Weight Watchers slammed over sex campaign

The campaign has been criticised for marketing the idea that if you're overweight you don't have an optimal sex life but would if you lost weight. Photo / Getty

According to new research by Weight Watchers, a lack of body confidence means many women choose to keep the lights off while getting intimate, while others avoid sex altogether.

In order to shed light on their new findings, Weight Watchers sent a light bulb as part of their pitch to female journalists in Australia.

But the "mood light designed to give you a little boost in the bedroom" has fallen flat, with some women questioning whether it was a good idea.

How many people thought this was an okay idea before it arrived on my desk as a piece of PR pic.twitter.com/7tH37yyqsS

— Bridie Jabour (@bkjabour) October 14, 2016

Bridie Jabour, who is an assistant news editor for Guardian Australia, posted a photo of the light bulb to Twitter.

In a description on the box, the "mood light" is described as "a PG sex toy, if you will".

"We hope it helps you start seeing yourself in a new light - to love how you look and love how you feel," the packaging continued.

Ms Jabour captioned her thoughts on the bulb alongside a photo: "How many people thought this was an okay idea before it arrived on my desk as a piece of PR".

Others online criticised the Weight Watchers campaign in general, with one person writing: "Weight Watchers Black campaign seems to involve marketing the idea fat ppl [sic] don't have optimal sex lives & would if they lost weight.

"It's based on shame, stigmatisation and stereotyping."

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Weight Watchers said:

'Weight Watchers understands this is a topic which can spark emotion, but knows it's something some of its Members - and the general public - want to talk about.

"Weight Watchers believes it has a role to play in equipping women with the tools and support they need to live their best lives and make lasting lifestyle changes, which improve their holistic physical and emotional well-being."

The research focused on how body confidence can impact a woman's sex life.

It found that 63 per cent of Australian women believe a good sex life is important to well-being, but also reported that over half (52 per cent) admitted that a lack of body confidence meant the lights were left off when it came to sex.

Not only that, but the study also found that 39 per cent of women admitted to having negative body thoughts at least once a day, while two in three (61 per cent) of the nation's females felt their sex life had been impacted by poor body confidence in the past year.

Weight Watchers Black is a three-month approach for new Weight Watchers members to make healthier choices. It features content from sexologist and relationship expert Dr Nikki Goldstein. To find out more, click here.