PETA Launches Curious Attack on the Overweight

PETA has rolled out a new ad campaign that does not sit well with the more portly among us, the Huffington Post reports. A billboard in Jacksonville, Fla., features a cartoon of an overweight woman in a bikini with the message: “Save the whales, Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian.” One blogger calls the ad “fat-shaming” and says “PETA owes the residents of Jacksonville a serious apology.”

“This is exactly what you would expect,” a blogger fumes. "No empathy for humans whatsoever, just a lot of BS about how vegetarianism will make fat people just a little bit less of a blight on humanity.” PETA is serenely oblivious to any controversy. “Anyone wishing to achieve a hot ‘beach bod’ is reminded that studies show that vegetarians are, on average, about 10 to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters,” it says. “We're not trying to insult anyone,” says a campaigner. “This is a life-saving message.” (More PETA stories.)