Tabloids and obesity
341 mots
2 pages
Most of the time, tabloids have a very negative impact on people; especially people who are overweight. If we consider an American woman buying a tabloid magazine, she will find a variety of pictures of her favorite model in the magazine. The woman in the tabloid has a perfect body, is stunningly beautiful, all thanks to the latest diet she has undertaken. The caption of the article reads in bold letters: “She lost 12 lbs in two weeks”. The woman reading the article may think “Wow, this is great” at first, but is it really? The article may well evoke two reactions among the woman that reads it: Firstly a minority complex, because the woman in the article is much more beautiful (although it seems relatively obvious that the picture has been modified). Building up on that minority complex, the woman will think that the diet should work for her too, considering the fact it has worked for her idol too. AS a result she will follow an unbalanced and totally unsafe diet; she will eat less and compromise important nutrients and vitamins that her body needs. After a few days she will not be able resist the temptation of proper food any more. She will be craving for a big meal and as a result starts eating the first thing that comes to her mind: Fast Food! She is back to where she was before starting the diet, the only difference being that she will feel more ashamed of herself now, will be more depressed and less motivated to lose weight. The aforementioned example outlines very clearly why tabloids do not have a positive impact on most people (even the ones that are not overweighed) – they provide a means for people to emphasize their own flaws. Tabloids try to convince people of the ideal lifestyle and ideal diet, although they are clearly not. In the words of Aristotle this could be described as: “It’s best to rise from life as though from a banquet, neither thirsty nor