Social advertising plays an important role in fostering spiritual and moral values. Being present in everyday life should form ideas about normal relationships between people. The authors aim to show the right behaviors and draw attention to societal problems. The commercial “Obesity: You are not alone” belongs to this genre because it raises an urgent social problem related to the difficulties of people with obesity. The main idea of the commercial is that the problem of obesity is global and overcoming it is a difficult and sometimes futile path.
The plot presented in the video tells the viewers a thought-provoking story. The message is that the struggle with being overweight is often about violence against the body (Novo Nordisk). The life of a person with such a problem turns into a series of restrictions and diets, often without results. In the essence of obesity, there are underlying causes that require careful study and professional control (Watson 59). Actions pushed by public opinion or stereotyping are often destructive. Advertisements portray a woman’s life filled with exercise, dieting, and judgment. The heroine of the commercial does not feel comfortable and cannot afford to be herself without counting the calories she burns. The main thing the director strives for is to show the audience that this condition is normal and does not make a person vulnerable or inferior. The problem of the well-being of overweight and obese people is quite pressing, massive, and socially significant (Novo Nordisk). Modern society provokes unintentional obesity in its citizens by encouraging the consumption of high-calorie, high-fat foods and, at the same time, by technological advances, by encouraging a sedentary lifestyle. These social and technological factors have contributed to the rise of obesity in recent decades.
The means of achieving this effect are various visual, audio, as well as linguistic techniques. The video is presented in the form of a monologue of a woman with weight problems. In the first sentence, the heroine lists her social roles, including that of wife and mother. In the last words, the woman states that she is not alone (Novo Nordisk). These two thoughts framing a story about the difficulties of obesity allow viewers to unequivocally understand the message of the commercial. The latter is that obesity, a prevalent problem, does not affect the role set of the individual and should not affect the quality of self-image. The director debunks the stereotype that obesity is associated with overeating, which makes the image of the person negative. People are perceived through the lens of laziness and indiscipline, although this is unfair.
A prime example of the authors’ message is the visualization of the hardships of life that the heroine is forced to endure. The footage is a hyperbolized depiction of dieting and healthy eating habits. Thus, the director depicts the girl with a basket full of oranges, which symbolizes the absurdity of diets and restrictions imposed by society. The frames of the video demonstrate the problem of discrimination associated with the treatment of obese people as inferior or lacking the willpower to maintain a beautiful figure (Novo Nordisk). Hyperbolized visuals showing different episodes of a girl’s life show Stereotypes about obesity have very negative consequences for obese people (Novo Nordisk). They affect the psyche, family life, social relationships, and even professional life. This is because, in our society, maintaining a low body weight is associated with a lot of control over the situation; therefore, a full-employee candidate may seem less competent (Selby 34). Quite symbolic is the shot of the girl standing on the catwalk in the place of the mannequin. With this picture, the director shows that obese people are unfairly viewed through the lens of their non-standard appearance.
Stereotypes about obesity have very negative consequences for obese people. They affect the psyche, family life, social relationships, and even professional life. This is because, in our society, maintaining a low body weight is associated with a lot of control over the situation. Therefore, a full-employee candidate may seem less competent. It is worth emphasizing that the situation is quite different in societies where access to food is very limited. There it is difficult to become overweight and obese, and therefore it is even desirable.
Thus, the filmmakers managed to construct the commercials in such a way that the audience came to an unambiguous understanding of the underestimation of the problem of obesity and the need to fight against stereotypes. Because of the latter, obese people in our society often become victims of aggression, both verbal and physical. Such actions do not improve the situation of these people. There are studies that show that aggression toward obese people causes them to gain weight. Obese people often get caught in a vicious circle and cannot cope with their problems; they need support. This is mostly true for children and adolescents because it has been confirmed that obesity often accompanies them later in life. Support from family, school, and peers is very important in treating obesity. Always remember that it is a chronic condition that requires systematic treatment. Treating obesity is not easy, which is the result of stereotypes that exist in our society. The obese person deals with negative emotional states that result from aggression (often in the form of harassment) in the environment.
Works Cited
“Obesity: You are not alone.”YouTube, uploaded by Novo Nordisk, 2021. Web.
Selby, Christine L B. Obesity: Your Questions Answered. Santa Barbara, California, Greenwood, Abc-Clio, 2019.
Watson, Ronald R. Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Abdominal Obesity. London, United Kingdom, Academic Press, 2019.