College Times

Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Hector Casanova

A woman, who probably weighs all of 120 pounds, is dressed in a red robe with white trim bending over in front of a fireplace when her daughter comes in and yells "Santa!" Immediately, the woman turns around with a distressed look on her face and a voiceover says: "Need to lose those holiday pounds?"

I'll admit it: this commercial did make me laugh a little. But this is just one example of the overabundance of irritating post holiday, New Year's resolution ads infiltrating the radio, internet and television. And what's worse is that normal sized or even underweight women are the ones acting in these commercials used to illustrate the people who have "pigged out," over the past month.

What kind of message does this send to women about their bodies?

I find it hard to even watch a TV show lately. It seems nearly every other commercial features exercise equipment or a new weight loss program. I understand that losing weight is an old standby as far as New Year's resolutions go, but is it really necessary to saturate every form of entertainment with the undertones that gaining weight is bad and thin is good?

There is so much more to a healthy lifestyle that the number on a scale.

I realize this is an effective advertising method, because I find it hard not to be affected by these ads. Seeing normal sized women complain about their weight only adds to the effect.

I think what troubles me most is that the advertising prior to the holidays featured these same type of women preparing elaborate mouth-watering holiday meals. So my question is: are women, or anyone for that matter, supposed to indulge in the holiday feeding frenzy with gusto and then immediately, with the turn of the clock on January 1, jump into a Slim Fast diet?

It seems hypocritical to be told we should be in petite, thin-framed bodies, be the perfect child bearers and cooks, all while maintaining stick-thin, weak frames.

What's next? Will we be expected to don a superwoman cape while doing laundry, washing dishes and drinking an oh-so-yummy weight loss shake?

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