Editor’s Note: This article contains reference to eating disorders.
As I was watching the Super Bowl with fellow students in one of my dorm’s lounges, eating a bag of popcorn, a commercial came on that threw me off beat. Hims, a telehealth company providing prescriptions and personal care items for men, made a commercial marketing their weight-loss drugs. To say Hims sugarcoated the issue of obesity would be grossly understating it.
The commercial opened with a montage of people stepping on scales, followed by a portly man propelling his stomach up in the air while a voiceover enlightens us on how “obesity is America’s deadliest epidemic.”
This statement is far from contestable, given the physical condition of millions of Americans, but is it necessary to read the riot act and shove Ozempic in our faces?
Despite it being Super Bowl Sunday, I was compelled to come back to my dorm room to write my thoughts down. I don’t intend to portray a scene of a distressed college girl writing a melodramatic piece, jaw clenched in rage as she taps away at her laptop.
But yes, I took offense.
My favorite part of the Super Bowl will always be the commercials. I loved watching them growing up with my family while indulging in my dad’s game day spread that would give Rachel Ray self-doubt.
I can’t imagine how 8 or 9-year-old me would feel about myself after seeing an ad like that, telling me obesity is an abhorrent state of being requiring immediate medical intervention. I hate to think of how these ideals are becoming ingrained in children’s minds.
The media consistently feeds us messages saying our bodies need to conform to a standard and that otherwise, we face the risk of ostracization. Hollywood celebrities are dropping pounds seemingly overnight with the wave of Ozempic and Wegovy, and gym culture is at its all-time peak across all social media platforms.
It’s in our faces enough. Need we disparage those who are obese during the Super Bowl, too?
It’s also worth mentioning that February is National Eating Disorders Awareness Month. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, it’s estimated that 9% of the U.S. population will have an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime. Perhaps that’s the real epidemic worth mentioning.
I am fully aware of the numerous consequences of being overweight and that our nation is ranked in the top ten among countries with the highest obesity rates. What I’m grappling with is how fairly new weight-loss drugs are being trumpeted to viewers across the country, coupled with scathing remarks on obesity.
The discussion of weight-loss drugs needs to be more privatized in the same way that all medical treatments are because, quite frankly, it’s a serious commitment that is being presented as a quick and easily accessible solution to one’s body dissatisfaction.
The glamorization of weight-loss drugs can also be prevented at the individual level. If one happens to embark upon a weight-loss journey involving medical treatment, then I believe that should be kept private to avoid revealing personal medical information and presenting weight-loss medications in an idealized way.
I don’t have any strong feelings about Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show or the Eagles’ ultimate win; however, I firmly feel that the Hims commercial was abrasive and redundant in the context of how much emphasis our culture places on body size.
I was hoping to see a commercial as iconic as “Puppy Monkey Baby” or “Whassup True,” but alas, this 60-second slandering of obesity is what struck me most.
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image and eating concerns, resources can be found through the Counseling Center or NEDA.
