Offensive?

New yogurt ads from Brazil have stirred up a swirl of controversy. The ads, for Itambé Fit Light Yogurt, feature classic scenes from Basic Instinct, The Seven-Year Itch and American Beauty with plus-sized models in place of Sharon Stone, Marilyn Monroe and Mena Suvari.

The tag line? "Forget about it. Men's preference will never change. Fit Light Yogurt." Reaction among bloggers has been decidedly mixed. On The AdBlog, reader sparksnsmoke writes: "I want to know the parent corporation so I can write them. Wow. Didn't think this kind of backwards thinking happened anymore."

And in a Newsvine posting titled, "Must we offend large women to sell them yogurt?" Thura writes: "Execution-wise it is fresh and different, but guys, you want women who think they may have a weight issue to buy your product – not stay away from it because of how you portrayed them." But others felt that the ads sent an unintentionally positive message. Writes Olga Moore on PopBytes: "Despite the meaning of the ads, those pictures of an XXL-size lady look good!

I asked my friends' opinion on them and 3 out of 5 guys said they find her very attractive!" Adds saintdevil: "When I saw those pics I thought the message was: 'Eating our yogurt will make you fat, beautiful and happy! Dig in!' "