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Matthew Neff
Topics in Professional Writing: Food Writing
ENG 684
Mrs. Tracy Dalton

Is Television Making You Fat?

When it comes to food, the only thing better than eating it is watching television

shows about it. Even people who are not fans of food-based media are aware of at least one

type of show that features food consumption in one form or another. There is nothing wrong

with enjoying media based around food and eating. The problem is that most people who

watch shows about eating do not think seriously about the consequences of mimicking the

behavior they see on television. People need to be aware of what type of content they are

watching on television; it is also important for filmmakers to know how to portray

overeating and the people who are affected by it appropriately. The best way to consume

food-based media is by being able to identify positive and negative eating traits; in doing so,

viewers will have the ability to make informed decisions about whether or not they want to

incorporate eating traits on television into their own diet.

Poor Eating Habits in Television

Throughout the media, there are several examples of food-related shows that

promote poor eating habits. One of the more popular shows that features these kinds of

eating habits the Travel Channel original series, Man vs. Food. Man vs. Food is an eating

challenge based show created and hosted by Adam Richman. Each episode of the series

features Richman visiting various restaurants across the country to take on their extreme

eating challenges. In the very first episode of the series, Richman travels to Texas to

complete a restaurant challenge involving a five pound steak, a shrimp cocktail, and a

baked potato. Not only does he complete the challenge, he is able to eat all of his food in

under half an hour (Amarillo). While the initial concept for the series may seem
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entertaining, the glorification of overeating can have negative impact on viewers who do not

fully understand the consequences of overeating.

In addition to glorifying overeating, certain audiences may take offense to the show

for other reasons. The idea of consuming so much food in such a short period of time may

seem sickening to some viewers. In The Guardian’s review of the series, Charlie Brooker

mocks Richman’s glorification of overeating, commenting that “if food is the new porn, this

is an all-out orgy between wobbling gutsos and farmyard animals – a snuff orgy, no less,

since the latter end up sawn in half and smothered in BBQ sauce” (Brooker). Brooker

understands that showcasing extreme overeating can set a poor example to viewers,

especially when the show treats it like it is something to be celebrated. To impressionable

viewers, this can be interpreted as an encouragement to eat frivolously without any regard

to physical health. Brooker wants audiences to recognize that television personalities, such

as Adam Richman, do not make for very good role models.

Traits in Shows that Coincide with Overeating

A majority of the negative eating habits presented throughout the show can be

attributed to the glorification of competitive eating. Throughout the United States,

competitive eating has become a popular event amongst restaurants and even national

companies. Celebrated as a sport-like event, competitive eating has brought fame to several

individuals who have been commemorated for their ability to eat large quantities of food in

a short amount of time. Like any sporting event, the well-known “athletes” featured in

these competitions are professionals who have spent long periods of time training to perfect

their eating abilities. So when Adam Richman eats a five pound steak with sides in less

than half an hour, his experience and a challenge-eater has prepared him for this type of

event. However, when viewers at home attempt to replicate Richman’s eating habits, things
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start to get troubling. While Richman’s eating skills are certainly impressive, it would be ill

advised for someone with no challenge-eating experiences to try to replicate what he does

on his show. Just because a television personality is able to take on extreme food

challenges, that does not mean anybody can do it. Shows like Man vs. Food can send the

wrong message to impressionable viewers. A child may watch this show and try to copy

Richman’s actions because he thinks the show is “cool.” In addition to developing poor

eating habits, children could develop serious health risks if they attempt to mimic

Richman’s overeating abilities over a long period of time. This is not to say shows like Man

vs. Food should not be broadcast on television; if people find watching a man eat large

quantities of food in a short period of time entertaining, then from a marketing perspective,

it makes sense why cable channels would sponsor this type of programming. On the

contrary, eating-challenge shows should add a disclaimer at the start of their program that

alerts viewers not to replicate the eating habits displayed on the show. This could ensure

that impressionable viewers do not attempt to replicate the negative eating habits they

watch on the show.

Portrayals of Overeaters in Media

When it comes to overeating, there are two different aspects that the media tends to

focus on. The first aspect is the effects that overeating has on the human body. This aspect

is purely scientific; it exists to present people with the facts surrounding overeating as well

as provide them with information on how to identify and resolve overeating traits in one’s

diet. Media sources tend to use these facts to paint the subject of overeating in a negative

light. This approach is not inherently wrong because there are several negative aspects

surrounding overeating that the media-viewing public should be made aware of. Films like

Supersize Me have helped bring attention to the consequences of maintaining an unhealthy

diet and the effects it can have on the human body. However, the second aspect that the
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media focuses on tends to carry emotional weight to it. This aspect involves individuals who

are effected by overeating, or more specifically, individuals who are overweight. There have

been several different approaches to portraying overeaters in the media. News sources often

use them as examples of a worst case scenario for individuals who avoid maintaining a

healthy diet, dramas use them as victims of bullying who were specifically targeted based

on their looks, and comedies tend to use them as a source of humor. As one might assume,

these portrayals do not paint overeaters in the best light.

One of the more detrimental stereotypes surrounding overeaters is the comedic

portrayal of overweight children in movies and television, aka the “funny fat kid.” This is a

stereotype that many film goers will recognize from several different films. In a movie, the

“funny fat kid” is portrayed by an overweight child whose character mainly consists of three

components: he’s funny, he’s fat, and all he talks about is how he loves to eat. For decades,

Hollywood films have used this trope as a source of comedic relief for family oriented

movies. While the initial concept of having a young character be both funny and overweight

may seem harmless enough, Hollywood has shown that there are many ways in which “the

funny fat kid” can be portrayed in a negative light.

The Funny Fat Kid

In analyzing how this stereotypical character came to be an important of television

and cinema, it is important to explain this character’s origins and how it has evolved over

time. One of the most popular examples of a “funny fat kid” in a movie would be Chunk

from The Goonies. While this is not the first movie to use the “funny fat kid” character

trope, Chunk is certainly one of the more memorable pop culture icons. In addition to being

fat and funny, Chunk has three distinct personality traits that are showcased throughout

the movie: he is cowardly, he is a chronic liar, and his friends consider him a nuisance
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throughout a majority of the time. This last part is the essential

aspect of Chunk’s personality. Because Chunk is a chronic liar,

he has lost the trust and respect of a majority of his friends.

The first time that he speaks with his friends in the film, he is

forced to do an embarrassing dance and then is mocked when

he describes a car chase that he previously witnessed. Despite

Chunk from The Goonies

the fact that he is considered an essential member of the goonies, he spends two-thirds of

the film separated from the main group. It is not until towards the end of the film that he is

reunited with his friends (Goonies). Although he may be a likeable character, there is one

fundamental flaw to his character. Chunk does not grow as a character over the course of

the film. By the end of the movie, he is still a chronic liar and he still obsesses over eating.

The only thing that has changed is that he now has a new friend in the form of a disfigured

man.

Now compare Chunk to another “funny fat kid”

character in popular culture. For this example, the focus of

analysis will be Dustin from Stranger Things. Seeing as how

Stranger Things was inspired by several movies that were

released in the 1980s, including The Goonies, it is reasonable to

assume that Dustin’s character was partially inspired by

Dustin from Stranger Things
Chunk. In the pilot script for the series, he is first introduced as

“DUSTIN HENDERSON, 12, playing as a dwarf. He wears glasses, is overweight, not quite

fat, but he’ll get there someday” (Duffer Brothers, p. 3). Based on this description alone, one

may assume that Dustin is just another stereotypical funny fat kid. At first glance, Dustin

does mirror several of Chunk’s personality traits, including the fact that he’s overweight,
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he’s funny, and he always has food on hand. While many of these personality traits are

similar to Chunk’s, there is one key difference to Dustin’s character: he serves as the voice

of reason. Throughout the first season of Stranger Things, whenever the kids are having a

quarrel, Dustin is there to step in and suggest a reasonable solution. In episode six of

season one, there is a growing tension between Dustin’s two friends, Mike and Lucas. Since

neither are able to admit they are in the wrong, Dustin makes the effort to point them in

the right direction (Chapter Six: The Monster). This is the key difference that distinguishes

Dustin’s version of the funny fat kid from Chunk’s. Whereas most of Chunk’s humor was

based around him being an overweight kid who lies constantly, Dustin’s humor is based

around his optimism and ability to make witty observations about a situation from an

unbiased perspective.

The Evolution of the Funny Fat Kid

It is very clear that Chunk and Dustin are two very different characters. The

question is, how did Hollywood go from using funny fat kids as one dimensional stereotypes

to fully fleshed-out characters? After the release of The Goonies, several family movies

released throughout the 1980s and 1990s attempted to imitate the success and popularity

of the film’s memorable ensemble. Movies like Mighty Ducks and Little Giants incorporated

a “funny fat kid” into their cast of to serve as a source of comedic relief. The problem is that,

as these types of films continued to get made, the “funny fat kid” became more and more of

a one dimensional stock character. Although Chunk is not the most fleshed out character,

his personality traits were at least distinct and memorable. With these newer movies, the

sole purpose of the funny fat kid became making jokes about how fat they are. There is

nothing wrong with having a character be both funny and overweight. But when the

concept of an overweight youth is always portrayed as a joke, it creates a one-dimensional

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negative stereotype that can be harmful to real life individuals who may struggle with early

onset diabetes or child obesity.

While the portrayal of overweight youth from the 1980s to the 1990s was not the

most positive thing, something had to have happened in order to change the perception of

the funny fat kid. There were several family films throughout the 1990s that started to

challenge the stereotypical role of the funny fat kid,

including the 1993 film The Sandlot. The film revolves

around a group of kids who spend the summer of 1962

playing baseball in their neighborhood. Much like any

other 90s movie about a group of kids playing a sport,

The Sandlot, You Play Ball like a Girl
one of the teammates is a funny fat kid. In the movie,

the character Hamilton “Ham” Porter is portrayed as a wisecracking loud mouth who never

hesitates to stand up for his friends. In one of the film’s most iconic scenes, he tells off a

group of snobbish little league players with some of the most creative insults one can say in

a PG movie (The Sandlot). This was one of the first movies that showcased a funny fat kid

who not only had a clever sense humor, but also a strong sense of wit and courage. The

Sandlot demonstrated how “the funny fat kid” can be one of the more intelligent characters

in an ensemble of children.

Another important movie that helped progress the

image of the funny fat kid was the 1995 film, Heavyweights.

While most 90s kid ensemble movies had one funny fat kid,

this was a movie consisting entirely of funny fat kids. The film

focuses on a group of overweight boys who spend the summer

at a fat camp (Camp Hope) which is taken over by a manic

Heavyweights Movie Poster
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health instructor, played by Ben Stiller. Stiller subjects the campers to a strict diet and

workout regimen that causes the campers both physical and mental torture. In addition to

being tormented by Stiller, the boys at Camp Hope are constantly ridiculed by a group of

physically fit young men from the neighboring camp. Eventually, the campers overthrow

Stiller and celebrate by gorging themselves on all the junk food they were denied. However,

they soon realize that the lifestyle they want is just as unhealthy as the one that Stiller had

been imposing on them. From that point on, the campers make the conscious effort to eat

healthy and exercise. The film concludes with Stiller being arrested and Camp Hope

defeating the enemy camp in a race at the end of the summer (Heavyweights). This film

helped break the stereotype for what it meant to be a funny fat kid in a movie. For one

thing, not every funny fat kid in the film is the same type of funny fat kid. Some of the

campers are nerdy, some are dim-witted and others are cocky. Each character has a very

distinct personality that makes them stand out in a film that could have easily been about a

camp full of kids who all represent the same one-dimensional stereotype.

Themes of Overeating in Media

While Heavyweights may just seem like a campy summer family film on the surface,

its underlying themes have gained more relevance with time. Throughout the film, the

campers are subjected to two types of scrutiny based on their physical appearance. The first

type is external scrutiny, which is personified in the neighboring camp filled with physically

fit campers who constantly mock the “fat kid camp.” This neighboring camp represents the

“grass is always greener” mentality that overeaters can have when comparing themselves

to skinnier people. The neighboring camp presents the image of an idolized society where

everyone is attractive and nobody is made fun of for being fat. Much like the kids in the

movie, overeaters tend to see physically fit people as leading happier lives than their own.

However the campers soon realize that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
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The kids in the neighboring camp may be attractive on the outside, but their personalities

are very ugly. Whereas with Camp Hope, the campers may not be in the best physical

shape, but they are all genuinely nice people. As one of the characters states, Camp Hope is

a place where “no one picks on you because you’re not that fat kid…everybody’s the fat kid”

(Heavyweights). To an overweight child, being in a camp where everyone is dealing with

the same issues as him seems like a much more supportive environment than a camp where

everybody only cares about being fit and attractive.

The second form of scrutiny presented in the film is internal scrutiny. This comes

from Stiller’s portrayal as the camp’s fitness crazed instructor. Throughout the film, Stiller

subjects the campers to a series of unhealthy and humiliating exercises in an effort to slim

them down as fast as possible. He claims he is using the camp as a source for an infomercial

about weight loss, but it is clear that he takes personal pleasure in demeaning the

overweight kids. Stiller personifies the doubt and self-judgement for all of the campers at

Camp Hope. Much like an internal voice, the boys are unable to escape Stiller’s judgement

constantly weighing down on them. He also represents the internal judgement overeaters

and overweight people inflict upon themselves. The movie explains how Stiller’s character

was overweight as a child and ever since he got in shape, he has made it his mission to

“help” fat kids become healthy. As Stiller’s mental health deteriorates throughout the film,

it becomes clear to the audience that he still has issues with his past. So when Stiller

punishes the boy’s for their poor eating habits, he is vicariously punishing the younger

fatter version of himself that he’ll never be able to make peace with. But as the film shows,

it is possible to defeat the inner voice of doubt within oneself. By standing up to the

instructor, the campers are able to take control of the camp and themselves.
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The message of the movie boils down to the idea that people should not be ashamed

of how they look based on society’s norms, but if they want to lead a healthy lifestyle, it

should be their choice to do so. When the campers take personal responsibility for

maintaining a healthy lifestyle, it’s the first time in the film they are given a choice that

has not already been made for them. By making this choice for themselves, the campers are

able to improve both their physical and mental health. By the end of the movie, the

campers are still overweight but their confidence and self-worth has noticeably increased.

When the overweight kids defeat the enemy camp in the race, they celebrate by throwing

the trophy in the lake. To the kids at Camp Hope, the race was never about defeating the

other camp, it was about proving to themselves that they can do anything they set their

mind to. This is a positive message that can be used to inspire countless youths who may

feel ashamed of their bodies. This film can teach people how to learn to accept themselves

by taking control of their lives and looking past society’s judgmental eyes. This is a lesson

that people can apply to their everyday lives. As long as there is a societal definition of

what is beautiful and what is not, people who struggle with overeating will never fail to

scrutinize themselves. It is the responsibility of filmmakers to give overeaters a voice that

accurately reflects their feelings as well as their interactions with society.

Other Negative Traits in Media

To say that the media is imperfect would be an understatement, but to say that it

only skews the portrayal overeating would be a lie. Throughout the history of media, there

has always been a certain level of fallacy when it comes to the promotion of certain

products. Whether it be due to misinformation or pure ignorance, they media has always

managed to find themselves on the wrong end of history in some for or other. One of the

biggest examples of this comes from the promotion of cigarettes throughout the first half of

the twentieth century. While the public perception of cigarettes may have changed within
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the last hundred years, their impact on the media and the advertisement world have by no

means diminished. The business model of early cigarette advertisement is something that

has carried over into other forms of advertisement throughout the media. Even when a

product may be potentially harmful to the consumer that does not prevent the advertiser

from trying to maximize the amount of traffic for their business. At the end of the day,

advertisement is a numbers game that aims to get companies as much as possible, no

matter the long-term cost.

Advertising Addiction
When it comes to drug usage, most media outlets encourage people not to take up

smoking by displaying the harmful effects cigarettes can have on the human body.

However, the same cannot be said for the media almost one hundred years ago. Back then,

smoking cigarettes was considered just another national pastime. A 1930s cigarette

advertisement for Phillip Morris & Co. features a quote

that states, “Phillip Morris Cigarettes have been proved

by actual tests on the human throat measurably and

definitely milder than ordinary cigarettes” (Feinburg).

Not only does this ad say that smoking is good for 1930s Cigarette Advertisement

people, it is saying that smoking a particular brand of cigarettes can be greatly beneficial.

Advertisements such as this served as the norm throughout the first half of the twentieth

century. In addition to competition among cigarette companies, one of the main reasons

these types of ads thrived was because the long-term effects of smoking were not common

knowledge. For a majority of people, the quote on a pack of Phillip Morris & Co. Once the

effects of cigarettes started to get more attention, consumers quickly caught on that they

cannot get all the information they need from a poster. People today are more educated on
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the consequences of smoking and are therefore able to make opinions that are more

informed when it comes to drug use.

The Relationship between Drug Use in Film and the MPAA

Much like overeating, drug use has a notorious history in how it has been portrayed

in film and television. Within the last one hundred years, film has evolved from the

glorification of cigarettes to hardly featuring them at all on screen. The Motion Picture

Association of America (MPAA) is very strict about what type of drug use they allow to be

shown in movies. During the early twentieth century, most movies featured characters

smoking on screen. Nowadays, the MPAA has made it so it is almost impossible for movies

to feature characters smoking cigarettes. In fact, R-rated movies tend to be the primary

outlet for the portrayal of smoking in film. Try to think of a non-R-rate film released in the

last fifteen years that featured a character smoking cigarettes on screen. While some films

may feature drug use in some capacity, the specific act of smoking cigarettes is something

rarely seen in a movie that is not intended for people seventeen and older. The act of

smoking was not always exclusive to R-rated movies. Classic kid movies like Dumbo and

Pinocchio featured characters smoking on screen. Given, these movies were released before

1950s; this was a time when the effects of long-term tobacco usage were not common

knowledge. Since the release of these movies, the perception of smoking and tobacco usage

has drastically changed. Nowadays, smoking is something that most family friendly movies

do not show. While it is not forbidden to show smoking in a non-R-rated movie, most movie

studios make an effort to avoid showing cigarettes in films intended for children and

families. This is largely do the current public opinion on smoking. According to an article by

Georgia Southern University student Cesar A. Perez, the MPAA is designed to “reflect the

current values of the majority of American parents, so that parents benefit and feel fairly

informed by the ratings system” (Perez). In the days of black-and-white filmmaking,

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showing someone smoking onscreen was no big deal because the public opinion on

cigarettes was very positive. In fact, many film and television studios showcased actors

smoking as a form of advertisement for certain cigarette brands. But now that cigarettes

are seen as a harmful substance, movies tend to deem smoking as a negative trait that is

only suitable for equally negative characters. If a character is smoking in a film, that

character tends to be the villain. Movies like Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas feature

antagonists who constantly smoke cigarettes. This design seems to imply that cigarettes

are only used by people who the audience sees as evil and truly deserve to die. This is not to

say the public should regard all smokers as people who are asking for death, but it can

make impressionable audiences think twice before they form an opinion about cigarettes.

By planting seeds of doubt into moviegoers’ heads, the MPAA can have a strong influence

on the way people perceive drug use. In doing so, the MPAA has made it so the audience’s

opinion on cigarettes has already been made for them.

Similarities between Drug Use and Overeating

While cigarette advertisements are not as big as they were in the 1930s, they

certainly laid the groundwork for the way companies promote potentially harmful products

to consumers. Many people can agree that smoking is an unhealthy addiction, but the

question remains, what does this have to do with overeating? What the public seems to

forget is that overeating is a negative habit that can be just as addictive as smoking. With

fast food restaurants offering readily accessible meals in endless locations around the

world, it can be easy for people to get access to unhealthy food. In many ways, history is

repeating itself in how the media promotes a product to the public that can be addictive.

While cigarette advertisements are not as big as they were in the 1930s, they certainly laid

the groundwork for the way companies promote potentially harmful products to consumers.
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A 1970s fast food advertisement for McDonald’s features a

quote that states, “Grab the Big Meal at McDonalds…which

should make your stomach very happy. Not to mention your

wallet” (Wendt). Much like cigarette advertisements, fast

food companies use competitive pricing in order to attract

customers. By offering better deals to the public, businesses

like McDonald’s strive to get as many people as possible to

buy their food. Contrary to what some people may believe, 1970s McDonald's Advertisement

cigarette companies and fast food chains do not promote their products for the sole purpose

of making people unhealthy. If anything, they want their customers to be as healthy as

possible; otherwise, there would be nobody to buy cigarettes or fast food. It is in the best

interest of these companies to keep their customers alive so they can continue to buy their

products. The issue stems from the fact that these companies are only concerned with the

short-term consequences of people buying their products. If a customer is healthy enough to

give money to company, the company will not care if their product is slowly killing said

customer. If people start dying from smoking or eating fast food, then these companies need

to find new customers to replace the ones they have lost. Once a consumer is no longer able

to consume a product, in the company’s eyes, that consumer becomes immaterial.

Businesses see the public as a dollar sign; as long as there is someone to sell to, there will

always be another advertisement.

Regardless of a company’s intentions, they are still promoting what many people

view as unhealthy addictions. With so many health risks in today’s society, the similarities

between overeating and drug use cannot be ignored. In an article for Appetite, Caroline

Davis outlines the effects of overeating and how it exhibits the traits of an addiction
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disorder. Throughout the article, Davis highlights how drug use and overeating both form

habitual traits in people to the point where they can become dependent on maintaining an

unhealthy lifestyle. While Davis is not claiming that every case of overeating is equally

unhealthy as drug use, she emphasizes that “Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a phenotype

particularly well-suited to such a conceptualization, and that sound clinical and scientific

evidence exists to support this viewpoint” (Davis). Davis is not saying that overeating or

drug use are inherently evil traits. When people incorporate these traits into their daily

routine, that is when addictions can start to form. This addiction is reinforced through

constant advertising of products that help feed one’s unhealthy habits. For example, if a

person sees an advertisement for a cheeseburger, he may be inclined to go out and buy one.

If he likes the sandwich, he may feel inclined to keep buying cheeseburgers over a period of

time until he finds that he cannot stand living without cheeseburgers. Even if he develops

serious health problems, he will still feel inclined to buy more cheeseburgers. It is not

enough for him to try and ignore his addictive urges, especially when there are constant

advertisements for the product that made him so unhealthy in the first place. Even if

suppresses his urges, the advertisements will never go away. Many news outlets have

caught on to the addictive traits of overeating. In an article for Mirror News, Francesca

Cookney sheds light on a group that specializes in supporting people who suffer from

overeating. Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a United Kingdom based support group that

strives to help overeaters accept themselves for who they are and help them become

healthy. According to Cookney, “95 percent of OA members are compulsive eaters.... Some

8,600 OA members are over 65 and around 1,000 were under 18 when they came to their

first meeting. Over 22,000 have had a problem with food since they were under 10”

(Cookney). While these people do manage to find support from each other, it can be hard to

avoid stimulants in everyday society. Many of these stimulants come from food
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advertisements that are constantly aired on television and made available online. By

promoting an addictive substance in a positive light, people can make unwise decisions if

they do not have all the information about the effects of said substance. Advertisements are

not created to inform people on how to think for themselves, they are designed to sell

products. The more attention an advertisement gets, the more products it sells. It would be

unreasonable to say that getting rid of advertisements all together would be a feasible

solution to keep people from overeating. Businesses will always rely on ads to promote their

products, so why not use them to help educate consumers? It is the responsibility of the

company to inform their consumers about all of the facts surrounding the products they are

selling. It is possible for companies to promote their products and educate consumers at the

same time. By maintaining honesty with the public, businesses can strive to form stronger

and more stable relationships with their customers. It is also the responsibility of the

consumer to actively seek out information about a product that allows them to make an

unbiased opinion.

Promoting Eating Positively

With so many negative portrayals of eating throughout the media, it may seem like

there is nothing that can be done about the way overeating is viewed by the public. This is

not to say people have not tried to make change happen. In an article for The Salt, Eliza

Barclay illustrates how “public health advocates say food ads should be tightly regulated.

They say food companies use them to entreat us to indulge in fattening products and they

link our obesity epidemic to unhealthy foods we see on TV” (Barclay). Barclay illustrates

how there are people out there who want the negative portrayals of eating to be minimized.

Regardless, it seems unlikely that media promotions of unhealthy things will change in the

near future. With businesses generating large amounts of profit from advertisement

revenue, it makes sense from an economic standpoint for these companies to continue to
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follow the business model that works for them. Although advertisement can be profitable,

that does not always mean it has to be done with moral correctness in mind. At this point,

one might be wondering if there is anything good that can be said about the media and its

portrayal of eating habits. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of media dedicated to

promoting healthy eating habits and informing the public about the consequences of

overeating. These are the types of shows that set the standard for how overeating should be

portrayed in the media. By presenting information in a manner that is both entertaining

and unbiased, shows that portray good eating habits take the responsibility to present

audiences with all of the facts surrounding the topic of overeating. Shows that promote good

eating habits simply want to provide their audiences with healthy options that they can

choose whether they want to eat. The goal of these shows is to give people the information

they need in order to make well-educated decisions on what they include in their diet.

Shows that Promote Good Eating Habits

Throughout the media, there are several examples of food-related shows that

promote good eating habits. One of the more popular shows that features these kinds of

eating habits the PBS original series, Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger. Healthy

Appetite is a public access cooking show created and hosted by Ellie Krieger. Each episode

of the series features Krieger preparing themed recipes that are both healthy and delicious.

In one episode, she teaches how to prepare a variety of meals on an outdoor grill that

provide eaters with the fun of cooking outdoors while also maintaining a healthy lifestyle

(Thrill of the Grill). Krieger not only promotes her lifestyles, she encourages her audience to

replicate her behavior in the hope that they will maintain a healthy lifestyle. While Krieger

does stand to benefit from promoting herself and her recipes, it is clear that she is

passionate about what she does and how audiences interpret her show.
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Positive Traits in Shows the Coincide with Healthy Eating

A majority of the positive eating habits presented throughout the show can be

attributed to the host’s dedication to informing the viewers. By presenting all of the facts

surrounding her dishes and the positive effects of healthy eating and the benefits of

managing what one eats. Compare Healthy Appetite to a show like Man vs. Food; they are

both food-based hosted by television personalities who are qualified and enthusiastic about

what they are promoting on the show. The differences stem from the messages that each

show attempts to illustrate to the viewing public. Man vs. Food is a show that glorifies

overeating as a competitive event. The message of this show is that eating a lot of food in a

short period is fun and it makes a person look cool. This kind of message can be harmful to

impressionable viewers who do not fully understand the consequences of overeating. Now

compare it to the message of shows that promote healthy eating habits. The goal of Healthy

Appetite is to promote healthy recipes to viewers that can replicate the dishes at home.

While both shows are designed to make audiences interested in food, Healthy Appetite

makes sure to present its food in a realistic manner. Krieger does not glorify healthy eating

as a means to combat fast food; rather, she gives her audience credible and unbiased

information about her dishes. In doing so, she allows the viewer to decide whether they

want to make the healthy food for themselves. By giving her viewers the freedom to choose

whatever they want to eat, she is able to convey her recipes as suggestions rather than a

demand. This is the one key trait that should be universal for all food-based shows. By

providing audiences with facts about the programs they are watching, television studios can

ensure that the people watching are well informed about the subject matter of the show.

Eating-challenge shows should add a disclaimer at the start of their program that alerts

viewers not to replicate the eating habits displayed on the show. This could ensure that

impressionable viewers do not attempt to replicate the negative eating habits they watch on
 Neff 19

the show. The purpose for adding a disclaimer is not to censor television; rather it is

designed to keep viewers informed and open-minded.

Conclusion
When it comes to the media, there is no middle ground for the subject of food. Like

Yin and Yang, there will always be positive and negative portrayals of overeating and

overeaters. The good news is that the public perception of overeating is constantly changing

for the better. This means that the ratio of positive and negative media portrayals of

overeating is becoming more stable. For every show like Man vs. Food that promotes

overeating there is a show like Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger that promotes healthy

dieting. Many television and filmmakers have made progress in how they portray

characters with eating disorders. For every stereotypical funny fat kid like Chunk, there is

a well-rounded character like Dustin Henderson who illustrates how the funny fat kid can

be more than just a one-dimensional joke. Unfortunately, not everything in the media is

changing for the better. Advertisements for fast food continue to influence consumers into

buying unhealthy food; these ads are not going away any time soon and it seems unlikely

that businesses will change the way they promote their products. Nevertheless, no media

source has the right to tell people what they should and should not eat. People need to be

aware of what type of content they are watching on television; it is also important for

filmmakers to know how to portray overeating and the people who are affected by it

appropriately. The best way to consume food-based media is by being able to identify

positive and negative eating traits; in doing so, viewers will have the ability to make

informed decisions about whether or not they want to incorporate eating traits on television

into their own diet. By analyzing factual and unbiased data about the consequences of

overeating, people will have the freedom to choose what they eat knowing they have the

information they need to make their own decisions.

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Works Cited
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Feinberg, Ashley. “14 Absurd Ads From Before we knew Cigarettes Could Kill You,”
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Wendt, Maria. “25 Excellent Vintage Fast Food Ads,” Neat Designs. NeatDesigns.net,
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Photo Credits
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