In Big, Beautiful Strokes, Vandal Tags ‘Muffin Top’ Billboard

Friends don’t let friends make fun of “muffin tops,” that abdominal spillover that results from a few extra pounds or a too-tightly cinched waistband.

That’s the takeaway after Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery’s billboard near Jackson was vandalized over the weekend.

It originally pictured a pair of muffins with the message, “Friends don’t let friends muffin top.”

Over the weekend, someone X-d out the message with spray paint and added a new one: “You’re Beautiful,” MLive/the Jackson citizen Patriot reports.

It’s a punctuation mark on a discussion that has been raging on the Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery Facebook page since the billboard was unveiled in May.

Some folks loved it.

“I’m not insulted - it’s all in good humor,” Erika Davis posted. “It’s nice to have plastic surgery as an option.”

Others, not so much.

“Not a fan,” Tracy Mollette posted. “I still think it makes people feel bad about their appearance. I would love to see an after picture of someone after they were hurt or a birth defect. You know the whole reason for plastic surgery. But what do I know, I have multiple college degrees and see first hand what type of damage these types of signs do to young people.”

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Others found it distasteful, but defended the right of the plastic surgery practice to choose the message displayed on space it had paid for the right to use.

“Personally it is distasteful,” posted Jonathan Edward Boggs. “I am a overweight individual and strongly opposed to this type of service offered. But to each their own. That being said they paid for it so they bought the right to advertise however they want as long as they do not break any laws.”

But, he added,”I would also like to buy the right to place a billboard right under that one and simply express my thought on how they are mocking people all in the name of advertisement.”

The practice defended itself, noting “plastic surgery is not for everyone,” and explaining “this ad is not to offend anyone. It’s simply to get people to chuckle. Try to see the lighter side of this ad.”

George Mohring posted a picture depicting a billboard featuring a rotund man exposing his belly as he stood on top of a muffin. The message: “Friends don’t prey on the low self-esteem of others or degrade the natural beauty of the human body for profit.”

It’s not the first dust-up for the company, which removed its “size matters” billboard, which showed two coffee cups, a smaller one marked with the letter B and the larger one with the letter D.

The practice apologized, a move several users said wasn’t necessary, arguing that size does matter among clients seeking augmentation.

“... While I am sure that you do amazing things to help others, I am also certain that the majority of folks who come to you are looking for the very thing you were advertising,” posted Becky Mauldin. “You did it tastefully (I was expecting explicit rated-R images or body shaming, etc., when I heard of the ‘scandal). And while I don’t think I would personally ever elect to have plastic surgery, my first thoughts when I saw it? Hilarious! …”

Together, the two billboards earn a #fail in one Facebook fan’s mind.

“That’s just as bad as the other one you guys put up,” Ashley Urbaniak posted. “I think you need to hire new advertising people.”

Photo: Ann Arbor Plastic Surgery Facebook page