Yoplait Yanks Eating Disorder Promoting Commercial
After hearing complaints from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), Yoplait Yogurt has decided to cancel a commercial that normalized the obsessive thoughts and behaviors inherent in eating disorders.
In the commercial, a slim woman stands in front of an open refrigerator, looking longingly at a slice of cheesecake and negotiates with herself about whether she should eat it and on how bug a slice she ‘deserves’, saying:
”What if I just had a small slice…I was good today, I deserve it. Or, I could have a medium slice and some celery sticks and they would cancel each other out, right? Or I could have one large slice and jog in place as I eat it…”
The internal bargaining ends when another, slimmer, woman comes to the fridge and grabs a Yoplait light – and the two talk about how skinny the Yoplait drinker has become.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, commercials like these normalize the types of unhealthy internal monologues and obsessions that people with eating disorders strive to overcome on a daily basis.
Jenni Schaefer, a fully recovered eating disorders survivor and eating disorders author, says she was shocked when she saw the commercial, saying, "they really nailed it on the head--that's exactly what I thought every time I opened a refrigerator door. When you live with an eating disorder, you divide all foods into "good" and "bad" categories, like the yogurt versus the cheesecake. Pretty soon everything moves into the bad category."
A spokesperson for Yoplait commented on the controversial ad spot, saying, "We had no idea…We aren't sure that everyone saw the ad that way, but if anyone did, that was not our intent and is cause for concern. We thought it best to take it down."
More like this
Older Women Continue to Struggle with Disordered Eating and Body Image Problems
Although we may think eating disorders are a young person’s problem, new research out of The University of North Carolina demonstrates that even after 50, women are still very prone to disordered eating and body image problems.
In UK, Obesity to Become Leading Cause of Cirrhosis within 20 Years
Obesity soon to cause more liver cirrhosis than alcohol abuse in the UK
Yoyo Dieting Leads to Drug Withdrawal-Like Stress Response
Researchers at the Scripps Institute say that not only does Yoyo dieting fail to induce lasting weight loss, it can actually trigger a drug withdrawal-like stress response in the brain that can lead to overeating and weight gain.
Rats Fed a High Fat Diet Develop a Tolerance to the Pleasures of Eating
Rats fed an ‘all you can eat’ buffet diet of cheesecake and bacon may provide answers to questions about the root causes of overeating behaviors and obesity.
Binge Eating Now a Recognized Mental Illness
Binge eating disorder, a condition that affects an estimated 2% to 5% of Americans over a lifetime, is now a recognized disorder to be included in the upcoming edition of the DSM – the bible of psychological disorders.