It wasn’t the Super Bowl, but perhaps you noticed the number of companies taking advantage of the increased television viewership the Olympics provided by airing well-timed Olympic and athletic-themed commercials.
There was one in particular that stood out. Maybe it caught your attention too. It’s sparked quite the controversy. {The hallmark of a great commercial, no? Bonus advertising.}
It’s the Nike “Find Your Greatness” commercial. The one with the young boy jogging down an empty road. At first glance, it’s just your average jogger, plodding down the asphalt on an early morning run. As the commercial continues, his silhouette slowly moves closer and closer and you become more and more aware that this isn’t the typical runner chosen to represent large athletic companies.
It’s a middle-school aged boy. An obese middle-school aged boy.
The soothing voice over tells us that greatness isn’t a genetic gift- it’s something all of us can achieve. It’s a great message.
But why choose an obese pre-teen to demonstrate this message?
For many, the commercial was an exploitation of an overweight kid. For me that wasn’t the issue. Instead, I was bothered by the assumption that overweight kids can’t be great, or can’t be athletes. What message is that sending?
I know that’s not what they meant, I do. But it still pushed my buttons. Shouldn’t we be encouraging everyone to “find their greatness”? Not calling them out for why they might not excel in a given area, say athletics? We shouldn’t assume an overweight kid can’t or doesn’t want to be a distance runner the same way we shouldn’t assume a girl doesn’t want to play football.
I much prefer the less-viewed video in the same “Find Your Greatness” campaign. The one that ties together a number of different London-named places {clever tactic there Nike} and a focus on not a single outlier, but a myriad of individuals that appear to have overcome physical challenges or other obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from being a world-class athletes. It’s similar to the jogging ad in it’s message, but since it’s not calling out a single situation or single kid, it gets it’s intended message across in a much more clear manner.
The message is one I wish everyone would scream loud and clear. Everyone can be great. Everyone. I’m just not sure this was the way to say it.
What do you think about the commercial?
On a completely different note, somebody is 7 months old!
Did you know the ACC was founded in Greensboro, NC? Yup, little ol’ Greensboro did that. And that means there’s some extra March madness going on this week and next.
Last night I went to the women’s ACC tournament- not to watch basketball {although I did catch a glimpse}- to teach kids about nutrition!
You probably know how hard it is to change your behavior as an adult. That’s why it’s so important to teach kids about healthy eating at a young age. I don’t need to even tell you about this little obesity problem we have going on….
Kids in the Kitchen is a program run by Junior Leagues across the nation to help teach kids how to make healthy choices and fight obesity. This is the second year our local Junior League has partnered with the ACC to interact with kids on mascot night.
We’ve been planning the event since September- it was great to finally see it all come together.
Coaches shared their favorite sports nutrition tips and moms shared their favorite kid-friendly recipes.
We talked about how much sugar is in soda, sports drinks, and even juice.
Kids played games to learn what kinds of food were proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Kids (and adults) learned how fun exercise can be by tumbling with the Tumblebees.
And then the ultimate reward, playing the Neos game. {The circles light up and you have to hit your color the fastest and the most times to win. It’s cool. Really.}
Nothing like seeing kids walk away drenched in sweat and a bottle of water in their hands instead of a Coke.
Dude. Marie Claire. Do you even have a filter? I understand controversy is popular, but geez. Find a new angle. I don’t know, say… writing articles that are thought provoking and raise awareness to topics that other publishers are too afraid to touch? In a tactful manner?
Last time, it was the bloggers-cause-eating-disorders ridiculous hoopla. Now you’re going with the fat-people-are-gross angle. [Insert soon-to-be-standard disclaimer of “if you don’t know what I’m talking about” Marie Claire has managed to cause another internet uproar by publishing a blog post blasting the new sitcom Mike & Molly- saying “fatties should get a room”.]
Here’s what I have to say to you:
a) It’s “aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room”? Aesthetically displeasing? What does that even mean?
Should I look up “heroine” while we’re at it?
b) I don’t like watching fat people make out on TV either. But it’s not because they’re fat. It’s because I don’t like watching people make out on TV. And I hardly call what’s on Mike & Molly “making out”. Unless you’re an 11 year old boy- then you’d probably think there’s some serious action going on there.
c) You’re not a sizest jerk, but you have friends that are “plump” and you think the world’s obesity problems can be fixed if we “just put our minds to it”? By golly, what are we waiting for then?!
I’d hate to come across a sizest jerk if you’re not one….
d) Thank you for summing up my entire education in one ever-so-knowledgeable statement about eating less processed foods and standing up more. Oh, that’s what we’re supposed to do?
Now I’m left here trying to decide which was worse: Your original post, or your apology?
It was a pathetic apology at that. If you’re going to say something as opinionated as ‘fat people in love grosses you out’, you better have the balls to stand behind it.
I happen to think Mike & Molly is pretty darn funny, but I’m smart enough to understand it could bring up some sensitivity issues.
But if the show is “promoting obesity” then we have 2 big problems on our hands.
1. TV shows are influencing us waytoo much
2. We’ve been brainwashed by having skinny people on TV.
Besides, it’s no more ‘promoting obesity’ than Will and Grace promoted being gay or Big Love encourages polygamy. Just because a show is about something doesn’t mean it’s saying “hey, go do this!”
I have a suggestion. Change the channel.
Although your post was written in poor taste- very poor taste- I do have to congratulate you on finding your homerun blog post. I can only imagine what it must feel like to average 2 comments a day and suddenly get blown up by 1400 and counting… (I understand..I do…I really, reallly do!) I’m shocked you didn’t elicit such a response with your “Rise of Anal Sex” or “Is This How All Men Orgasm?” posts. I sense a need to shock people….
Do I even need to mention this is the second controversial weight article from MC by a second “former” eating disordered author?
At least this one wasn’t published in print…I’m not sure that counts for anything though.
Now, on an almost-complete-aside…..wasn’t there a book or movie about a girl who can’t find love so she takes a job writing a column about her dating life? I could hardly read the article because that’s all I was thinking about… Please save me from my own insanity by telling me what book.. or movie…
What do you do when you’re forced to watch someone you love throw away his or her health?
You know as well as I do that you can’t force someone to do something they don’t want to do.
If forcing them to take care of themselves is out, what can you do?
That’s a great question. And one I don’t have the answer to.
Interesting topics of health and diet always arise when my stepsister and I are in the same room. It’s a passion we share. I guess I’ve always been a little bit of a health nut, but my stepsister only took interest a few years ago. This contrast is somewhat evident in our conversations, but what makes the dynamic really intriguing is our completely different backgrounds leading up to our “adult” selves & associated behaviors.
See, my stepsister and I have only known each other a few years. We didn’t grow up together, and we’ve never lived together. We’ve only even spent the night in the same house on a few occasions.
While neither of us had parents particularly interested in health, the discrepancies between our backgrounds are astounding. For me, breakfast was usually a box of cereal with milk, and I was never surprised by a peanut butter sandwich for lunch. My mom usually cooked a simple dinner, and on occasion we’d get Chinese carry out. Not overwhelming healthy, but nothing shocking there. My stepsister on the other hand was given unlimited access to donuts, packaged cake snacks, cookies, and Doritos. Her dad’s a heck of a cook, but they ate countless meals out. Every memory is attached to a meal or a restaurant.
Why am I mentioning all of this? Well, her fairly recent interest in her health has brought to light many issues with what she was taught about food as a kid, and how your parents eating habits influence you unknowingly. Now that she’s taking the steps to get healthy, she has an even clearer view of how unhealthy her dad is.
My step dad is a bit of a controversy in our family- an extremely overweight diabetic with sleep apnea. A precise picture of how obesity can interfere with life. My mom tries to be active and healthy, but can’t share any of those things with her husband- it’s too hard for him to even walk around the neighborhood, and he’s exhausted after simply working in the yard.
We’ve all tried to nudge him in the right direction- to take care of himself. In fact, we’ve tried every method in the book. He refuses to listen. Normally I just ignore it and say we’re here to help him when he’s ready to change. But hearing my mom, and this weekend, my stepsister, say near tears that they’re tired of watching him kill himself, I’m racking my brain for any strategy we haven’t come up with yet.
I know we’re not the only family that’s been in this situation. While there are a lot of families that share characteristics of weight, there are probably just as many that don’t. People often don’t realize that obesity doesn’t only affect that one individual, it can affect a whole family. But how to help the odd man out without causing more damage, now that’s a million dollar question.
Have you ever been in or known someone who’s been in a similar situation? What would your advice be? Or would you stay quiet?
I'm Heather, a sports dietitian specializing in food sensitivities {and a implementation strategist for fellow health & nutrition professionals}.
5+ years ago the docs told me I'd never run again due to a chronic pain disorder. I'm here to prove them wrong.
