Are you ready boots? Start walkin’!
It’s time for get your brains working – it’s pseudo-science Friday!
This week’s topic is shoes-that-do-something-other-than-just-protecting-your-feet-from-dog-shit and other similar ‘buy me because I work’ products. We’ve all bought something because of an advert (or in my case begged to be part of a free trial for Easytones) because as women who wouldn’t want to look like this? (Or men, would you say no? No. I make my point well my friends).
But is it achievable? Is this advert realistic? Let’s look at the evidence.
1) Can you see any cellulite?
The answer is of course, No. This woman is airbrushed to an inch of her life. But it was still my first thought on seeing this advert and it must be the thought of many women. (Cellulite is pretty indestructible believe me…. I still have it despite copious amounts of supposedly miracle Rodial Bum creams).
Of course Reebok don’t say in their adverts that these trainers will get rid of cellulite but you buy these trainers because you want to believe… I still do.
2) Check out that ass
I don’t have an ass that looks like that… and neither do you. It looks exactly like two peaches in a mesh bag; in fact its exactly the same size as two peaches in a mesh bag.
Now to me having an ass that small looks uncomfortable. I don’t know about you but I sit on mine for approximately 10 hours a day (not counting sleep) so I want a bit of cushioning, a bit of padding. Plus if my man grabbed that he’d be wondering if I was having a sex change (and thanks to Mitch I no longer consider this a totally a bad thing).
But i’m realistic, padding, like an old sofa, droops as you get older. We all need a little help in this department, to keep it up there. I refuse on principle to wear Spanx. UGLY. But I don’t want to be appearing on peopleofwalmart.com coming out of my local Asda. So anything that offers to help is welcome in my book.
3) Is she actually doing anything?
Well, apart from standing up, talking on the phone, not so much. There are no gym clothes in sight. This advert screams at you that these trainers work without you having to do anything (although she better watch out she doesn’t trip over that cord).
So, all I need to do is walk, or stand, or push the Hoover around whilst wearing them? Excellente – as a couch potato (and one that would never make it to a 5K), this is officially a win in my book. These shoes have officially been re-branded as the perfect shoes for lazy-asses-like-smidge.
4) A later advert here gives actual figures.
I like figures. I like refusing to give my weight in kilos (over a hundred, surely that’s wrong?) rather than stones. I like measuring my waist in the same way. Bigger inches are always better than smaller centimetres.
So a 28% improvement on my ass and 11% on my legs but without the nasty workout (and the gear and fat men)? This sounds pretty damn good to me. Ok, I don’t believe these figures are in anyway possible to achieve just by wearing a pair of shoes… and only walking. But I still want to believe.
Anyways …here comes the pseudo-science bit.
I have yet to notice any bodily changes since getting my Easytones. But mind changes, that’s a different matter. Since having the shoes I have made an effort to walk to work every day rather than catching the bus. I even walk to my dance class in them (and then change when I get there). Anything that has got me off my padded ass is worth it in my book.
Plus they aint ugly like Sketchers.
Have you ever bought something just because of the advert even though you know its blatantly an (aspirational) lie?
There were shoes in that advert?
I haven’t noticed any body changes yet but my god they make my legs ache!
Also, those Sketchers must be the ugliest shoes in existence. They look like they’re corrective shoes. Sad face.
How rude
I’ll just take my Sketchers and go then
Mascara. I am always conned into buying the new mascara by the adverts, even when I KNOW they won’t make my eyelashes look like the ones on the model because hers are FAKE.
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I have to agree with Sam’s comment – I do that with mascara all the time. And have you noticed now they have to SAY in the adverts that the model is also wearing lash inserts??? About bloody time.
As for the Easytones . . . I’ve not been walking in mine, but I have been doing my workouts in them. I’ve tried the Shred dvd, the strength training part of one of the Davina DVDs and a kettlebell dvd using them, all of which involve lots of squats . . . and it’s like TWICE the workout. I can’t SEE a difference but I can sort of FEEL it, if that makes sense?
I am a sucker for adverts. Anti wrinkle creams and ‘flawless’ foundations are my weakness. I am convinced by pseudo-scientists reeling off chemical names to me. One day something will work, surely? :)
I’m still waiting for my shoes – but the bra top is *magic*, so much more comfortable than my specialist sports bra. So if the shoes are half as good, I’m going to be a happy bunny. And yeah, I want her legs!!!
I so want a pair of those! The sketchers ones look like the platform trainers I used to wear in the 90′s (yeah, I was a cool kid! :D) but these actually look really cool! Never mind results, I wanna do what the cool kids do! :(
I don’t think I’ve ever bought anything just because adverts say so. I’m an eternal pessimist, thinking nothing will ever work and that all adverts are lies. After doing several courses in marketing, my doubts have only been confirmed.
NO! I lie!
I bought those werthers chocolatey things. Totally not worth it.
xx
The Sketchers look like orthopaedic shoes. So bad. So so so wrong.
“Cute girl, shame about the ortho issue…”
And I wish we measured in kilos here. 59 sounds skinnier than 130. But I’m glad my waist doesn’t measure near 80…
oh, and the mascara! Do you have that Cover Girl commercial with Drew Barrymore running right now? I’m all like “those can’t be fake! Drew is such a hippie child. She would never don fake lashes.”