless the petition reaches 1 million signatures. He said the vandals are "terrorists, you can quote me on that." The company elaborated in a statement:

"It is a shame that in 2015 there are still a minority who aren't focusing on celebrating those who aspire to be healthier, fitter and stronger. Renee, our stunning model, falls well within what the British Government deem to be a healthy weight, based on the BMI system. We now run Britain's largest protein facility, selling our products in over 50 countries to more than 300,000 customers. Most of them are women. How could we possibly be sexist? Getting "beach ready" is not a new concept. [...] We absolutely have no intention of removing the adverts because of a minority making a lot of noise."