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Gold's Gym can't look at your nasty canklesGold's Gym and McKinney are making war on "cankles," a slang term for how an overweight person's calves don't narrow at the ankle. Gold's is ramping up efforts to warn consumers about this aesthetic affliction (which is, ironically enough, outpacing "muffin tops" and "saddlebags" as the No. 1 bathing-suit killer in America) with direct mail and a Web site, Say No to Cankles, where there's a contest in which people vote on who has the best legs in Hollywood. While the fitness chain considers this a fun, lighthearted way to tell people to get in shape, making fun of people's specific body parts for aesthetic reasons and then comparing them to celebrities who can afford nutritionists and personal trainers isn't really going to help. There's a line between highlighting obesity's health risks and flat-out ridiculing fat people. Getting rid of the celebrity stuff and the tacky Facebook applications will put Gold's Gym on the right side of it. |
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July 2, 2009 in Fitness, Gold's Gym, Health, Kiefaber, McKinney | Permalink |
Comments
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seriously nice eval. you make some good points. weight can be a really sensitive topic for a lot of people and this approach isn't likely to win over anyone whose self esteem has already hit rock bottom... way to punch people when they're down.
Posted by: e.r. | Jul 2, 2009 11:18:56 AM
plus, a lot of us fatties aren't the least bit worried about something as specific and minute as cankles (my legs are quite fit from carrying the rest of me around), but actually getting healthy and doing something about the giant donut around our middles.
Posted by: doozie | Jul 2, 2009 12:18:38 PM
As far as "cankles" go, you can blame that on weight but in my family's case we are sturdy. We are not "overweight" and still have these "cankles" ( a derivitive of the combination of calf + ankle). All those little light weight tippy-toe women who can't swing for that volley ball can just step aside as we take control to take the game. Screw you weak ankled wussies. You suck!!!
Posted by: screwthem | Jul 3, 2009 10:24:26 PM
Congratulations for the "cankles"! a term that is unique . Interesting to be entertainment for us!
> swap
Posted by: fitness gym | Jul 4, 2009 3:59:36 AM


