We Can Get Down With This Vandalism

Vandalism is usually punishable by law — in Singapore you can get caned for it — but, once in a while, defacing something can actually improve the overall message. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a billboard ad for plastic surgery was recently vandalized. Now, instead of being shamed for belly fat, residents are reminded that they're beautiful every time they drive by. As polarizing as vandalism can be, judging by the community's initial reaction to the billboard, they seem to be siding with the vandals.

Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery debuted its controversial billboard in May to throngs of criticism. The ad features two muffins wearing jeans with the slogan "Friends don't let friends muffin top." When the company posted the billboard to its Facebook page asking people what they thought, comments like "tasteless and rude" and "tacky and humorless" reflected the overall sentiment toward the advertisement.

Apparently someone with spray paint and guts agreed, because the sign was painted over with the message "You're beautiful." One commenter on Facebook pointed out, "I love the new upgrade to your sign much better since You're Beautiful was added!"

What's worse is that Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery is a repeat offender. The company's last billboard was equally panned. The ad featured two cups of coffee, one smaller one labeled B and one larger one labeled D, with the slogan "Size matters." In response to the new muffin top ad, one Facebook user commented, "That's just as bad as the other one you guys put up......I think you need to hire new advertising people!"

A representative of the plastic surgery practice tried to explain the humor behind the ad with this totally condescending message:

Which was met with this well-said response:

It's a rare occurrence, but in the case of Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery's ad, the community saw the vandalism as an improvement to the original billboard.

Images: Tk Ghiloni/Twitter