Weight Loss Advertising

        It is no secret that in America, we have a high percentage of people who are overweight or obese. Just how many people are in America are overweight or obese? Well it is shocking, but 68 percent of adults over the age of 20 have a weight problem ("Obesity and overweight," 2010). With such a high percentage of people who struggle with a weight problem, it’s no wonder we have so many advisements’ for weight loss, and diet programs.

(Jenny Craig, 2008)

        Have you noticed how many different diet commercials there are today? If you watch a television channel such a SOAP NET that targets women, for about thirty minutes, I bet you will see a least one or more weight loss commercial. There are diet programs that you can order, programs you can join, and programs that you can follow. The commercials for different weight loss programs are diverse, some show thinner celebrities’, some speak of how you will feel, and some show a model finally fitting into that perfect dress. The commercials for weight loss may be different but their affect on our body image is the same. These commercials are simply a reminder that thinner is better; not for your health but for how you look.

(Weight Watchers, 2011)

         I personally feel that as Americans we have become too concerned with our body image to focus on being healthy. If we started to look at losing weight for a healthy lifestyle instead of just trying to look a certain way, would weight loss programs be more successful?



Obesity and overweight. (2010).

          Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

          Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm