Is this "Plastic Surgery Barbie" App for kids a sick joke?

At the iTunes store, it's described like this:

This unfortunate girl has so much extra weight that no diet can help her. In our clinic she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful. We'll need to make small cuts on problem areas and suck out the extra fat. Will you operate her, doctor?

The developer, Corina Rodriguez, is behind a range of cartoonish and oddly medicalized Apps apparently aimed at girls, such as "Barbie Dentist & Barbie Dress up" and "Leg & Foot Surgery & Doctor & Hospital Office for Barbie".

@everydaysexism is currently trying to organize a Twitter protest to have the game, which is marketed to age 9 and up, removed from iTunes.

In the interest of pseudojournalism, I downloaded the free App and played it for as long as I could stomach (pun intended). As expected, it mostly delivers a barrage of pop up ads. But in between, and scored by awful stock music, you are actually taken through the steps of a cartoon liposuction using a manual bicycle pump:

I didn't stick around for the facelift.

The most offensive lottery ad of the day

This sexist crap, by BBDO, Düsseldorf, won a Gold Lion at Cannes as part of a campaign about how winning the Westdeutsche Lotterie can transform your life (or in this case, maybe "wife"?)

Rubenesque beauties in need of cosmetic surgery?

Neither does cynicism, apparently. At least when it comes to surgically imposing beauty standards.

Ad by Brandbox Branding & Creative, Uzbekistan.

Via Ads of The World

Happier endings through plastic surgery

Ads of The World featured this rather unsettling campaign for a Venezuelan cosmetic surgery clinic. 

Who needs a fairy godmother when you can just go under the knife?

I am aware that attitudes towards cosmetic surgery are different in South America. And I get the concept. But the unintended message to children is, at best, really unfortunate.

This is how they sell Italian cars in Argentina #FdAdFriday

With boobs.

Well, that's no surprise. But what is baffling is the way this ad (via Copyranter) spends so little time talking about cars, and so much time talking about boobies. Plus, its pro-surgery, anti-natural slant is pretty damn offensive:



The only thing I did like about the ad was the way it visually referenced one of the most referenceable movies of all time.
(The music is more like Bob Dylan's "The Man in Me" from the title sequence.) Related: This is how they sell Italian sports cars in Germany

Tit, tatt, d'oh!

According to Ads of the World, this pension ad for a Norwegian pension fund is the biggest thing on the "viral" circuit this week:



Created by TRY, the ad certainly stands out. But how do you feel about it? Especially if you're one of my many friends who have ink?

Bad tattoos are a staple of schadenfreude on the Internet, with sites like Tattoo Disasters. But some of the tatts on the models in the spot are quite expressive and artistic. I'm not into body art for myself, but I feel like the anti-tattoo mockery is ill placed. Especially since the old man at the end is the only one with a permanent display that was guaranteed not to age well.

As for the boob jobs, well... the less said the better.

I wonder how the talent feels now about the way they were portrayed?