Fattie, fattie, 2X4

Now there is a controversial ad if I've ever seen one.  Let's discuss some of the various points of view at work:  One could say that it's not the meat that is bad for kids... it's the processed, fried meat that is bad for kids.  Another would agree with the photo.  Someone else would say that fat is simply hereditary.  Where do we think the truth lies?

I have many friends in the veg world, I was one of them for many years and loved being vegan.  Two of my closest friends are raising their kid vegetarian and he's the healthiest, most energetic kid I've ever known.  Plus, one of the skinniest times of my life was when I was vegan--but it isn't necessarily true for all because I have many heavy friends who are veg also.  I tried to make healthy decisions for every meal and be vegan at the same time, but it's not true for everyone.  It isn't cheap or easy to not eat animal products (especially in the great state of Texas).  Furthermore, eating healthy is making healthy decisions (i.e. being "veg" doesn't mean you get to eat brownies and mozz sticks all day, unfortunately).  A veg quesadillia could have upwards of 1200 calories where a 5oz sirlion and side of brocolli could have between 700-800 calories...which is really better?  Allowing an advertisement to suggest that going veg will fight obesity is a falsehood.

The bottom line is that there are multiple sides to every story.  I believe we need ads like these and ads like the cattle ranchers would put up portraying the benefits of beef.  Both are important because they push the envelope to each end of the spectrum so that the rest of us can fall into the middle category and be happy, healthy partakers of whatever we desire.  But don't blame your weight on cows--they're vegetarian too.

Assignment #2... fat barbie

fat barbie ad

So, I know we have already touched on the ramifications of societal views regarding self-image, but I felt the need to readdress the issue with this article.  Also, as the author of my own article, I must understand that for every individual on the planet, there is a separate opinion on weight issues--it's not as simple as a two sided or four sided argument.  To say that we have discussed the issue in class is to say that pouring a bottle of Fiji in the ocean is working to purify our planets water.  If you haven't opened the link yet, please take a second to do so.  I would have posted the pic directly into this article, but the link was the best I could do (BTW... I accidentally typed "oink" instead of "link" and even though it is the antithesis of what I'm trying to say, it made me giggle a lot).

I previously saw an episode of Oprah where they were discussing the effects of the internet on young girls with eating disorders.  A specialist on the show was saying that the web sites they visited headed banners that proclaimed, "Skinny Feels Better Than Food Tastes" and "When I Feel Hollow, I Feel Whole" among other mantras that encourage young girls, in particular, to continue on their journey to become anorexic.  Let me note that I do not recommend visiting those articles or sites because, according to a guest of the show, they are usually monitored by authorities to intercede for youth in trouble.

This ad depicts the opposite of that broadcast by helping show women that they can be happy in their bodies however they are built and it seems to encourage them to shop in this mainstream retail front, yet we have now banned the ad from running.

This mixed message that is being sent out is likely a source for the confusion and pressure put on our youth about weight issues.  There is constant barrage of conflicting ideas that hammer at our society and reinforce our stigmas and insecurities.

My family has a big issue with weight (OK, that pun was somewhat intended), so I can empathise with people battling this issue.  In my own life I have been everything from a 29 inch waist to a 38 and back to a 32 inch waist within a 2 year time frame.  The need to be healthy is a far and distant afterthought amidst the struggle to be accepted as an individual.  When do we stop the fight to be popular?  When do we stop picking at each other over looks and start joining together as a race that prefers people to be fit, not thin?  There is a battle against depression, obesity, anorexia, and many other compulsions... but is the battle waged because we want to be healthy as a society or because we want the popular girl in class to finally be nice to me?  Will our descendants revere us as the turning point when humans evolved into the healthy, improved us, or will we just blend into part of the problem?

We ask each other, "Why is this such a big debate?" or "why does Texas have the highest obesity rate in the world?", but our media hammers these issues into our brains at a very young age.  And aside from the media (personally, I didn't watch TV growing up), too many times food is no longer a means to sustain ourselves, but replaces emotional losses within our psyches.  How many millions of weigh issues stem from split homes or child abuse; maybe drug abuse, or maybe it's the anorexic girl who is already popular? When did the shift occur from "hunters and gatherers" into tee shirts that say "Hand over the chocolate and nobody gets hurt"?

Could it be that the media is just doing what most business owners do best?  They cater to their audience.  Maybe instead of fixing the advertisers who are just trying to make a paycheck, we need to examine our internal issues first and let the media cater to the new improved us.

The Cultural Artifact Pt 2: The Real Assignment

Discrimination has been a major issue for our society during most of recorded history.  Within the last several hundred years, we have struggled to move mankind forward and away from those antiquated feelings however slow the process may be.  As represented in this image, one of the most recent fights has been to encourage the acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle in modern society.

The author sends a message that these gay men are in a loving relationship that would be bonded by marriage if they were a straight couple.  Many commonplace values would insist that the allowance of these unions would challenge the sanctity of marriage or somehow alter the legitimacy of male/female unions.  However, most gay people simply want the legal recognition of their relationship.

If a person of another culture or a person of our future were to stumble upon this image, it could send several messages depending on the decision made by the public--since it still stands unresolved.  If we currently make a decision stating that it is wrong to allow same sex couples to marry, the debate could still be heated in 200 years.  Alternately, if the unions are allowed, a young person in 200 years could possibly see gay marriage as such commonplace that they could not understand why it was ever in question (much like we today perceive slavery).

It is my belief that regardless of the outcome from this particular situation, we will continue to challenge beliefs and ideas throughout the rest of human evolution on innumerable topics.  It is part of our nature and an exercise in our individuality to question and debate the circumstances of our collective lives.