Keep Britain Tidy - "Butt Boxes"

Following her sweat patch red carpet wardrobe malfunction, Ashley and Extra Flamin’ Hot snacks have joined forces to celebrate sweat

Two weeks on from her very public red carpet sweat shaming, Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, has had the last laugh, it seems.

The 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.

Taking no notice of those who baited her, the Pussycat Doll, eating Extra Flamin’ Hot Doritos, sported a statement ‘Trend Sweater’ t-shirt while proudly standing in front of a giant 10m x 7m 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 liters of water over her face every few seconds for the next week.  

The radical out-of-home - a first of its kind - is located at Truman Brewery in East London, and is part of a campaign designed to make sweat stylish by working with models more associated with haute couture than hot crisps. 

Showing that sweat, a common side-effect when eating spicy food, can be worn with swagger, the high fashion ‘Hot Couture’ creative was shot by world-famous photographer, RANKIN. The campaign’s hero image features Ashley with visible underarm sweat patches, embracing that which she was publicly shamed for in the media, just two weeks ago.

Alongside the sweaty out of home, Extra Flamin’ Hot has released research on people's perspiration perceptions.

The startling stats showed 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 be caught visibly sweating is on a first date (52%) - afterall, one in four (24%) of people describe excess sweating as a turn off - followed by meeting someone for the first time (39%), or when in a confined space (36%). 

However, a third (30%) believe that it’s OK to be visibly sweaty after spicy food, like 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”

The hot new flavor, available across Doritos, Walkers MAX, and Wotsits Crunchy has been inducing snack lovers’ sweat patches since its release earlier this year, and the brand expects that 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.