Gillette's new Venus advert sparks fat phobia debate with choice of model

Gillette's latest advert has sparked a fat phobia debate after the razor brand chose a plus-size model to front their new campaign.

Body-positive influencer and author Anna O'Brien was chosen by Gillette to feature in a social media post showing the model splashing around in the sea.

Alongside the picture were the words: "Go out there and slay the day."

However the inclusion of Anna - also known as Glitter and Lazers - prompted a huge response from people criticising her weight and claiming it promoted and glorified obesity.

Trolls targeted the post and some social media users even commented they had family members who they had lost because they were overweight.

One person wrote: "Hey Gillette this not healthy at all, people of this size run the risk of early death due to heart failure and many more health issues."

Another commented: "There is nothing empowering about the risks associated with obesity! Celebrating destructive behaviour is irresponsible!"

While another said: "Yes let's promote morbid obesity. Very responsible campaign."

Gillette responded by tweeting: "Venus is committed to representing beautiful women of all shapes, sizes, and skin types because ALL types of beautiful skin deserve to be shown.

"We love Anna because she lives out loud and loves her skin no matter how the “rules” say she should display it."

Many also made comments on Anna's health and lifestyle and claimed she would have many health problems because of her weight.

However the comments on the social media post were not all negative and some applauded Anna for representing all body types.

One person wrote on Twitter: "Dear Anna, I sure as heck hope you aren’t reading the comments but in case you are, I want you to know I love your swimsuit in this photo and I wish we were friends cuz you look hella fun (and beautiful!)"

While another said: "She will exist whether you care or not. Don’t veil your fatphobia with fake concerns about her health.

"You don’t know her, you don’t know what she’s doing for her health. She could be working out everyday, she could be doing nothing. Either way she shouldn’t need to hide herself."

Anna regularly posts pictures of her posing in a bikini in exotic locations and has previously called out body shamers.

In her most recent post on Instagram Anna wrote: "So this weekend I went viral yet again because some random people didn’t like my body and had nothing better to do than to make sure everyone knew it.

"Normally, this would have stressed me out to no end, and I’d find myself refreshing all the things as the drama unfolded while simultaneously being distraught by the uncomfortable uncertainty these situations can create.

"However this weekend was different. Ironically, for most of this mess I had no clue it was actually going on. I was too busy meeting awesome people, learning about the future, filming shenanigans, and flipping people over my back.

"LA wasn’t just an amazing experience- it provided a unexpected shield of protection and safety from the chaos."