The Pink Patch Needs to Be Patched Up
Creators of Joe Camel and other very childish ads for very dangerous products would love the ad campaign for new weight loss drug, the Pink Patch. Surfing the web the past couple of months, I keep coming across the disturbing series of banner-ads at the tops of my favorite websites. You’ve probably seen ads for the Pink Patch, too, and perhaps your curiosity was also tickled by the bright pink, sparkly banner saying “Lose those pesky 5 pounds!” Normally I have no problem ignoring the continuous onslaught of weight-loss ads that I encounter online. These particularly caught my attention however, because they are unabashedly targeted towards young women and seem to be on every single website I visit.
Upon clicking on the ad (yes, my curiosity won me over), I was directed to the Pink Patch website. Wading through the hot pink text and smiling underweight models, I searched for concrete information on what active ingredients the patch actually contains and how it may work. Instead, I was encountered with countless and insulting implications about my personal body image and the importance of being “skinny”. I was promised “the hottest body and the dream life!” Not only was I insulted by their direct association between thinness and happiness, but the absurd promise of a “dream life” in large, hot pink italics was sickeningly similar to a Barbie advertisement. This only emphasizes the ads appeal to the youngest generation of eating disorder victims. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, eating disorders frequently appear during adolescence or young adulthood, but reports indicate that they can develop during childhood as well. Scrolling down, the site then asks me if my body makes me feel depressed. No, Pink Patch, it’s the proliferation of drug-pushers like you, feeding off of young women’s insecurities that makes me depressed!
The patch supposedly works by releasing the “natural herbal” ingredients into your blood system at a constant rate, which will somehow decrease your appetite. The ingredients listed on the site are Fucus Vesiculosus, Extrac, 5-HTP, Guarana, Zinc Pyruvate, Yerba Mate, Flaxseed Oil, Lecithin, L-Carnitine. I have never heard of any of these substances being effectively released into the blood stream through the skin, nor having significant weight-loss capabilities. The safety and efficacy of this product have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug administration. I have so far been unable to find any studies from reliable sources that discuss the safety or efficacy of this product. According to WebMD, 5-HTP has not been proven to effectively promote weight loss and is under constant scrutiny for safety. In larger doses, 5-HTP may have a negative effect on the liver. Yerba Mate has not been proven to promote weight loss. Some case reports of poisoning (leading to hospitalization) with this agent have been reported and excessive use may be linked to cancer of the esophagus. Guarana speeds up the brain’s activity and is used to promote weight loss due to its stimulant and diuretic effect. However, some of the extracts of guarana have been known to cause prolonged bleeding and interact with blood thinner medication. Side effects from guarana may include nausea, dizziness and anxiousness. The Mayo Clinic warns us that “dietary supplements and weight-loss aids aren’t subject to the same rigorous standards as are prescription drugs or medications sold over-the-counter. Thus, they can be marketed with limited proof of effectiveness or safety. Vendors can make health claims about products based on their own review and interpretation of studies without the authorization of the FDA.”
The Pink Patch site repeatedly urges you to try a free one week supply. Young women stumbling upon this site might think that there is no harm in ordering the free trial, but this is wrong for so many reasons. Most basically, people should be wary of any site that asks for their credit card information when ordering free trials. Posts from young women on various chat sites (Yahoo! Answers, handbag.com, etc.) have shown that people often have trouble getting thepinkpatch.com to stop billing them after the initial shipping and handling fee. Financial concerns aside, ordering the Pink Patch may only deepen a young woman’s frustration, desperation, and body image issues when it ultimately fails to help her lose weight. In the unlikely case that it does work to help her lose weight, we still don’t know enough about the safety of the product or the long-term side effects. The best-case scenario is that the product is effective and safe, but this still leads to disillusionment for the girl that realizes being skinny hasn’t made her any happier because she still never learned to love herself from the inside.
Girls considering the Pink Patch need to immediately assess their own self esteem and bodily health. If you are actually overweight and would like to lose weight in order to be healthier, there are infinite ways to enjoy exercise and nutritional foods to reach your goal. If you are already within a normal weight range and are considering the Pink Patch to get “skinny,” you need to realize that skinny girls aren’t automatically happy girls. You would be much better off learning to love your body and take care of it in a healthy way!
For young women looking for tips on healthy weight management, I recommend Weight-control Information Network site for teenagers, which can be found at http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/take_charge.htm. The site also includes a list of other useful resources that you may want to read if you would like to lose weight.
For more information on healthy body image, check out these ten steps to a positive body image from the National Eating Disorder Association: http://www.stuaff.niu.edu/csdc/10STEPBI.pdf
Great post! I’ve linked to it in my own post on the topic, triggered by finding their ad on MySpace.
http://theblogthatatemanhattan.blogspot.com/2008/04/pink-patch-irresponsible-advertising-on.html
Comment by TBTAM — April 8, 2008 @ 10:28 pm
Mary,
I am sorry to hear of your troubles w/Lupus, I am familiar as I do disability claims.Glad to hear you are coping and still working. BTW-after more than 20 yrs, finally got to see, again, Midnight Offerings. You were great!! Saw it when I was 10 (1981). I nicknaed it Little House in Praire vs the Waltons. Ok, could not resist. Anyway, best to you!
Comment by Chris Campbell — April 9, 2008 @ 12:32 pm
I completely agree with what you are saying. I am being driven mad by the amount of spam I keep receiving promoting this silly ‘no better than a plaster’ gimmick to losing weight. As ever in life, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Hopefully, this will soon go the same way as Atkins and disappear from our screens.
Comment by Rachel O — April 10, 2008 @ 6:51 am
Thanks your responses to this post! I checked out “The Blog that ate Manhattan” (see first comment for link) and she has also written and excellent article on the pink patch! I recommend checking it out, as well.
Comment by Marian Sadler — April 10, 2008 @ 10:51 am
Again, thank you for the information on this and the links.
“Sickeningly similar to a Barbie ad”… that’s exactly what I was thinking. What is up with the color pink these days? It seems like its everywhere (amongst the sheep) right now. It makes me want to ralph. Do you think it really all starts when we are babies and they tell you pink is for girls and blue is for boys? (and don’t you dare try to cross that line or you will be ostracized!)
Oh, the constructions of gender… they say that pink means p*ssy; is that a subliminal suggestion/reference to lack of strength or to lack of penis? Hmmmm… or both… I wouldn’t be surprised if you also found phallic symbols or abstract castration images within the ad as well.
The fact that this ad was on myspace really drives it home and strengthens my belief in limiting, monitoring and filtering your (and especially your kids’) media intake.
My message to parents and to those in a position to teach (a student, a friend, a lover, anyone) is this: Turn off the TV and turn on public radio. Read more and look at yourself in the mirror less. Make a real and sustained effort to dialogue frequently with your loved ones about the dangers of ignorance and the “buy me buy me!” distractions.
Comment by megpie — April 19, 2008 @ 2:31 pm
I have tried this pink patch and i lost half a stone, i feel great and i’m not snapping at anyone anymore. I found it ok, however i have also been reading the reviews and losts of people are saying that it’s hard to cancel the transaction. But i will tell you wen my second set comes through as i will probably cancel it after that, i don’t need to lose to much. Also i did throw up one day wasn’t sure whether it was because of a migraine orr the patch. I didn’t want to eat much but i felt better for it, i didnt want any sweets or anything like that. I hope this helps.
Comment by Jayne — April 29, 2008 @ 6:51 am
Since I need to “lose 5 pesky pounds”—but I’m 70, I guess I’m not a candidate for the Pink Patch. My main
reason for writing, Chris, is to suggest that you change the font that you are using. I scrunches the letters together
and is difficult to read. It could be a “pitch” issue (10 instead of 12?).
Comment by Medsec — April 30, 2008 @ 6:24 am
Yes!! its marketing is all wrong, but I have been on the Pink Patch a month now and I have lost nearly a stone!!!!!
I am 40, and have been borderline obese for several years! So I decided to try this patch and its worked so wonderfully for me!! My bloodpressure has dropped, my PMS has compleatly gone, and I get no pre-menstral acne anymore!!! I feel better than I have done in years!
Please don’t nock somthing that could possibly be of benifit to thousands of obese people like myself…would it not be better to give the Pink Patch a try, and let people decided for themselves? It dosen’t work for everyone!
Also it is NOT hard to cancel the auto ship!!
Here in the UK you just call a number and they cancel it with NO HASSLE, and no pressure selling! I cancelled my auto ship simply because they are cheaper off ebay!
But I will be using the Pink Patch for a long time to come!
Comment by Vicky — May 29, 2008 @ 4:20 am
Hi, Following your thought provoking article, I wrote to AOL and this was the response I got - great result - too bad the ads were on there for so long. Thanks. MN
Thank you for your email of 2 July regarding advertisements for pinkpatch.co.uk which have appeared on AOL services. I apologise for the delay in replying.
We have discussed this matter with the advertiser and the Advertising Standards Authority. The Advertising Standards Authority has confirmed that it will pre-clear any further advertising from this advertiser. In the meantime further advertisements for this particular client have been withdrawn.
We take feedback from our customers very seriously and were concerned to hear your comments. We are reviewing the creative used in the advertisements you referred to carefully with the advertiser.
Sent on behalf of the Director of Policy, AOL Europe
AOL UK Ltd
advertisingenquiries@corp.aol.com
Visit http://mediaspace.aol.co.uk/
From: MN
Sent: 02 July 2008 10:34
To: enquiries, advertising; enquiries@asa.org.uk
Subject: Please remove damaging advertising for Pink patch
Dear Sir / Madam,
Re: http://micro.thepinkpatch.co.uk/s-Paol300BT10h_V2/lp
As a middle aged woman with a young daughter, I have been horrified that you advertising the Pink patch so excessively without much care or responsibility. I have read several articles on the web from other readers equally distressed and I will copy the links to these as they are already so well written and researched. I myself have posed as a customer and subsequently have asked to cancel my subscription in order to test the ethics of the organisation. I look forward to a reply and to the removal of this very unhelpful and damaging advertising.
Please read the following for comprehensive outline of why this is damaging and harmful advertising with unsubstantiated benefits and product not regulated.
http://beautyandthebreast.org/2008/04/08/the-pink-patch-needs-to-be-patched-up/273
http://theblogthatatemanhattan.blogspot.com/2008/04/pink-patch-irresponsible-advertising-on.html
Your sincerely,
MN- London
Comment by MN — August 9, 2008 @ 2:32 am