A Culture of Obesity

In 2008, the American Medical Association reported that one in every three Americans is classified obese and that sixty-four percent are either overweight or obese. Obesity is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a Body Mass Index of 30 or above, which typically represents a person who is twenty percent above the ideal weight for their gender, age, and height. There is no debate on the health issues correlated to obesity, such as diabetes, but we as Americans seem almost happy to be fat. Recently, in my Issues in Agriculture class, a part of the global seminar program involving universities from around the world, we discussed some of the causes of the obesity epidemic. Among other causes, many students in class blamed advertising for contributing to America’s bulge. As evidence, they were quick to cite commercials for fast food, candy and soda. However, I think it is wrong to blame advertising on America’s weight and health problems. Obesity in America is the result of our unique culture and as a mirror of our society, advertising is not at fault.

In the book The Culture Code, Clotaire Rapaille discovered that Americans are fat because we psychologically “checkout.” In other words, we use food to cope. We eat to nurse our poor self-images, our depression, our boredom, our anger and our sadness. Rapaille also believes that as a young culture, American’s behave like adolescents. When immaturity is a part of the national culture, there is no wonder why we are a country of “me-too” and desire instant gratification. We eat the highly processed, deep-fried foods that appeal to us because it is readily available, fast, easy, cheap and tasty. At a core level, because of our immaturity and greed, we don’t care about future health implications. Like adolescents, we want what we want. And we want it now!

Over the decades, factors such as the government subsidy of the corn industry, which leads to cheap grain, meat and sugars, has caused our food to become less nutritious and less expensive, leading to such innovations as the dollar menu. Foods today are made in a way that can become addicting biologically, causing people to crave unhealthy food, leading to a viscous cycle causing thirty-two percent of Americans to be obese.

Schools can increase recess, the government can tax soda and New York can ban salt, but the government cannot change our culture surrounding food. It cannot end a culture that craves instant gratification. It is who we are. Advertisements for fast food, candy and soda are not the culprit creating hordes of fatties. Advertising is innocent. As a mirror of our society, advertisements inform us of what we already want – food that is cheap, fatty, and fast.

One Response to “A Culture of Obesity”

1. Childhood Obesity in Georgia and Communicating a Healthy society | Blog | THOM PULLIAM Brand & Consumer Connector says:

   February 22, 2012 at 11:24 am

   [...] foods and lifestyles. In turn, these businesses have used the power of advertising to create a Culture of Obesity in this country. Perhaps Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s campaign can shift the [...]

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