Weight Watchers Mag: Now On the Body-Posi Bandwagon

In the May/June issue of Weight Watchers magazine, 11 woman have posed semi-nude (or nude altogether) to help promote the brand's new message of body positivity at any size. In the Adweek article, editor Theresa DiMasi said the the body acceptance story was inspired from WW readers and/or members. "One thing we hear over and over again is that life doesn't start until you're 30 pounds thinner. For women, this negative self body talk keeps coming up over and over. But one of the things that happens in Weight Watchers is that, along your journey, you start accepting yourself. You start talking about yourself positively and building a new outlook on your body." This inclusiveness is quite the shift from Weight Watchers most of us remember. At the risk of sounding like Carrie Bradshaw, one can't help but wonder if WW feels responsible for reinforcing the message its members were receiving. The commercials of yesteryear promoted a new life AFTER Weight Watchers (read: weight loss). Like this one. Or this one . The Lynn Redgrave WW commercials promoted her after-weight-loss body with the catchphrase "THIS is Living" while hawking its revolutionary microwavable dinners in classic '80s fashion. While it's still the most popular weight-loss program, now powered by Oprah , it's recognizing its old ways won't work if they plan on keeping the crown. The body-acceptance initiative is coming from the top, and it would be interesting to see how the Meeting Room Leaders will interpret it. Will they still share gems like this, as heard at a WW meeting back in the '90s: "You know what chocolate tastes like. You don't need it. Have some tuna fish instead."