It’s so good to be able to share another win with supporters. This one thanks to 13-year-old Melbourne teen Naomi, who spotted this billboard advertising the DFO at Morabbin Airport in Melbourne.
Naomi told her mother, long time supporter Gloria Anderson, who texted me the images and her daughter’s comments.
“I knew it was wrong because it was promoting anorexia, sending a message that you need to be skinny to be fashionable, which is obviously not true.”
I then posted on my Facebook pages and of course took to twitter.
DFO Morabbin appears to have missed the memo about the distressing levels of body hatred, disordered eating behaviours and the harmful impacts of dieting especially in our young women. This shocker spotted today on the corner of Lower Dandenong Road and Boundary Road for Moorabbin Airport DFO. Let them know what you think! Ph 03 95830344 and leave a msg on their FB page.
My colleague Sarah McMahon, co-founder of Collective Shout and Director of BodyMatters Australasia weighed in, posting this comment on DFO’s Facebook page:
Using an advertisement that pitches DFO as the solution to people who are “starving” (an obvious pun regarding eating disorders, body shame and the fashion industry) ultimately glamourises and trivialises what can be a life threatening mental health condition.
Eating disorders require professional, evidence based treatments for sufferers, and the broader issue of societal body shame requires an ongoing, strategic and sophisticated public health intervention.
Suggesting shopping at a DFO be the solution may seem innocent and lighthearted however ultimately it feeds into a dangerous message that leaves sufferers stigmatised, marginalised and unable to access the help they deserve.
Hi Melinda and Sarah,
We appreciate you tagging us and highlighting your concerns.
We sincerely apologise for any offence or distress this billboard has caused, it was certainly not our intention and a genuine mistake on our behalf.
The messaging that was installed on the billboard outside DFO Moorabbin was incorrect and was never meant to have been part of the DFO campaign. This billboard was installed by mistake, and we are working urgently to remove it today. This tagline was rejected by our team as it makes light of a serious mental health and wellbeing issue, and goes against our core value of embracing difference. The artwork was accidentally sent through for production as a result of human error.
We take the issues of eating disorders and body image very seriously. The wellbeing of our customers is of paramount importance to us, and we understand the role we play in promoting a healthy message for our customers, retailers and the wider community.
We hope we have addressed your concerns, and again, we are sorry for any upset or pain that this billboard may have caused you and members of the community, and we thank you for taking the time to let us know.
Regards, The DFO Moorabbin team
Shortly after, the company confirmed the billboard was taken down today.
It is natural to ask how such a serious error could be made, and if DFO is holding anyone in the company accountable. As supporter Jazz wrote on my personal Facebook page: “Glad to see they have made a genuine apology, but How does the ‘wrong’ artwork ‘accidentally ‘ get installed on a huge ass billboard?”
It’s a good question and important to consider so that the mistake doesn’t happen again. However, we appreciate the company’s quick action and accept their apology.
I hope this latest victory, propelled because of the concerns of people like you, encourages you to remain vigilant and keep up the fight!
And special thanks to Naomi.
