LOLOLOLOL
From @TheFashionLaw:
Waist Gang Society LLC, the its Kardashian-endorsed “waist training” products company, has settled a $5 million deceptive marketing class action suit it was facing out of court. Plaintiff Sara Hawes alleged in her lawsuit, which was filed in March in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, a federal court in Los Angeles, Waist Gang Society sells a line of corsets that are marketed to women who want to burn fat and achieve a smaller waist. The problem: the company’s[sic] products do not live up to the claims made by in connection with their marketing.
Hawes alleged in her suit that while the “‘waist trainers’ do redistribute fat to other portions of the user’s body, thereby creating the perception of a fit and trim waist, however, Defendant claims that the Products actually burn fat and control the user’s weight,” which “is completely false and misleading. The Products have absolutely no effect on fat loss of the user.” Hawes claimed that Waist Gang Society takes its assertions about the products too far by claiming its reshaping products are made of a “unique latex material which attacks unwanted fat and impurities within your body.” She further claimed that she would have paid less for the waist training product – or not purchased it at all – if she had known that it did not promote fat loss as advertised. [source]
LOLOLOL
Okay.
No, wait.
LOLOLOL
There are a few things to take away from this story:
1) “[…]unique latex material which attacks unwanted fat and impurities within your body[…]” There is no such thing. Trust me. In order to do this, a product would have to bypass so many typical bodily functions and processes that it would have to be regulated by a federal agency. I know there are people slathering products on their body with the belief that it has the same effects… read my font: it doesn’t work.
These kinds of products lead people to believe it works, however, because they do manage to lose fat while using them. However, what cannot be ignored is the fact that these products, when purchased, trigger a kind of placebo effect that encourages the customer to step up their workouts and change their diets in hopes that the product will work… when the product would’ve never worked to begin with, but your diet change and exercise routine certainly did.
2) This company settled out of court for $5,000,000*. Meaning, they decided to pay for this lawsuit to go away. This company, that many of us would’ve never heard of it not for the Kardashians, settled a lawsuit about deceptive marketing out of court. That means that the Kardashians have enough influence to make or break companies. Buying an instagram photo—or ten—from Kim sure pays off, huh?
Snark aside, I hope people understand what I mean when I say we need to be careful about who we let influence our purchases. There’s a lot of money exchanging hands when it comes to these pretty pictures.
3)
4) People need to think very critically about what “fat redistribution” is and what it means. It doesn’t mean getting rid of the fat, and it doesn’t mean putting the fat where you want it. By all means, it’s okay to want an hourglass figure, or whatever kind of figure you desire. But the only way to ensure permanent, consistent, and maintainable weight loss is—well, let’s just say it doesn’t involve a waist trainer in any way.
5) Just say no to waist trainers. Period.
For more on waist trainers:
- Waist Trainers, Skinny Teas, and Supplements: Deconstructing Instagram’s Worst Fitness Scams
- The Case Against Working Out in Waist Trainers — Or Wearing Them At All
- True or False: There’s No Difference Between a Waist Trainer and Pregnancy
- 5 Reasons Your Body Fat Percentage is More Important Than Your Weight
*I erroneously typed that they settled for five million, but that’s not what happened—they settled a $5,000,000 case out of court for an undisclosed amount. I got all mixed up. My bad!