Your thighs on cheese.
These words are paired with an eye-catching photo of a woman’s cellulite-riddled upper thigh with her hands pinching it for greater effect.
Dang, and I just ate a slice of Swiss as a snack thinking it was healthier than toasting up a bagel.
Dramatic images of obesity as part of anti-obesity ad campaigns are all the rage these days in some parts of the country.
Atlanta goes for shock value
Consider Atlanta’s ad campaign targeting childhood obesity. In that city, billboards and television commercials, sponsored by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, featuring overweight kids and the words “Stop Sugarcoating It, Georgia,” are stirring up quite a bit of controversy. The goal, of course, is to shock people into realizing that their own children may be obese and at risk for a host of diseases. But critics say the ads stigmatize overweight people, further eroding self-esteem.
One of the ads features an overweight little boy and his plump mom walking into an empty room and sitting down facing each other on folding chairs. The boy asks: “Mom, why am I fat?” His mom, shown in stark silhouette, bows her head and then you see the words, “75 percent of Georgia parents with overweight kids don’t recognize the problem.”
The ads, which use the same type of shock value as methamphetamine ads showing nasty rotten teeth, are part of a five-year, $25 million anti-obesity effort that also includes programs in schools and the training of pediatricians to recognize obesity and provide help to families.
“It has to be harsh. If it’s not, nobody’s going to listen,” Linda Matzigkeit, vice president of the pediatric hospital running the campaign, told NPR.
Meanwhile, you’ve got the cheese-makes-you-fat campaign in Albany, New York, sponsored by the pro-vegan Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, aimed at convincing the city school district to cut cheese from student lunches.
Colorado takes measured approach
Colorado is taking a much more measured approach in its efforts to get citizens to watch their waistlines. The nonprofit LiveWell Colorado bought up $1 million worth of airtime on Colorado TV and cable stations to get its anti-obesity message across. Rather than going for shock value, the campaign is aimed at regular Coloradans who think obesity is someone else’s problem, said LiveWell’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications Tracy Faigin Boyle.
“We are trying to redefine what obesity looks like,” Boyle said. “It looks like everyday people.”
Extensive focus groups and research found that we know obesity is a problem in our fair state, but we think it’s somebody else’s problem – the type of person who would appear on “The Biggest Loser,” Boyle said.
In fact, obesity isn’t necessarily extreme. It can be the friend or coworker (or you or me) discretely carrying around an extra 25 pounds. LiveWell Colorado has made an effort to be “tasteful and dignified” in its approach rather than preachy.
The ads (watch the video above) direct the viewer to LiveWell’s website where you can conduct your own “gut check” in the privacy of your own home. (Do it now, by clicking on the image.) I avoided this exercise as long as possible, but did it today. As I feared, I am officially overweight. But after hanging out on LiveWell’s site, I actually don’t feel like a total loser. Turns out, half the state is overweight or obese. I do feel like I have something to lose, however. To that end, LiveWell offers small steps you can take right now. Instead of eating “bagels the size of hubcaps” for instance, LiveWell instructs you to buy whole grain bagels “the size of hockey pucks.” You can get exercise tips, too. For instance, go take a walk and remember to swing your arms vigorously for added benefit.
Boyle said LiveWell is working on its next TV ad right now (in fact, I caught her in the studio as she assisted with an actor’s wardrobe), to be released later this month. The next ad will be a “wake-up call” for regular folk who may be feeling a little extra strain at the waistline.
As for Georgia’s approach, Boyle deferred to the “peach state’s” wellness gurus. She imagines that focus groups there revealed a lack of awareness about obesity as a public health threat.
“That organization felt they had to use more shocking tactics,” she said.
I, for one, am thankful for the muted approach taken by LiveWell Colorado. Seeing jiggly, wiggly human flesh makes me want to change the channel. “That can’t be me.” “Yes, I’m carrying a few extra pounds but nothing like that.” Click.
Still, I know I’ve got to cut portions, toss out the leftover holiday ice cream and chocolates, and get moving. Every day. And I may even pursue more draconian measures to banish – for once and for all – the disturbing layer of flab that has taken hold of the region of my body formerly known as “my waist.”
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