A few weeks ago, one of my Facebook friends posted the picture below. I didn’t know what to think. These are two out of many images Georgia is using as part of their Obesity Awareness Campaign. Today’s blog activity, if you will, is simple. Look at the images below and comment with:
1.) Your initial reaction
2.) What message you think it is sending to kids and
3.) If you think using children as a scare tactic is appropriate.
One lucky commenter will win a gift card to an all you can eat buffet…haha just kidding! You’ll win $20 to Whole Foods.
We can’t wait to read your thoughts.
I think that this campaign is absolutely horrible! Those are freaking children! It is not their fault they are big. It is their parent’s fault for not encouraging exercise and feeding them unhealthy foods. Who are these pictures supposed to scare, children or parents? Parents of obese children know their children are obese, but choose to not change their habits regarding them. I look at that little girl and see myself at the age of about 7. It is hard enough being a little girl that is big, but to have posters glorifying the fact that you are big and need help would have had much more effect on my self esteem. Luckily my mother saw how my weight effected how I felt about myself and pushed me into sports. I at least was able to enjoy the rest of my school career as an athlete. I hate this campaign and shame on them posting these pictures!
I am personally struggling with this issue with my daughter and from a distance with my step daughter. The daughter picture does not seem in any way to violate me. I agree with laura that is not the children’s fault that they are big but in some perspective it may get them to think to either a. change their eating habits on their own and think a little more about eating choices or b. push them even further into obesity with depression or make them so stressed with a change it leads to anorexia or other methods of not eating in the wrong way because of possible scrutiny from others in their environment.
The son picture doesn’t violate me or offend me in any way from the images but i really really dislike the wording because it may just be genetic for some and they have to watch harder at what they eat than other and it is not always about siting at a buffet table or eating too much.
I hate this campaign, too. I realize that obesity is a growing epidemic but I think it’s sending the wrong message. At one end we’re encouraged to teach our children that they are beautiful by design and they should have self confidence and on another end we’re telling them that if they look like that (picture) they are unacceptable. It hurts my heart. We’re not there with my daughter yet but even as an adult I am extremely insecure about my body and what I think is a bigger than average booty…I hate that my daughter is going to be thinking about her body at the ripe age of 7 when she should be thinking about the American Doll store!
I think this is sad. It is more than sad, I just can’t find the right words. These ads need to be targeted to parents, not kids. It is a parents responsibility to educate themselves about healthy eating and lifestyles to then pass down to their children. I could get on a major soap box about this, but will refrain 😉
I will just sum it up with parents need to feed their whole families {including themselves} healthy and exercise, lead by example. It hurts my heart when I hear a mom complain about “being fat” or “needing to lose weight” in front of her kids, especially daughters. That is a whole other issue on why so many girls have self esteem issues…because they think they have to look a certain way and hear mom always complaining. They need to focus on being HEALTHY and respecting their bodies…with that will come good self esteem and confidence. Obesity is as much of a problem as eating disorders….just be healthy for Pete’s sake.
p.s…..I think all fast food restaurants should disappear 😉 cook good healthy organic food! I’m shutting up now even though I don’t want to.