Recent media has been abuzz with some attention grabbing ads from where I call home. About what, exactly?
The campaign against childhood obesity led by Strong4Life and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with the tagline “Stop Sugarcoating It, Georgia”.
Here’s a sample ad from the campaign:
The ads each display a kid from around ages 7 to 14 with some saddening statements like: “Mom, why am I fat?”, “I don’t like to go to school, because kids just make fun of me.”, and “The doctor says I have something called hypertension. I’m scared”. Then, the ads go to the statistic that 75% of parents with overweight children in Georgia don’t see it as a problem and to taglines such as “Stop sugarcoating it, Georgia” or “Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid”. Pretty blunt and hard to ignore.
Georgia is ranked second highest for the rate of childhood obesity in the nation with 21.3% of children ages 2-17 categorized as obese. That saddens me to the extreme. It also maddens me, because these children are not doing this to themselves. It comes from what parents, schools, and society feed them as acceptable nutrition. It comes from lack of knowledge and example. It is not their fault and these children will pay for it – and even possibly for their entire lives. Every person deserves more than what an unhealthy lifestyle provides…but these children even more so. They haven’t even truly gotten a starting chance.
Now, it makes sense why these ads receive so much controversy. And as much as the statistics of childhood obesity pain me, I’m not so sure how I feel about the ads.
Here are the critiques:
- a form of “bullying” that will only emphasize the negative stigma of weight and further ostracize
- attention grabbing without any suggestions or solutions for change
- will have ineffective, or possibly harmful, results due to playing too harshly with the emotional aspect
My thoughts? We NEED to call attention to the obesity problem. We NEED to find a way to make the reality of the effects of weight more easily understood. We NEED to find a way to promote change. In a way, I believe these ads do that by making it hard to ignore. However, I also believe in respect and propagating knowledge and support instead of shock and lists of statistics. I also don’t care for how it reasons making changes because of bullying or to “be a little girl” again. I wish it focused more on the health problems associated with childhood obesity and those effects.
The Strong4Life website does provide tips and advice related to a variety of areas such as questions for the child’s pediatrician, healthy eating, ways to get active, etc. But will those who need this information go to the website after seeing one of these ads? Or not feel supported in any way and avoid them like the plague?
The facts need to get out there. They need to be laid out plainly and in a way people can’t ignore. They also can’t push away those who need the help. I can’t say how to do that. All I can say is I appreciate Strong4Life’s goal…and I hope their ads give a wake-up call that draws people in to change more than it offends and puts people off. I guess it still all boils down to the fact that people will change when they are ready to change. Too bad the kids have to wait either for their parents to be ready…or to grow up with these eating habits so ingrained, they don’t have the desire to change for longer than it would have likely taken otherwise.
And now I can see where the developers of this campaign came up with these ads. I get pretty dang angry thinking about these kids not having a chance and would grab attention any way I could too. I guess, when it boils down to it, I’m for the campaign (although wish it had some changes) since this targets the parents who need to take action for their child’s health. As one of the comments on the Strong 4 Life Facebook page said – “Healthy kids first. Healthy parents second. Political correctness last”.
So…what are your thoughts? Feel free to express your opinion candidly in the comments section, but with respect for myself, yourself, and other commenters.
Welcome to Best Body Fitness! I'm Tina - a wife, mother, runner, lover of sweets, recovered binge eater, woman of faith, and fitness aficionado. I believe a strong, healthy, and fit body is the best body we can hope to have. Let's reach ours together! 
{ 68 comments… read them below or add one }
My main reaction, before reading all of your thoughful analysis, is that the commercial puts the pressure on parents, which I think is the most important thing. Children, especially young children, depend on their parents for the majority of their food choices, and parents have to take charge in making sure they’re providing healthy options.
it’s hard to say one way or another, but the first step to change is calling attention to the problem. if we just sit around and ignore the issues then nothing will get done…HOWEVER, the next step is to offer ways to make changes, focus on the health issues at hand, and give options for how to create change.
overall i think it’s a good campaign, but there needs to be a lot of other ground covered to make it successful!
I agree with Claire that parents are the ones who have to provide healthy food for thier children and teach them about nutrition. The problem is that a lot of parents aren’t doing that. Or that healthy options aren’t being served at schools. I pack my sons lunch everyday so that I know he’s getting healthy food. Yes, he gets treats also but it’s about balance and moderation.
I think that childhood obesity is something that needs to be dealt with not only nutrition-wise but exercise-wise too. Kids should be taught the importance of physical activity.
Great post, Tina!
IMO – this campaign, although sensationalistic, is a failure from launch. Obesity is a huge problem, but it doesn’t affect just the children. The one commercial with the kid asking his mom “Why am I fat?” and she’s obviously struggles with the same issue just rubs me the wrong way. Let’s spend money on education – prevention – recovery, not letting us know that the sky is blue.
It reminds me of the movie, Dave, with Kevin Kline. It’s the one where he’s the lookalike for the president and ends up being the president. When they’re having the budget meeting and he looks at the Secretary of Commerce, ” I don’t want to tell some eight-year-old kid he’s gotta sleep in the street because we want people to feel better about their *car*. Do *you* want to tell them that?”
I absolutely agree that doing something to stop childhood obesity should be a top priority in our country (and the world, for that matter!) I am a school teacher, and it saddens me every day to see how many kids are overweight. I was a fat kid- and I remember how miserable I was (even though I used humor so that I was the “funny’ kid instead).
As a teacher, I have never EVER used food or candy as a reward- but everyone else does! They throw donut parties for kids who make honor roll or buy pizzas to celebrate something else… and so many teachers give candy as incentives for things. IT MAKES ME CRINGE. What are we teaching these kids?!
I don’t think that it should be sugar-coated: kids need to learn that health is important and that you have to eat well and exercise to maintain a healthy weight, BUT, I have to think about the kids on those ads. They know they’re fat- but is it really right to put it out there like that? I think it might be going a LITTLE too far.
This is such a sad and tough issue…I agree that this campaign is a start, but there is obviously a ton that really needs to be done, still, to actually enact change. It does put the onus on parents, which in part, I think it should, but it also means continuing to reinforce healthy eating in schools (even though school lunches are better than they used to be, they aren’t great), after school programs etc. It makes me so sad to see these overweight children…especially because part of my family is the same way (the Italian side), my cousins have been obese since they were 6,7,8, 9…and they’ve never learned to eat well. It’s just SAD and feels like such a waste of living when you are growing up unhealthy and unhappy and that continues through adulthood.
As someone who spent my entire childhood overweight and continuously gaining weight until well into college, I have a slightly different perspective. My family (especially my mom’s side) does not eat unhealthily. My dad would change his eating habits and focus on health to set a good example. It all started with not fitting into the same body type as the other girls my age–they called me fat at a point when I was still well into normal range and it set the whole tone for me. Of course, I made the decisions and spent my allowance money sneaking candy from the gas station into my room, but the more my parents brought it to my attention, and used words like fat, the more I resented them and only ate more. Of course not everyone is like me, and I feel like the parents feeding their kids only loads of crap are participating in a form of child abuse, but my parents have maybe eaten fast food a handful of times in their lives and as a teenager, I was hooked on it. I always felt like the focus was on being fat and how that made me less worthy or a “bad” person. I never learned about nutrition in school or actual ways to be healthy. I remember thinking that a burger and fries was a totally acceptable, normal meal, and I remember when I learned the tiniest of things like choosing chicken over beef and being shocked at how easy making changes to be healthier was. It always seemed soooo HARD, and as if EVERYTHING was off limits.
Long story short, I feel like for most kids the derogatory tone and focus on fat in this campaign will only shadow the message and make it less effective. This is an issue I care so deeply about, having experienced it myself, but I feel like it would be so much more effective to focus on the inside and not the outside. Why can’t they show people of all ages that have eaten junk displaying health problems, and then offer suggestions to a happy body and a long life? I know it wouldn’t have the same attention grabbing effect necessarily, and the parents do need a wake up call as well, but ultimately, the child chooses what goes into their mouth, and all of the negativity surrounding their heaviness can often have the opposite affect.
All that being said, I absolutely appreciate what the campaign is trying to do, because seeing so many of my students at unhealthy weights and making unhealthy choices brings me a lot of sadness, and if it wasn’t totally inappropriate, I would sit them down myself and teach them everything I know! I guess the important thing is that it makes a bold statement and it has people talking, and maybe through the controversy, we will be able to find a message as a society that really does work and helps to make a change.
Thank you SO much for your input. That’s my biggest thing with this campaign. I’m glad they are brining awareness and want them to do that…but also don’t want it to push people away which I really feel it will do with the layout they have chosen. It’s great getting perspective from someone who has been there. Thanks, Ari.
I think calling attention to the problem is a good first step. Now, they need to do more to educate about how to enact change – beyond just having the information on the website. I think that helping families (children included) understand why childhood obesity is a problem and what they can do to promote a healthier lifestyle in the home is the crucial part. I do think that it’s largely a concern of the parents, but I think children need to understand why they’re overweight (if they are) or how to stay at a healthy weight – because it’s not always going to be the parents who have the reigns. Teaching kids about how to be healthy now is going to help them have the tools to stay that way into their teen and adult years.
My first reaction is actually positive. I think for many people ( myself included) to make a substantial life change to fix the problem, there has to be a “call to action” or some sort of shocking moment when you realize “I did to do something about this.” I think this campaign does just that and hopefully makes some parents come to that realization.
It begins it home. It’s not their fault , it’s the crap their parents are fixing them to eat. I feel like if the parents ” don’t have time” then someone should reevaluate their priorities. I don’t think anyone wants their child being diagnosed with diabetes or any type of weight related illness but sadly that’s what it will have to come to , to make some parents change what they are doing. I strive to put a healthy home cooked meal on our family’s table AT LEAST five nights a week. AND when we do eat out 90% of the time it’s sensible fast food (if there is such a thing) I try and teach my children about good snacks vs “bad” snacks and that the snacks are fine in moderation. and try to tell them just because it’s fruit juice doesn’t mean it’s fruit and it’s loaded with sugar (we half our juice with water).
Koolaide isn’t ok, processed cheese,sugar cereal, lunchables, “QUICK FIXES” aren’t great for your child. I bet some people’s dog food has higher quality ingredients than what some people feed their kids. and it’s not a matter of money either. Beans, brown rice, frozen veggies are all cheap & super easy to cook. I feel like there should be a nutrition class ,mandatory, at school , after hours & parents should be in attendance. That way the family can learn together.
Sorry went off on a whole nother thing there. I just heard all this on Kevin and Taylor this morning & it upset me. I hate these billboards but I am wondering if this might be what it takes to get a point across. Sadly some people will ignore this as well.
These ads make me cringe a little just because I think of how the children who are in them got casted. Casting call for fat kids? How would anyone like to be cast for that? Sad.
However, I do believe there need to be strong messages about how vital decreasing obesity is to one’s health and really, our nation’s future. I think we need to focus on educating people, rather than yelling at them. I may be optimist, but I feel like people really are starting to focus on education about a healthy lifestyle… hope so!
The casting call thought went through my head too.
I have been communicating with the mother of the little girl in the ad you posted (who, incidentally, is the same mother you see in the commercial with the boy who asks, “am I fat?”-though that is not her son). They (the children) were paid actors and were told that they were casting for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and that it was something about diabetes. It wasn’t until they had completed all of the commercials and photography that they were informed that it was a childhood obesity awareness campaign, and even then they did not know how they were going to be used. They did not see the final product until they were posted on billboards in South GA.
I will be getting into more detail when I post about this on my blog, but I think it is easy to be quick to place blame on the parents when there are a lot of other factors to consider. At the end of the day, there’s not much you can do about the parents who just don’t care-and those are the ones we so desperately need to reach as it is their children who are suffering as a result.
I think the ad is doing exactly what they planned on doing. Shock value gets people talking, this is the 3rd post I’ve seen about this in the last 24 hours, so I think their marketing is working. Whether it’s right or wrong, I guess is debatable.
Healthy eating starts in the home. I was overweight growing up, but nobody else in my family was. My mom cooked healthy meals and we always had vegetables and fruits. If anyone commented on my weight, I would eat more out of spite because only I could control how much I ate. Sometimes there are underlying issues that help with obesity. It’s not always “you just eat too much”, I think this campaign only addresses what is seen on the outside and some of the effects it has on their health. Ugh, I could go on for days.
I certainly agree. In most cases for children I think it does boil down to the nutrition they are offered but its definitely not all. And I think something needs to be done in all cases to get to education and the roots of the problem.
Also, a big beef I have with it all – so much media sensationalism…but why not have that same sensationalism for a program/ads/campaign that does offer the support and information? I bet there are some out there but they aren’t getting near the recognition. Tangent. Sorry. Thanks for your thoughts, Carrie!
I don’t think this will be the popular vote here, but I like that the ads are short, to the point, and somewhat shocking. I think what they’re getting at with “stop sugarcoating it, Georgia” is that there isn’t that much education involved in getting kids to stop eating so much sugar and fat. There is definitely a lot more to the story than that—obviously, kids need to be educated about proper nutrition—but the basic foundation is there in a way that people can’t ignore. I personally like the campaign.
I agree with the sentiments that obesity begins at home — but what if the parents are just as oblivious? It becomes a vicious circle.
If the state/government truly wants Americans to lose weight it will implement more healthy living programs, it will prevent public schools from serving CRAP to students, it will stop modifying the production of food – adding unnecessary perservatives, chemicals, and antibiotics – and it will prevent companies from falsely advertising that their food is healthy. Nothing burns me more than seeing cereal, granola bars, and bread labeled as “whole grain” but the 2nd ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (and now they are changing it to “corn sugar”). We also need to add exercise BACK into schools. B has PE/reccess every day in Kindergarten – but after that it’s just 2 times a week. That is ridiculous!!!
I get what they are trying to accomplish – but it has to come from ALL angles and I don’t see that happening!
I’m late in reading this post, but I agree with Michelle. I work in a small town in southern Japan as an English teacher for 5 public middle & elementary schools. My biggest surprise was how AMAZING their school lunch is. The Board of Education enforces pretty elaborate rules that the school lunches are balanced meals with fresh ingredients centered towards the well being/health of the children. Each month the schools distribute lunch calendars with detailed menus, a list of the ingredients, and where the ingredients come from. Most of the ingredients are LOCALLY GROWN fruits & vegetables within the prefecture I live in. The lunches taste like homemade meals and of course delicious. I think as a result the kids at my school are very active in sports, bright, and full of energy. I was so amazed at the effort and (I feel) love that is put into these lunches for the students (and teachers!). I also believe this love & care for the students influences the overall positive atmosphere of the schools as well as the parents and neighborhood. I remember my school lunches as a kid were mostly canned peas&corn, a bread roll, and a piece of chicken. No love! I tell my students how lucky they are because their school cares so much about them. The Japanese teachers laugh at me when I’m so overwhelmed with how amazing the school lunch is, but they haven’t seen what America feeds their kids in schools.
Wow! That is really interesting about how food is handled in schools in other countries. I really wish more of an effort was made for that here in the states. Too bad it’s all about money and lobbyists. Sigh.
I’m from Mississippi and the child obesity epidemic here is unreal. I don’t think shock tactics are unwarranted, though I also don’t know how effective they will be. These ads make ME cringe, but I don’t need them because I wouldn’t let my child get in that state. She’s just 11 mos old and we’re already trying to instill healthy habits in her. I suspect a lot of parents who have never been concerned aren’t going to wake up because of these ads, but hopefully at least a few will.
I appreciate your throughtful commentary on this issue.
I guess that’s my biggest thing with it too. Will it really get the people who need the help the information to do so?
Here is my response from the ads. I WAS the fat kid in Georgia, and I have something to say about it. http://skinnyemmie.com/2012/01/i-was-the-fat-kid-in-georgia/
I think that they are effective IF the problem is the parents and they don’t realize what they are doing to their children. But it’s not always the parents fault. I was a chubby kid and it wasn’t because we had junk food in the house. On the contrary, my mom never let me have soda or sugary cereals or anything like that. This was way back before nutrition labels but I remember that I was absolutely not allowed to buy a cereal if sugar was the first ingredient. So, I ate it elsewhere, at friends houses, at school, etc. It wasn’t my mom’s fault.
I mean, maybe it was her fault in that she didn’t let me have any junk and I rebelled, but as far as not feeding me the stuff herself, it wasn’t her fault.
I think these ads are just like those shocking anti-smoking ads. Sure, they get people talking and upset, but it doesn’t change anything. People don’t do unhealthy things because they are ignorant, they do it because they WANT to. If the parents are fat, the kids will probably be too. They should have ads showing a whole fat family, not just the fat kid.
I know these ads are harsh, but to me it’s the only way to get people’s attention in this day & age. People are so desensitized that a normal approach is ignored – it’s boring. I hope people see these ads, are shocked, and it sticks with them. Then maybe they’ll think about the message a little longer and question the next time they feed their children a fat-filled, over-calorie meal with little nutritional value. Or maybe not, but it’s worth a try!
I think these ads are awful. They aren’t doing anything but making people feel more guilty. It’s an attack on parents and kids who already feel pretty shitty about themselves but don’t know how to change. Maybe if they advertised in a more positive way that suggested change is possible then they would make a difference. Making people feel bad gets you nowhere.
Self-love is more important than weight. I would rather be fat with diabetes but truly happy with myself than how I am now…in a hospital, underweight, depressed, and hating myself.
Sigh… We spend SO MUCH TIME focusing on whether we’re offending someone or not that it takes away from the real problem. I definitely see why the ads are controversial, but seriously there’s a huge problem with obesity in kids and if it isn’t bluntly shown to people then why would anything change? I do think that they need to offer solutions to help people counteract obesity, but a slap in the face is what some people need for a wake up call. That being said, I do think that this is a little unfair for the kids because, like Emmie said in her blog post about it, now those kids are going to know that there was something wrong enough with them that they were in an ad.
I don’t know, I guess I’m with you in that the approach wasn’t the best it could be, but something does need to be done.
I even thought of that. There is SO MUCH exposure on these ads…but if it was a run of the mill campaign there would be none. Why can’t media widespread a campaign that has a more positive message and share this information in just as big a way as it has with these ads? Maybe then some information would reach people.
Money. Seriously, people are drawn to the dramatic and controversial and sensational. They don’t want to hear for the millionth time about how we need to eat better an exercise. Things like this get attention-which draws in money for the ad sponsors.
Its too easy to blame parents. As a parent of an obese 7-yr old, I fight the fight everyday. We have NEVER eaten at any fast-food establishment. I mean NEVER. We have no soda or sugary drinks in the house; snacks are bananas, grapes, crackers and pretzels; cake dessert is on the weekends only; salad is served at every dinner; I don’t cook anything fried in oil. And yet my child is obese. I am aware of my childs obesity every minute of every day. Please understand that the obesity epidemic is not just about ignorant or neglectful parents. Most of us with obese children know and understand better than anyone the issues our children live and we cry everyday for help. So for all of you who are so quick to blame parents, please reach out and help us.
Thanks for this response. My sincerest apologies for the generalized focus on parents. I do believe that in many cases childhood obesity can stem from the household standards for eating habits and nutrition (and I don’t think intentional either), but there are certainly many who don’t fall into that category. I should have recognized that and I sincerely hope that our society finds a way to support this cause to help provide resources to combat the many sides of this battle sooner rather than later. I wish I knew what I could do for that as well.
I think you said it best, Tina. The one with the girl that says underneath “It is hard to be a little girl if you’re not” is on a Marta stop near my house and breaks my heart every time I see it. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of ridicule the children featured in the ads are getting from kids at school. I can just see it happening. “You’re that girl in the fat kids ad!” Bullying breaks my heart more than anything. I do hope the ads help more than they hurt, because they certainly are creating a stir and bringing attention to an issue that has been ignored for far too long. I just hope that as you said, the results are positive and focus on creating something positive out of this instead of backfiring. Though, it is like they say- you can never please everyone. It may not have caused as big of a stir had they stuck to highlighting the health consequences, because so many people think “oh, well that won’t happen to me. I won’t get diabetes or congestive heart failure or any of those other diseases, and nor will my kids.” Who really knows. I just pray people will learn to care for their kids and teach them healthy habits. If the campaign saves one child’s life, I’d say the campaign is a success.
So interesting you are having this conversation here as I just posted about this yesterday on my facebook page. I am linking to the comments I received here-including some from the mother of the girl in the photo which says, “It’s hard to be little when you’re not.”
http://www.facebook.com/lepsteen#!/FatChickFedUp/posts/227827443961340
Here are my thoughts/response: (sorry in advance for the book-as a obese woman who doesn’t want to pass my issues on to my children, I am VERY aware of this issue and passionate about it).
I believe the ad is effective in terms of shock value but it made me sad as well.
I don’t think it is always as cut and dry as how much/what we feed our kids and their activity level. Obviously, those things are very important and parents definitely need to be educated in those areas (though I don’t think it’s the government’s job to do it-they aren’t doing a great job of it to begin with, and look at what they think is okay to feed children in schools) but there are other factors as well.
My daughter, 9, is off of the weight-chart for kids her age. She is also very tall for her age so she is fairly proportionate and to look at her you would not call her obese. She eats a very healthy, whole foods diet, and I limit my kids’ sugar intake. She also has been active in gymnastics since the age of 4 and was on the gymnastics team (recently left the sport to pursue other interests-it’s an expensive one, especially at the competetive level!). She was born big, at 9 pounds 3 ounces, and has never really leveled off in terms of growth. She is healthy and active, and yet, she is considered overweight by medical standards.
My other 3 children live the exact, same lifestyle-all eating a well-varied, very healthy diet and involved in team sports and all sorts of physical activity. All three of my boys are on the smaller side.
So, is it my fault that my daughter is overweight? I have no idea. If it is, I would love to know what I could be doing differently. On the other hand, my daughter is perfectly healthy by all standards, has been given a perfect bill of health by our pediatrician who says not to change a thing, and she is an absolute social butterfly and very well-adjusted socially/emotionally. As we homeschool, we don’t really have to deal with the bullying aspect of it but we are involved in plenty of groups/activities with traditionally schooled children and she has NEVER been made fun of for her weight by her peers. I am not sure she even realizes she is big for her age. She makes friends easily and has a happy-go-lucky personality. She is also a stereotypical first-born with lots of drive, discipline and leadership tendencies (her brothers would call it bossiness). She is one of the most compassionate and empathetic people I know and she can’t stand to see other people suffering. I would not change one thing about her-she is beautiful inside and out.
The thing that bothers me the most about ads such as these is the focus on appearance. I try to teach my children, as the Scripture goes, that man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. THAT is first and foremost in my book. Yes, of course, I feel it is important to be healthy and I want to teach my children to live healthy, active lifestyles, but my focus is NEVER on what they look like or fitting in or any of that stuff. We need to take care of ourselves, but not so we can fit in or have more friends or be pretty-but so we can bring glory to God with our lives and serve Him well. That is the message I try to give my kids. That is what is of eternal value, IMHO.
I grew up in a home where I was ridiculed by those closest to me for all sorts of things, one of them being my weight, even though when I left home at age 18 I weighed 129 and was a size 6. I seriously thought I was fat. Because that is what I had been told.
At my grandfather’s funeral 4 1/2 years ago, my grandmother told my daughter she needed to suck in her stomach. SHE WAS FOUR YEARS OLD!!!!
I’m sorry, yes, childhood obesity is a very serious issue for which there needs to be very serious awareness-but things like what happened to me and what happened to my daughter should NEVER happen. Children, girls especially, need to know that they have worth and value apart from what they look like or what the scale says. They do not have to be super-model thin (which is scary and a whole other issue), wear the best clothes, have perfect teeth and the most beautiful hair and face.
I am afraid this ad campaign does young girls a disservice and does more harm than good. It just seems that in their attempt to raise awareness, they went too far and “hit belowe the belt” so-to-speak. Our girls are inundated every day, many times a day, with messages and images on what they should look like and what our culture’s standards are for beauty-and it just gets worse the older they get. Just as we are-and many of us have felt inadequate because of the images that are airbrushed,photo-shopped, illusions of perfection that even the women in the photos don’t meet!!!They are fake, but we convince ourselves they are real and end up hating ourselves or dedicating our life to pursuing that impossible, elusive standard of what it means to be beautiful. When all the while we are missing the beauty that looks us in the mirror and that God, the Creator of all, has placed inside all of us. Because, honey, if He calls you beautiful, that’s one you can take to the bank!
So, maybe I have gone deeper into this issue and addressed things that the ad never intended to be addressed or implied in its message, but I my initial gut reaction was one of sadness. I had an almost visceral reaction to it-you know, that feeling in the pit of your stomach? And, I am guessing, with the agressive, in-your-face manner in which the campaign was presented, that was the reaction they were going for. If their sole purpose was to grab your attention nd get people talking, then they sure succeeded.
On the other hand, let me add, that dealing with my own obesity and related emotional/self-esteem issues, I DO wish my parents had been better educated or cared more about helping me to have self-discipline in this area of my life. I can re…member very vividly several traumatic experiences involving food growing up, that have shaped a lot of my views on food and how I relate to it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am absolutely NOT blaming them for my obesity. I take full responsibility for the choices I have made, but it is also important for me to uncover WHY I am this way so I can heal those hurts and hopefully find true victory in this area. Maybe if more resources were available to my parents things would have been different.
I realize childhood obesity is an epidemic that only pertuates itself into adulthood, and that there is a need for education. Also, if a parent is aware but unwilling or has no desire to act on what they KNOW to be true (i.e. fast food is bad for you, but I don’t care because it’s easy), then there are issues there too. There is no cut and dry answer, no ad campaign that’s going to cure society’s ills, and there are so many different issues wrapped up in this one-stressed out parents, working 2 jobs, trying to make ends meet with no time to provide nourishing meals, single moms relying on boxes of macaroni and cheese because that is all they can afford etc…
Then you also have the emotional/mental factor to consider. Obesity is rarely JUST about eating too much or lacking self-control or being lazy. Generally, obesity is a symptom of a much deeper problem.
I have been self-medicating with food for YEARS, and have only recently woken up and realized that I was hating myself and essentially committing suicide,albeit slowly, with the choices I made. I am doing something about it now-but having lived this way and related to food this way for 30-plus years, change is slow to come. I don’t know what the answer is, but I don’t think these ads are it.
But they sure have served to get me thinking about a lot of stuff-teaching my daughter she is beautiful and getting her to believe it, the importance of teaching our children to take care of themselves, messages we give our daughters. And maybe that was the desire of those who created the ad-to start conversations like we have been having.
I am going to do some more digging and I am sure I will have to post about this on the blog. If you can’t tell, I’m just a little passionate about it!
(I just copy and pasted my comments from yesterday-some of which were in response to what others said on my page, so I hope it all still makes sense out of context)
I just wanted to add that the conversation on my FB page and my comments were in response to the one add that says, “It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not.” That was the only one I had seen at the time. I am glad to see that they had a boy in one of the ads as well-but I still don’t like them or think they are terribly effective at doing anything other than getting attention or making people mad. I personally was so sad when I saw the one picture, and sickened by it actually. I think that their target audience is NOT going to change based on these ads. Most people know what to do but either won’t or can’t for one reason or another. It’s not always black and white. The people who are talking about it are the people who already care about these issues-not the people who NEED to care about these issues.
Lisa, thank you for your comments. You beautifully worded a lot of what I feel about the campaign but didn’t quite know how to express. The “little girl” ad and the fact that these kids were put on such ads disheartens me. And you know I believe in loving our bodies and treating them well as temples of God. It’s such a tough topic because I want something to call attention to this, but completely agree that these ads will likely not bring action to change from those who are in need. i think you should copy and paste your comment as a blog post because they are so well put. And I think your daughter is living wonderfully. That’s why I pointed out it bothers me that the focus wasn’t on health as much as it was on size. That really bothered me!
I think a really fundamental issue has really not been addressed in the comments yet: healthy food costs more than crap food. It’s fine and well to tell parents — though I agree with many of the teachers above that it’s far more of an institutional and otherwise diverse issue than it is one of just telling parents to shape up — to shape themselves and their kids up. But if they don’t have the money to buy healthier food, they’re hooped anyway. Given the huge economic disparity particularly in the US (I’m Canadian), I think a more direct issue is to make healthy, local food economically sustainable for more families (and schools for that matter, since education isn’t necessarily the most funded thing in the US). White pasta is half the price of whole wheat up here. Same with white instant rice vs. whole grain. A box of no-name macaroni and cheese, enough to feed a family of four, is $0.49, while the ingredients to make a salad would cost closer to $5. THAT, to me, is the fundamental problem of obesity.
If you had very little money, I think these ads would just make you angry. What would the money spent on this campaign have bought in terms of healthier food for kids?
Great point. And something I wish I could have gone into for this post. There was so much I wanted to say, but didn’t know how to word. There are so many facets to this issue that need to be addressed.
Amen! I SO agree-making healthy food-and by that I mean actually healthy food, not just things that SAY they are healthy (think margarine, aritificial sweeteners etc…) accessible is key-but that gets into a whole, huge other issue like subsidizing of farms in America, the corruption of the FDA and the USDA, GMO crops etc… It’s not always a black and white issue where the parents are to blame. Most are just doing the best they can.
Georgia is a notoriously poor state. In Atlanta, where this program originated, huge numbers of kids are on free lunch program. In the schools where I taught, over 98% of the kids got their (free) breakfast and lunch at the schools…
And the schools serve nothing but crap.
If you really want to solve the childhood obesity problem, you need to make parents aware without placing the blame. You need to provide healthy foods in the schools. You need to have better food programs from Food Stamps to food pantries that provide better quality food to families instead of encouraging poor eating by providing poor quality foods or providing so little in the way of assistance that there is little choice but to purchase lower qualities of food for dinners, which are the only actual meal these kids eat at home.
Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s get teachers to STOP rewarding our kids with candy and sweets, while we’re at it. Teachers can find other rewards to encourage students at low cost.
I was an overweight/obese child growing up. While I agree that the campaign should ideally be more health focused, I actually like and agree with its slogans and taglines. Unfortunately, health isn’t the number one priority for many people. It’s hard to imagine that you could be slowly killing yourself when you wake up everyday feeling relatively fine. So I can understand the sayings such as “It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not” and the like because honestly, as much as it hurts your physical health, the emotional damage it does is MUCH more severe in my opinion and much more immediate. So it’s for that reason that I agree with the choice of slogans for the campaign because you could have told my parents that I would get heart disease or diabetes when I was older but that wouldn’t be as pressing as explaining the the psychological implications that being overweight has on a child. I’m at a healthy weight now but I still see myself as the fat kid. I don’t think I’ll be able to see myself as anything else because of the emotional trauma being overweight caused me as a child. I think parents will be more apt to see how it’s hurting their child NOW versus what COULD happen to them in the future if their unhealthy behaviors continue (although both are important.)
I grew up fat and it was hard. I was a good student and a strong athlete, but because of my size and the fact that I was the biggest kid in the class, people perceive me as lazy, lacking in personality, and not someone they wanted to be friends with. It made me extremely introverted, has impacted my long-term confidence level, and still affects my body image on a day-to-day basis. Why was I fat? There was no nutritional knowledge in my family. My parents didn’t know that it wasn’t okay to give me vegetables covered in cheese or fry the crap out of fish. They also didn’t realize that I should eat a portion that’s appropriate for someone my age, not someone their age. Seconds and thirds of adult portions was okay. Only after my dad had a stroke 6 years ago did they change their diet and realize what was healthy and what wasn’t (things I’d tried to tell them about for years!).
Children will eat what adults give them. They have blind trust in our decisions and won’t second guess if what’s put on their plate is reasonable or not. And of course, processed food tastes great to them because it’s filled with crap that is supposed to hook people. As adults it is our responsibility to give our children a healthy head start and develop their palate for healthy foods. Not to rely on quick and easy alternatives that can be a detriment to their future well being. That’s what being a parent is, to prepare them for the rest of their lives. Lives that should be healthy and happy and long.
I hadn’t seen or heard of these ads until Skinny Emmie talked about them. I think it’s awful. I agree with you–bullying tactics. Not only that, when I was chubby as a kid I never knew I was “fat” or “obese.” Those are some big labels to put on a kid that might have some innocence left over…
I hear ya girl. I live in MS, the fattest state in the country, and it is so frustrating to me, esp as a former teacher, to see overweight kids…and 9 out of 10 had overweight parents.
I recently did a vlog on childhood obesity actually! Check it out, it has my thoughts more in detail: http://www.runningwithsass.com/childhood-obesity-vlog/
I agree. I like the ads because they target parents. Parents know to feed their kids more veggies and less junk, even if they aren’t well versed in modern medicine or nutrition. However, I can see how showing images of obese children in such ads would cause snickering & bullying and/or kids to see other kids differently. I like that it’s blunt, but I still think it could be done a bit differently.
I think a lot of it is about money too. It is a fact that healthy food costs more than unhealthy food when you look at overall cost. What about the people who have overweight kids that come from a lower socio-economic class. So not only do they not have the funds to buy healthier food they also don’t live in areas near stores that sell healthier options. It is like a cycle. I gripe ALL THE TIME about how much money we spend at the grocery store for organic foods. And I do feel that organic foods is necessary especially with meats. I don’t want those nasty hormones in my body any more than I want processed sugar and tansfats.
And historically when you look at the Southern states there is more poverty there (Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Texas). I am not knocking southern states…I am from Texas. I just think it is a cycle and one that is hard to break. Something definitely needs to be done (health care costs are killing us already) but it is so hard to know where to start.
I think the government needs to stop being so scared and stop being in bed with lobbyists of food companies. That is the REAL problem that isn’t so different from when the government was in bed with the tabacoo companies. Stop making this crap food, stop putting corn into everything because it’s cheap, stop having the American Heart Association endorse cereals made from processed ingredients and instead endorse fruits and vegetables, stop running ad campaigns that say Honey Nut Cheerios will lower your cholesterol, STOP! But if they government does that so many people will be out work which costs our economy money! It is all just a sick cycle.
I don’t know how to fix it but it is scary.
I suppose one angle to consider is that there are some positive, “5 Servings a Day!” “Drink Milk!” type of ad campaigns out there, but when was the last time it made you take a second look or talk about it with a friend? I’m guessing a big point of the campaign is to at least get conversations started… which it has! From that aspect, I think the campaign is positive. I agree that these sort of tactics could have some negative effects, and they don’t offer explicit solutions. The flip side is that the ones that are positive and do offer solutions don’t get noticed. Hopefully it will at least incline someone to ask questions or perhaps listen more closely when health education is being offered.
Tina
I commented on a post on the same sort of thing at Skinny Emmie’s blog yesterday.
How horrific for that child! I also cringe when news shows comment on obesity and show footage of people walking. Usually they blur the heads or show them from behind, but I’ve always had a secret fear that one day I’d see myself on screen – as of course we WOULD recognise the environment and our clothes (as would some of our friends and colleagues). Mortifying!
I agree that there are issues needing to be addressed, but why (I wonder) are we so compelled to DEMONIZE people!
Deb
I FULLY believe there is an obesity problem. However, it’s likely that some of the people in that category have eating disorders of some form… and when you look at the spectrum it would appear that there’s also a trend (years long) of malnutrition – purposeful starvation happening. We’re polarizing ourselves into these two extremes.
Consequently, my main reaction is that it lacks compassion…
Malnutrition is also a HUGE problem in the United States… and I’m not talking about the kind that results from poverty, but the kind that results from other things… Yet, I sincerely doubt we’d ever put underweight children or underweight parents on billboards and in TV ads…
I also wonder if the child actors in those ads will suffer a negative repercussion of some form… that scares me.
This is a powerful subject – I just don’t know how I feel.
I definitely appreciate that they are doing something about bike hood obesity, it always upsets me to think about it because it’s not the child’s fault! However I do think they should include things people can do to change
Oh and also, what are your thoughts on the movement to remove obese children from their homes?
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57332740/debate-over-obese-children-vs-parental-rights/
I struggle really hard with that one..removing kids from families. I wonder if that would do more harm than good. But then again, if the fault obviously lies with the parent not caring for the kid (which would be hard to determine in my opinion) and other steps have been offered, it pains me to think the other option would be to just give up in a sense. Because then what would there be to do? A fine maybe? If only things like this had cut and dry ways to resolve it! Sigh.
I have a huge problem with these ads. I read most of the comments and haven’t seen this posted yet – but of it is, apologies for the duplicate… But these ads make a big assumption that all people are able to self identify as obese. I remember reading an article, where in the most overweight/obese county in the country and many of the people – even some with diabetes and hypertension didn’t think they were obese. And the reason: everyone knows someone who’s worse. Of Course this is a summary of one article but it really resonated with me. It’s hard for people to fully understand the extent of their problems even when they’re obvious to others.
I blogged about these very billboards recently. I will say my own boys were appalled by them. One is on the way from our home to school and back path so we see it daily. I saw the recent interview on the local news and get where they are coming from, but I do see that it all comes down to education. On the other hand, if it helps even one person, isn’t that a plus. . .
The childhood obesity epidemic really tears at my heart. I can remember when I was in middle school… there were a few “fat kids,” but now they are everywhere. I think bottom line it has to do with lack of education on the part of the parents. I think of how naive I was only years ago to what I was putting in my body and what it was doing to me, and how my mindset has completely changed with the proper education. That’s why I love the Jamie Oliver movement… he provides opportunities for people to learn exactly WHY we need to change what and how we eat rather than just berate people for doing wrong.
I was shocked when I heard an NPR story last year about the obesity epidemic and they said that everyone in the community didn’t see a problem. Heavy = Healthy. So, maybe people do need something in your face. On the other hand, it would be good if adults could see the ads without kids seeing them too.
I think that is what drove them to these ads. The fact that people weren’t even recognizing the problem so they wanted something that would grab attention. I would say its grabbed attention! Ha! I just hope it also gets the attention in the right way of those who need it most.
I saw on news segment on these ads the other day that argued against them, saying that they are too antagonistic toward children and stereotyping obese children as being bullied and obese. Perhaps this is true but I think that a blunt message, like the one these ads present, is necessary. I think it’s very easy for parents to overlook obesity in their children because they love them so unconditionally and because obesity is, or used to be, an adult problem. Parents want to make their children happy so it can be hard to deny them the hershey bar that will put a huge smile on their face. Addressing childhood overweight and obeisty EARLY is so critical to preventing future weight problems for the child later in life so, even if the ads seem harsh, I think they are helping to accomplish what NEEDS to be done.
I guess the thing that worries me is the mental effect these ads will leave on children. Some might deeply relate to the ads, and find them as motivation to change, but some also might find the ads embarrassing, shameful, and leave them feeling down about themselves, as if they are less of a person because of their weight. I just fear that children, in their most impressionable years, will see these ads and attach their worth to their weight/appearance. It could seriously scar them forever, if we aren’t careful. There is a fine line that we have walk in order to successfully carry out the agenda of childhood obesity. I have no idea how to do it….but I guess at least someone is TRYING, rather than not doing anything because it’s so taboo!!
This is a disgusting excuse for an advertisement! Shaming kids for something they are too young to be responsible for (in my opinion) is NOT how we are going to win the war on childhood obesity.
I think you make some excellent points and really try to wrestle with the problems raised by this ad campaign. But at the end of the day, will it help anyone? There are only a few effective ways to fight the obesity epidemic and shame isn’t one I can personally stomach or believe in. What fat kid thinks obesity is cool?
We need to be a lot more modest about what works (inspiring people to fitness – this site as an example) and what doesn’t. And keep an open mind to the *positive* sides of obesity (it’s the flip side of the first society in human history where the poor don’t starve).
Some more thoughts on the topic … http://www.roadbud.com/blog/watching-the-fatties-cry/
Totally agree that this is just a shame tactic!
Important message, terrible ads, especially the last two (the one saying “it’s hard to be a little girl when you’re not” particularly). I think they had the chance for a great ad campaign and messed it up. I think the most important point is one you mentioned: that these ads don’t even begin to mention a solution to the problem! Even something telling parents to talk to their child’s doctor to form a nutrition plan would be helpful.
Just wanted to ad that I just went to their website and watched the rest of the videos. Interesting that some seem very affective and some (mostly the print ads) not at all (even offensive). The videos that put more emphasize on parent accountability (like the Tamika video) are much better.
*effective
That’s how I felt too. The ones that focused on health felt okay to me, but I hated the ones that emphasized being “little” and an attitude of needing to lose weight so bullies wouldn’t pick on them. Bullying is an entire issue in itself with someone else and not the overweight child. So, yea. Liked the ones like the Tamika video fine…but the others were pushing it and I bet pushing those who need the help away.