No-one Wants to Play with Fat Barbie
What follows is a lesson in how not to encourage children to stay fit. Because you are only filling their brain with other dangerous rot about weight, race and beauty by doing it this way. Via AdFreak (who charmingly takes a swipe at Jessica Simpson at the end for good measure).
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Oh god, there were so many things wrong with that. Yay, let's encourage health by shaming kids and acting like Barbie is actually a healthy role model. Ooh, and let's target a Hispanic community with lily white Barbies. Awful on so many levels.
It's sad really, I think that this kind of marketing needs to be directed at PARENTS not kids. Even kids who are old enough to make decisions and choices about their diet are still HEAVILY if not completely influenced by their parents. Kids aren't going to be able to shop for themselves and if the family goes to McDonalds multiple times a week (because it is affordable, has safe enclosed playgrounds and convenient) it's not their fault!
I *do* really think that we need to put allot of pressure on our society though. I think that allowing your child to become obese is tantamount to childabuse because you are in control. You don't need to put sugary/caffine riddled soda in their sippy cup.
We need better options for low income families and THAT should be a focus of money and time so that families have actual choices in their budget.
All the same, something does need to be done because children aren't able to do anything about it themselves. :(
I agree with SociologicalMe though, pushing white barbies on hispanic children in an effort to shame them is appalling :(
"It's sad really, I think that this kind of marketing needs to be directed at PARENTS not kids."
According to the article this campaign at least is target towards parents. The tag line for the campaign is "Keep obesity away from your child"
I agree, it's so complicated. Certainly, the food that is available to us, especially lower income strata, is so bad for you, built on sugar, fat and salt. Why is high fructose corn syrup subsidized (via corn subsidies) but broccoli isn't? What are we going to do about a generation of people who've forgotten how to cook from scratch (the only good way to avoid processed foods) but don't have the time or means to do so?
This simplistic image of bad health being equivalent to fat people stuffing their faces while they watch the tube is wrong on so many levels. Being active and eating well and taking care of your body by not smoking, etc., is not going to transform you into Barbie or Superman. Good health should not be tied to loaded body ideals.
I think that allowing your child to become obese is tantamount to childabuse [sic] because you are in control.
You have GOT to be kidding me. Putting nutritiously-poor foods into your child's body is far from a good thing to do, but it's incredibly offensive on multiple levels to insinuate that being the parent of the fat kid is abuse.
First off, there are far worse things that parents can do. Do you extend the same judgment to parents who smoke? Or is it only "obesity" because that's the one you can see?
Second, unless you are now handing out tickets based on the DNA that parents are passing on, you can't exactly police "allowing your child to become obese." Weight is determined by genetics. There is a certain amount of fluctuation that can happen with lifestyle factors, but ultimately you can't fight your genes. That's why 95% of people who lose weight will gain it back (and then some) within five years. Even if they maintain their diet (or a version of it), their body's set point will eventually take over.
Thirdly, using weight as an indicator of health is so ridiculously flawed that I don't know where to begin. We've figured out that being thin doesn't automatically make you healthy, I just don't get why we can't collectively get it through our heads that being fat doesn't make you unhealthy. And, no, to preempt anyone who wants to chime in, BMI is not an accurate measure of health.
Hell, there's even research to suggest that being fat can protect you from certain problems.
So, yes, I agree that feeding your children an unhealthy diet and not encouraging exercise is problematic. And yes, I agree that better quality food options should be available to lower-income families, but please get your facts straight about weight vs health. And seriously, calling something abusive because of the way one child's body reacts to it over another's (because, *gasp!*, the same parents can feed their two kids the same diet and have one that is thin and one that is "obese") is ridiculous, offensive and petty.
It's a terrible ad campaign. Just fucking terrible on a lot of levels.
The only redeeming feature is- check out the fat pirates. They just look so damn happy!
I want to be a fat pirate! All I need is an eye patch. I guess I'm halfway therrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre. :)