CAMPAIGN CRITICIZED
Local group says TTC’s new initiative promotes false body ideals,
If you’ve ever found riding the subway at rush hour to be something less than graceful, you’re not alone.
The TTC’s new promotional partnership with the National Ballet — dubbed We Move You — is drawing criticism from one organization that says it perpetuates “unrealistic and highly regimented bodies as some sort of an ideal of ‘beauty.’ ”
The campaign, which officially launched Thursday, shows dancers from the National Ballet of Canada dancing and posing at TTC locations.
But Jill Andrew, co-founder of the Body Confidence Canada Awards, worries the images send the wrong messages about what healthy, confident humans should look like.
“My experience as a racialized woman, as a fat woman, I’ve been called an f-ing fat black b---- on the TTC,” she said. “Is this video really moving me? Is this video at all depicting me on the move?”
She said she doesn’t disagree with promoting Toronto’s arts and culture scene; she just wants to see a focus on imagery that represents who Torontonians really are.
“The body types of most ballet dancers do not adequately represent those of most Canadians and, I dare say, most TTC users,” she said. “This is simply an opportunity to reflect on who is being left out by an ad campaign such as this.”
Stuart Green, a spokesperson for the TTC, said the commission is proud of the partnership.
Green said the TTC does similar partnerships with a organizations such as the Raptors and the Toronto FC. With those promotions, which also featured athletic bodies, bodyimage hasn’t been an issue.
He also pointed to the TTC’s involvement with the annual Pride celebrations and the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
“That’s an area where there would have been a whole host of nationalities and athletic abilities highlighted.”