Weight Loss, Anorexia, and Advertising

Now honestly, who would create an ad like this and honestly think “Yes, this is the type of woman who needs to lose 25 lbs.”

Not that this topic is new. The controversy over marketing, its effects on young women, the apparent rise in diseases like anorexia and bulimia and the subsequent need for eating disorder treatment programs has been with us for decades now.

This ad is simply one more example that either people are ignorant, people just don’t get it, or people don’t care. Shouldn’t they have put a big, fat woman in the ad? But then I suppose the people who are sensitive about fat people being portrayed as such in advertising would be up in arms, shouting and waving signs and demanding that fat people be accepted and loved for their fatness and not denigrated or exploited for corporate profit.

I’ll admit I think corporations push a lot of harmful messages on society, but I don’t think there’s a conspiracy. You’ve got Karl’s Jr. on one side pushing these huge burgers and glorying in it, making people fat, and then on the other side you’ve got the weight loss industry. It’s almost as if they keep each other in business.

On the other hand, it’s like cocaine–if people didn’t buy it, nobody would sell it. And at what point does personal responsibility come into play? It’s not as though people are so thoroughly stupid that they think they can eat McDonald’s every day without getting fat. And I don’t believe people are so challenged as to truly believe they can lose weight simply by wearing a patch. I think everyone knows what really works and what doesn’t, but they’re unwilling to admit it because it’s hard to eat sensibly, eat less, and exercise more. Trust me, I’m training for an Ironman, and I love food–especially ice cream and Swedish fish, so I know what it’s like to struggle to eat right and exercise consistently.

But still, the fact people are responsible for their own well-being doesn’t exempt companies that produce this kind of marketing. Not that I think it should be illegal or anything, but c’mon, have a heart and use some common sense.