Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iMac, Apple
Can you be too thin or too powerful?
Did they? The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness (which sounds to me like a joke, but probably isn't) called Apple out on it, and now, as Macenstein reports, Apple's changed it. A story like this will (and should) give a serious test to the conspiracy theorist inside you-- and it should also give your BS meter a good workout. Apple changes taglines all the time, and there's no reason to suspect that the press release had anything to do with this change.
But then again, the picture hasn't changed at all. Did Apple actually decide that you can be too thin?
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
John Williams said 5:07PM on 8-21-2007
When I first saw the tagline, I immediately drew the comparison to eating disorders. It didn't upset me or anything, I just thought it was a pretty interesting line to use, given the image consciousness of the United States. I also wondered how long it would be before they changed it.
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the1bigboy said 5:08PM on 8-21-2007
Why do I keep thinking 'Victoria beckham'
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Nik Fletcher said 5:14PM on 8-21-2007
Heh. You guys read my mind. This one's from earlier in the month:
http://myskitch.com/nikf/apple__uk_and_ireland_-20070808-224213/
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john russell said 5:15PM on 8-21-2007
Why didn't they just go the route of the German site?
http://www.apple.com/de/
No possible references to eating disorders, and it still shows that the iMac is both thin and powerful. Works for me.
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MxSix said 5:22PM on 8-21-2007
I had the same exact reaction John. Guess many others did too.
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Dale said 5:31PM on 8-21-2007
@ the1bigboy
I don't know, but I suggest psychiatric help - that's a nasty thing to think about.
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leobolin said 5:32PM on 8-21-2007
The Swedish line http://www.apple.com/se/ also works. Translated, it reads "It can't be too thin. Or too powerful." Maybe they should just change "You" to "It" in English too?
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Jon said 6:24PM on 8-21-2007
I'm really pleased Apple changed it. And surprised they even went with it in the first place.
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snowy2004 said 6:31PM on 8-21-2007
Oddly enough, the French and Canadian French sites still have a tagline that translates to "You can never be too thin. Or too powerful."
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JoolsG4 said 6:23PM on 8-21-2007
For the US market I heard they were going to change it to:
"You're probably too fat to be powerful. The new iMac isn't"
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Jeff said 6:42PM on 8-21-2007
I thought they should have gone with slim. Thin is typically associated with weak.
I thought the whole tag-line was strange to begin with though, referencing the individual and not the computer.
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Johnny Thrash said 6:44PM on 8-21-2007
People really over analyze this stuff.
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Wolfie said 6:46PM on 8-21-2007
Kinda strange, don't ya think, that everyone's getting all PC over a Mac advert?
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Wes said 7:10PM on 8-21-2007
"But no one actually took it that way."
You'd be wrong on that front. This comes from a pro-anorexia message board.
http://board.ringsworld.com/quot-you-can-t-be-too-thin-or-too-powerful-quot-t14090.html
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Mr.Clicky said 7:11PM on 8-21-2007
Well, it's the kind of naive and dismissive comments made by (men) like the author that ultimately lead to people taking offence at this flippant sort of marketing. If you think eating disorders are some kind of joke Mike I suggest you take some time out from your computer and go meet some (women) who've had them. It's not that funny.
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aaron said 7:25PM on 8-21-2007
Yep, I must say that you came across as an ignorant, moronic, insensitive jerk in this post, Mike. Way to go.
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russdogg said 2:46AM on 8-22-2007
Yeah, and the other half of the tagline was offensive to steroid user everywhere.
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Michael Natale said 8:02PM on 8-21-2007
Ugh for the love of GOD when are people going to stop being afraid of *WORDS*?
If Apple decided to use "Hey Tubby, get off your fat-@#$ and go buy a Mac" as their marketing slogan I'm sure some pro-fat organization would complain about it.
Their only words, people. Lighten up.
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Simon Arch said 8:14PM on 8-21-2007
"You'd be wrong on that front. This comes from a pro-anorexia message board."
Okay, nobody with a BRAIN took it as an endorsement of anorexia.
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David said 8:17PM on 8-21-2007
What a joke. Please tell me you are kidding. ;-)
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