Image via Washington post
If you haven’t read this article, please go do that now then continue reading this.
I’ll try to address this post from a few different angles: my inner fat kid, my inner advertiser and my blunt side.
My Inner Fat Kid
I was never severely overweight but at times in my life I probably looked similar to this kid on the left. It sucked, being a chunky kid. My mom bought me “husky” jeans and I was never as fast or as strong as any of my other friends, so it seemed. I can remember some of the insults hurled my way by one particular redneck kid (who probably got busted for making meth later in life). He’d say things like, “Fag,” “Faggot,” “Gay,” or “Gay-wad.” Kids can be cruel. Luckily I never let this dude get to me too much but that’s not the case for other kids. The guy insulting me had no basis for those insults except I was a chunky, timid kid. I can’t imagine it’s gotten any easier for kids these days. I never really lost that weight until I started playing soccer in high school and began running a lot. It made me feel good about myself. Losing that weight improved my self image. It sucks that losing weight made my self image improve. I should’ve been okay with myself no matter what. It did make me realize that being okay with yourself doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to be better physically, mentally, and emotionally.
All that to say, I’ve still never really gotten over feeling like a fat kid. In my head I’m still that kid, sometimes, and that isn’t easy. I know what it’s like to be the kid in these images. Looking back I know that the reason I was chunky is because my mom let me order & eat two Sonic cheeseburgers when I was 8 years old. It wasn’t my fault at that age. Once I became aware of how to control eating that much food & the affects exercise had on my body it became my responsibility to be a healthier person.
My inner fat kid really isn’t bothered by these ads. It’s hard to be reflective and view it from a child’s stance but I can only hope that it sparks a conversation between kids like myself and their parents. I can only hope that other kids who pick on the chunky kids will see that these kids don’t understand why they are the way they are anymore than the skinny kids do.
My Inner Advertiser
I’m in love with this ad. It pushes the boundaries. It challenges us. It gets conversation started, probably more than those really nice, “My pretend friend Shrek likes to go outside & play so I should do the same!” billboards because guess what, exercise isn’t the only key to being healthy. Many people go on exercise plans and completely ignore their diet. Yes, there are a number of different reasons for people’s excess in weight but I’m willing to guess that at nearly 90% of overweight children could see change in their bodies with a change in their diet.
This campaign leaves nothing to question, the point is made and done so quickly. As a graphic designer/advertiser I get it. It makes sense to me. It’s way more interesting than just about anything else they could’ve done. I also understand that positive reinforcement is generally a better idea than negativity, but I kind of see it like this: so far our positive, neat little messages aren’t working, so it’s time for someone to step the game up, start conversations, and create some change.
My Blunt Side
I’m all for having a positive body image and getting rid of the stigma towards overweight individuals, but at some point we have to stop coddling and say, “Enough is enough. You’re overweight and that’s unhealthy. If it’s absolutely something you can’t help, then I’m sorry, you’re kind of screwed in the whole thing & I hope that people don’t judge you based on that. However, if it is something you can change, it needs to change.” Being overweight isn’t healthy. Whether it’s caused by your diet, your genetics, medication side effects, disease, whatever, it’s just not healthy. At some point it’s going to take a toll on your body. Your heart is going to get pissed, your organs will stop functioning properly , your muscles will get weaker, and you’ll die. That happens to all of us but being overweight only increases the chances of those things happening at a faster rate.
And I know, we don’t all need to be skinny-minnies because that’s not healthy either. Girls, especially girls, I’m not saying you need to be tiny to be sexy or healthy, that’s just not true. I know plenty of people who aren’t skinny that are really sexy, healthy individuals and I don’t want to rip you of that or make you feel like something needs to change because it doesn’t. Guys as well, we don’t have to be cut with six packs and bulging biceps to be healthy, sexy people. It’s just not true, it’s a media stigma that we need to let go of.
So, This Guy Sounds Like a Butthole, What Does He Think Should Be Done?
Education, education, education. If nothing else let’s hope these types of ad campaigns spark good conversation, conversations about our health and what we can do to make that better. Conversations about school lunches being healthier, parents having a better understanding of nutrition, making it easier for those in different socio-economic brackets to have access to healthy food. Education my friends. That’s the name of the game for me. I think that with education we can create a shift in our society. It won’t be easy, especially since we’re so far gone, but I believe it’s not too late. Let’s reach out to our friends and family. Let’s educate each other. It’s possible to eat healthy on a budget, even if you’re only option is Walmart. It. Is. Possible.
If you feel strongly about any of this, there are ways to get involved:
http://saladbars2schools.org/
http://www.foodfamilyfarming.org/
http://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/
http://www.thelunchbox.org/community/lunch-box-blog
http://www.dunbargarden.org/ (Little Rock local)
