Two weeks on from her very public red carpet sweat shaming, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts has had the last laugh it seems. Heart Radio breakfast DJ has become the very sweaty face of Extra Flamin’ Hot snacks.
As a brand proud of the physical reactions its spicy snacks stimulate, Extra Flamin’ Hot seized on the opportunity to celebrate what is a perfectly natural response to heat-by signing the sweaty star up to be the brand’s new dewy ambassador.
Paying no attention to those baiting her, the Pussycat Doll – munching on Extra Flamin’ Hot Doritos – wore a statement ‘Trend Sweater’ t-shirt as she proudly stood in front of a giant 10mx7m billboard of her sweaty face at today’s launch.
Looking for all the world like the (Pussy)cat who got the cream, Ashley put her pit patch fashion faux pas behind her as she unveiled the building-sized billboard. Simulating the effect of sweat, the mammoth billboard will pump 1000 litres of water over her face every few seconds for the next week.
This radical out-of-home is the first of its kind, placed at Truman Brewery in East London, and forms part of a wider campaign to make sweat stylish by working with models more associated with haute couture than hot crisps.
Proving that sweat – the universal side-effect of eating spicy food – can be worn with swagger, this high fashion ‘Hot Couture’ creative was shot by world-renowned photographer, RANKIN. This hero image of the campaign shows Ashley proudly sporting visible underarm sweat patches, embracing that which she was publicly shamed for in the media, just two weeks ago.
Running alongside the sweaty OOH, Extra Flamin’ Hot have released research about people’s perceptions of perspiration.
And the shocking stats that one in four Brits – 25% – have been ‘sweat shamed’ – actively had their sweat patches pointed out – in the past. Perhaps unsurprisingly, three quarters – 72%-say they feel uncomfortable when they visibly sweat, and 45% admit to feeling ashamed.
The least appropriate time to visibly sweat is on a first date at 52 percent-after all, one in four people describe excess sweating as a turn-off-followed by the first meeting someone for the first time at 39 percent, or when in a confined space, 36 percent.
A third of people-30 percent-think it’s OK to visibly sweat after consuming spicy food-think Extra Flamin’ Hot snacks.
Commenting on her role as the new sweaty face of Extra Flamin’ Hot, Ashley Roberts said: “What can I say? Over a quarter of people say they sweat after eating spicy foods and I’m one of them. I love the Extra Flamin’ Hot snacks and enjoy their heat – I honestly don’t care about the physical reactions. It’s natural and I don’t want anyone to feel ashamed of it.”
Available on Doritos, Walkers MAX, and Wotsits Crunchy, the hot new flavour has been inducing snack lovers’ sweat patches since its release earlier this year, and the brand expects this appointment will bring on the sweats for even more people.
Commenting on the appointment Rob Pothier Senior Marketing Manager for Extra Flamin’ Hot said: “We’ve taken Ashley from sweat shame to sweat fame. From her red carpet fashion faux pas to becoming the face of Extra Flamin’ Hot’s latest campaign, she has shown that sweat isn’t something to shy away from, but to embrace.
