Celebrating International No Diet Day With A Comment On Tabloid Weight Loss
At the supermarket recently, my eye caught this display:
Yes, that’s right – four weight loss cover stories, all in a single glance.
We are bombarded on a daily (read: momentary) basis by content like this.
Sometimes, the weight-loss plans these magazines tout as effective aren’t even responsible for said weight loss. In a feature in January’s US magazine, actress Melissa Joan Hart is interviewed about her post-baby 35-pound weight loss. Hart reports turning to Nutrisystem in order to shed the weight and discusses benefits of the plan.
But, here’s the funny part. The article states: “She shed the first 30 pounds before starting the program.” So, yes, this Nutrisystem success story and company spokesperson dropped only five pounds on the plan. Oops.
These magazines sell content like this because we’re buying it. Weight-loss plans and programs are only lucrative because we believe these stories.
We need to get smarter. We need to look at these magazine covers as no different than those featuring stars adopting alien babies. And we need to demand better content, because wouldn’t it be a treat to be checking out at the grocery store and see a cover story that celebrates women or actually makes us think?
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