What does Winnie the Pooh have in common with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore? They all love food. In fact, they don’t just love food—food is their ticket to winning the hearts of their audiences. From Popeye, to Garfield, to Kevin Malone from The Office, food is a means for fictional characters to express themselves and… Continue Reading →
Stacy London makes owning up en vogue
As a harried mother of two who’s probably more poorly dressed that I’d like to admit, I can’t imagine anything worse than some snarky style savants publicly critiquing my wardrobe choices. Unless maybe the fashionista in question were Stacy London of TLC’s What Not to Wear. Yeah, I know the show is based on the… Continue Reading →
Katy Perry for Pop Chips: Is food even about flavor anymore?
It seems Pop Chips has gotten a fresh face for its new ad line. Within the past month, Katy Perry has begun to promote the all-natural potato snacks, popping up on billboards around the country. Unfortunately, as much as I’d love to endorse anything Katy Perry-related, these recent ads promote unhealthy rhetoric that perpetuates diet-obsessed… Continue Reading →
Six Weeks to OMG You’re Totally Insane
As a New York City commuter, I am privy to a whole host of crappy advertisements that plaster the subways and buses of our public transportation system. Inevitably, this includes ads that try to entice me to buy all manner of junk food, watch a ton of terrible television, and buy the latest pop-health book…. Continue Reading →
Thanks SO much for that 90-calorie brownie, Fiber One.
Oh, Fiber One. Like other popular snack manufacturers, you decided to take the low road in selling your [not-so-]tasty treats, and have tried to convince women that they can — horror of all horrors — break their diets and satisfy their sweet tooth with your desserts! Fiber One’s approach to selling their 90-calorie brownies isn’t… Continue Reading →
Eating to live in Siberia
I recently returned from four months living and studying in Irkutsk, a large, beautiful city in Eastern Siberia. Since I usually live and study in Ohio, it was quite a change. The most striking thing about travel is how you end up learning more about the place you left than the place you’re in. There… Continue Reading →
Could the tide be turning?
I’ve been a feminist since I was a teen (remind me to tell you the story of how I yelled, “My parents paid the same amount of money as yours did, giving me just as much right to be here as you. Only difference is I’ll probably get better grades than you!” to the 7th… Continue Reading →
Fat shaming: The judgment’s in the jargon
Fat-shaming, like sexism, takes many different forms. Rarely do we hear blatant declarations that “fat people are ugly/lazy/etc.” With the dialogue of “health” currently trending in pop culture, it becomes easier for advertisers, writers, and producers to integrate the language of fat shaming into their finished products under the guise of appropriate diet and fitness…. Continue Reading →
PETA – People for the Egregious Treatment of Adult (Women)
You’d think an organization like PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — would be a proactive organization, readily supporting healthy, happy agendas to get people living healthier lifestyles. Right? Wrong. PETA is one of the worst culprits of objectification and sexualization of women. Somehow, PETA tries to equate pornographic images of half-naked… Continue Reading →