Fast Track To A Flat Belly: Critical Media Analysis

George Lois, who is an American designer, author and art director, designed the Esquire Cover, 1965 “The Masculinisation of the American woman”. The covers dimensions are 33.5 x 26 and feature a photograph of a blonde lady shaving, which was then printed and edited to make a printed magazine cover. This is one of 92 covers that George Lois created within 1962 to 1972. Although the cover does use text it only uses the text that is essential for the magazine such as the name of the magazine, the name of the cover and the magazine edition, which in this case is the March 1965 edition. In terms of the subject matter, this cover shows a pretty woman looking directly into the camera, which gives the illusion that the woman is shaving in front of a mirror. The woman photographed is an Italian Actress called, Virna Lisi, the concept was thought of by George Lois as he wanted ‘to capture a woman being manly and still beautiful’. The image itself is the largest item on the cover compared to the text. Although this concept went on to be one of the most successful covers that he had created, some thought that the idea was ‘too edgy’ and would cost them to loose clients.

More than half of adults in the United States are considered to be overweight or obese. America is becoming unhealthy and it needs to change. Adults should exercise daily. Daily exercise can stimulate happiness, prevent or delay disease, and affects health positively. First, exercise causes the brain to be more alert which has a positive impact on the human body, creating a great feeling psychologically that can be associated with happiness. The world will be a happier place with happy people. Furthermore, disease is a large epidemic today, but did you know that daily exercise can help prevent or delay disease? Doctors could diagnose their patients sooner rather than later, resulting in a healthier treatment plan and then a healthier Earth. Finally, daily exercise is just an overall helpful key to good health. The less fat an adult has on his body, the healthier he could potentially be. With that being said, hours and hours of physical activity are not needed, but as little as 15 minutes a day could benefit human lifespan. Overall, adults should exercise daily because exercise stimulates happiness, can prevent or delay disease, and affects health positively.

Is obesity really a serious health concern or is the “epidemic” merely a result of highly fabricated, misleading ideas of politicians and the media? The article, Obesity: An Overblown Epidemic? By W. Wayt Gibbs featured in the May 23, 2005 edition of Scientific America, raises this question. Most health experts and average people believe that obesity is one of the most prevalent health concerns today, resulting in increased risk for other major health issues; such as; heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and the chance for early loss of life. However, other researchers are suggesting that the consequences of being overweight are being blown out of proportion. Naturally, they do

Abstract: Excessive use of diet pills by American women stems from the idea that thinness is ideal. This ideal is unlikely to change in the near future, so the use of diet pills and other unhealthy fat diets is likely to increase. If women remain unaware of the health risks associated with the use and abuse of these unregulated drugs, rates of illness and even death are also likely to increase. In 1997, the use of diet pills directly caused seventeen deaths (Cohen). Medical professionals speculate that many other deaths are indirectly related to weight-loss drugs. FDA regulation of 'natural' substances such as ephedrine and caffeine would alleviate widespread use

According to the media article, Whose Fault is our Fat? Obesity solely stems from Americans not participating in enough physical activity. On the other hand, Family Stressors and Child Obesity, attributes the stem of childhood obesity to stressors, particularly family stressors. Another possible explanation for obesity, other than Americans not getting enough physical activity or stressors, comes from the movie, watched in lecture, The Weight of the Nation. This movie makes the connection of rates of obesity to living in poverty areas. The movie also firmly believes that Americans are turning to quick, processed, and readily made meals, instead of healthy food options.

As many Americans know, there is currently an obesity epidemic that is sweeping the nation. With more food advertisements, bigger portion sizes, and Americans eating more calories than ever before; Linder makes his viewpoint very clear on how this is negatively affecting our nation. In his article “Fat of the Land”, Linder looks at all of the possible leading factors on who is to blame on the current situation in resulting of more than 60% of adults in America being overweight. The main contributing people to blame for the obesity epidemic is of course, the fast food industry. Linder’s main argument starts with his comparison of American’s calorie intake in the 1950’s, than comparing it to today. With stating the other side’s viewpoint on while advertisements and marketing are always surrounding the world around us; it is not forcing us to do anything. With his basic statement claiming that people will be people and at the end of the day, it’s their decision if they want to eat that 1,000 calorie filled Big Mac from McDonalds. Linder does a substantial job at informing the reader about the many dangers causing obesity, while also persuading them by giving tips to lead a well-balanced, healthier lifestyle.

The documentary The Complete Skinny on Obesity is similar to a wake-up call. Producers, Rich Wargo and Jennifer Ford created this documentary to bring awareness to an epidemic in this country… obesity. Also, the producers wanted to figure out what causes obesity and how can we slow down or stop the substantial weight gain before it causes extinction of the human race. Shockingly, obesity has been around for many years, but it is more prevalent in today’s society. According to Dr. Robert Lustig, obesity is a plague that is not only affecting adults, but also children that are as young as six months old. Why? Well, there are many beliefs that has been hypothesized. For example, Dr. Robert Lustig mentioned natural selection and how our genetic

In Susan Bordo’s article “Never Just Pictures: Bodies and Fantasies” this is an article that is informative as well as interesting. Bordo mentions celebrity names like Alicia Silverstone and famous dieting products like Citra Lean to introduce the “thin” trend in today’s popular culture. The author explains how today’s society explores different media cites to acknowledge how individuals should appear in today’s world. Advertisements have also become a big part on the reflection of society’s beliefs. Bordo talks about body figures that were once considered normal, have become known as an abnormal appearance. Bordo wants to convince the audience that being thin has become an issue that must be addressed by the general public,

Annotated Bibliography Berl, Rachel. “Why We're So Fat.” U.S. News and World Report, 16 Aug. 2012, health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/08/16/why-were-so-fat-whats-behind-the-latest-obesity-rates. This article pulls evidence from the CDC and other credible sources to write about how our nation's trends in obesity are.

A problem that is plaguing America and needs to be addressed with a policy change in school systems across the country is obesity. Obesity in America has been declared an epidemic, and the most alarming rates of obesity exist in younger demographics, which generally dictate that these children will continue into adulthood as obese adults (Jacobson, Kim, & Tortolero, 2009). This will add to the massive costs to society that obesity contributes from loss of employee hours to hospital care from the many diseases that are developed as a result of obesity. Therefore, this issue needs to be addressed early in life with school-aged children as it is far more difficult to stop obese adults from engaging in negative behavior that facilitates or worsens their obesity while legislative action can be taken to develop rules and regulations that can be implemented in school districts across the country.

The film Fed Up is an American made documentary that examines the obesity epidemic, as well as, the food industry in an effort to uproot the underlining causes of exponential growth rates of obesity in America. The main objective behind the documentary is to educate and expose the current threat of obesity and the associated health complications in an attempt to motivate viewers to reevaluate and alter their current food choices. Fed Up utilizes data gathered through various professional interviews conducted with medical and food industry personnel to propose and support various claims. The film also includes personal stories provided by various children who are confused about and struggle with their obesity as an effective way to establish

It’s estimated that nearly 1/3 of people suffer from obesity in North America. Rather than being a part of the solution, the media has a portrayal of what one should and should not look like, what is beautiful and what is not, typically possessing unrealistic standards and showing those that are overweight, as weak-willed individuals, who generally are blue collared individuals. This paper shall discuss obese individuals and how they are portrayed on television or on online streaming programming. Secondly, this paper shall discuss why this group has such a negative portrayal. Third, this paper will discuss what social pressures and production forces shape these portrayals. Finally, this paper will incorporate a media theory and explain what effects it has on the audiences and how obese individuals are typically treated in society.

Today, women still feel pressured to be thin but also curvaceous. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and the OG Marilyn Monroe are women that are idealized for their thin, hourglass figure. Women who don’t naturally have this figure are now achieving this look in other ways that can manipulate their bodies. In order to achieve a curvy, hourglass figure, women have turned to plastic surgery, diets, and waist trainers. Ladies are so constrained to resemble the perfect lady that they will do whatever it takes to accomplish a trendy look, yet have they gone too far? Brooke Erin Duffy, an

This essay discusses how social constructions have an effect on obesity and what combination of causes and contributing factors it includes can lead to obesity. `Obesity is the term used to describe someone who is overweight and unhealthy. Obesity shortens life by an average of 10 years. It is very common in the UK and results from a study back in 2014 showed that a whopping 65.3% of men and 58.1% of women are obese here. (UniversityOfBirmingham,2016) Being over weight is generally associated with being lazy and unpleasant. There are a lot of media groups that have influenced our society’s perception on obesity and many factors that lead to the disease. Obesity can be life threatening and can be the start of lethal conditions such as diabetes,

The Vogue Magazine cover features Lea Michele wearing a pink tank top with a white miniskirt embroidered in colorful patterns. A celebrity is used to intrigue women into reading the magazine by surrounding Lea Michele in bold text that suggests tips on looking younger and healthy. Behind her is the text “Women’s Health” in bold, pink elegant letters. She is wearing a gold bracelet, a necklace, and a gold ring on her fourth finger of her left hand. Her face appears to be glowing as she grins towards the camera with her wavy hair flowing around her. The text surrounding her are in pink and black text in contrast to the white background. Above the magazine cover reads “Your Fast Track To A Flat Belly”.To the non-critical eye, it could be an informative magazine that gives woman an insight on taking care of their body and giving exercising tips.However, it could be implying that women should only look a certain way and should look more youthful to become more desirable.