We're all for finding unconventional ways to work out and strength train (pumpkin dead-lifts, anyone?), but Pepsi's new dumbbell-shaped packaging takes it too far.
The soda brand recently unveiled its newest campaign for Pepsi Light, which is the name for Diet Pepsi in many countries outside the U.S. Depicted is a dumbbell-shaped bottle,and this new design implicitly suggests... well, we're not sure: That a light weight workout can compensate for an unhealthful drink? That Pepsi is a fitness-forward brand?
Whatever it is, we're not buying it.
Pepsi did not respond to requests for comment.
For those keeping score, regularly drinking "light" or diet sodas can lead to more belly fat, will make you more likely to eat other junk foods and increases the odds you'll be overweight or obese, is associated with depression and wreaks havoc on your dental health.
Meanwhile sugary, regular soda is thought to be the leading cause of Type 2 diabetes and may raise your risk for heart disease, dementia and gout, among other conditions.
Both types of soft drinks are devoid of any of any nutritional value and, because soda does not make you feel satiated, it may rev up your appetite for more empty calories.
You with us? While the special-shaped bottle appears to fit perfectly in a dumbbell rack, it does not fit into a healthy and active lifestyle.
While there's yet to be research on how marketing a product to look like exercise equipment affects sales, studies do show that when athletes endorse unhealthy products, it creates confusion.
"There's an implicit message that the athletes actually use these products, and that [the products] are healthy," Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician and director of the Center on Media and Child Health, said at the time of his study in 2013.
One might well conclude that a drink in the shape of a tool designed to make us more healthful is also good for you, too.
Related
Before You Go
