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Topic:
The Culture of Obesity As Portrayed in Movies and Films
Essay Instructions:
ubject: Psychology
Culture of Obesity
1) Write an essay (1,250 words) analyzing the portrayal of obesity in popular filmic culture.
2) Examples may include, but are not limited to American television or cinema. The following are examples:
a) Reality-based television shows, such as Huge, TOO Fat For Fifteen, Biggest Loser, Celebrity Fit Club, and Thintervention.
b) Films, such as Shallow Hal, Fatso, Super Size Me, Real Women Have Curves, The Nutty Professor, Big Momma's House, etc.
c) Individual characters and/or overweight male actors, such as Paul Bart: Mall Cop, Shrek, Drew Carey, Jack Black, John Belushi, John Candy, Chris Farley, Raymond Burr, Charles Durning, James Gandofini, Orson Wells, and Marlon Brando.
d) Individual characters and/or overweight female actors, such as Oprah, Roseanne Barr, Cathrine Manneheim, Queen Latifah, America Ferrera, Kirstie Alley, Fiona (from Shrek), Shelly Winters, Jennifer Hudson, and Monique.
3) Depending on your selection, consider the following:
a) Tolerance, acceptance, and withdrawal.
b) Various types of impulse behaviors exhibited by the character(s).
c) Evaluate the effectiveness of proscribed treatment methods and'or interventions of obesity.
d) Evaluate the verbiage (dialogue, adjectives, labels, etc.) used to describe and/or define the character(s).
e) Are there instances in which "fat" is deemed the last accepted prejudice?
f) Analyze and reflect upon your thoughts, actions, or emotional reactions to the television program or film.
Prepare this assignment according to APA Style Guide. An abstract is not required.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Running head: CULTURE OF OBESITY
Culture of obesity
Name
Institution
Course
Lecturer
Date
The Culture of Obesity As Portrayed in Movies and Films
Tolerance, acceptance, and withdrawal
The culture of obesity has been portrayed in different movies and films across the world and especially in America. The films try to ridicule fat people as having obesity and they are portrayed as sad and uncomfortable. Fat people in the movies are associated with heavy and bad eating habits .those with thin bodies are seen to be happy even if their eating habits are bad. Children programs and movies communicate negative message and give bad impression about overweight people (Kumanyika & Brownson, 2007). Different studies have revealed that even in children programs, overweight cartoons characters are always depicted as unattractive, unintelligent, unhappy and cruel. Studies show that in 40% of films and movies aired in televisions, at least one obese character is disliked, and obese character in children movies are shown thinking about or eating food.
The Reality TV shows are effective in show-casting health and fitness matters to many people around the world (Christenson & Ivancin, 2006). In these shows people who are moderately to morbidly obese are assembled for once-in-a-lifetime chance to get in shape, lose weight fast and win cash. The reality shows command a big mass audience, hence worthy considering how the causes, consequences and possible solutions to obesity are portrayed. In this shows the overweight contestants are exposed to physical exercises to cut their weight. Some contestants leave the show before it ends when the exercises become tougher for them, others struggle up to the end to see that their weight is cut and win the prizes.
In the film The Nutty Professor, Norbit and Shall Hal, the actors dress in big suits to look big and engage in clinched slapstick,i.e they are shown stacking in small spaces because of their big bodies (Montalbano, 2010). These actors are trying to imitate how the obese people behave in a mocking manner. They look bad while acting as overweight people and this create a lesson to the viewers. Some people stop the bad eating habits by watching these films and stick on good diet to maintain their weight.
In the hit show friends, the obese characters are shown over eating junk foods and when compared with thinner people, they less get involved in romantic relationships. In this show ‘Fat Monica’ is used as a prime example of obese people. In this show Monica is portrayed as attractive and lovable in her thin figure, but when dressed in overweight suits, Monica is portrayed as pathetic and eating all the time. This shows that men do not like to have romantic relationship with fat women likewise, slim ladies are unwilling to have a relationship with overweight men.
In Shallow hal film, the fat character like Dudley the cousin of Harry Potter is portrayed as dim-witted, greedy, mean and fat. The movies associate fat people with all bad behaviors related to eating (Chelsea, n.d). Also in Too fat for fifteen movie, fat characters are associated with eating Jung food all the time and very less. The movies make fat character be seen as the last prejudice. According t research, children learn to make fun of their pat friends from watching these TV programs. The show portrays the fat people in a fun way which makes the children to extend the same portrayal to their peers (Chelsea, n.d).
The Reality TV show portrays obese with a lot of biasness. The presenters of these shows especially in The Biggest Loser feel that obese people are responsible for their condition, associating them with laziness and gluttony. According to studies, these beliefs are ingrained from traditional American values that individuals are in control of what happens to them and they receive what they deserve (Chelsea, n.d.). This is why the show presenters put the blame for obesity epidemic on the shoulders of obese people. This is why the ground for prejudice is laid against obese people. The movies show obese characters being laughed at and humiliated because the society believe they deserve it
Effectiveness of Proscribed Treatment Methods
In different Reality TV shows obesity is portrayed as a result of reduced activities and poor diets. Inadequate activities and poor eating habits are leading to increased rates of overweight and its related problems like increased rates of mortality caused by hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer. The solution to these problems as portrayed in the movies is for obese people to check on their diet and exercise regularly monitoring their bodies. Also obsess people should carry powerful moral overtones about how people are supposed to behave. These solutions are effective as they reduce the complexity of obesity. However, there are reported cases of people who have tried o exercise regularly and observed their eating habits but their w...
Culture of obesity
Name
Institution
Course
Lecturer
Date
The Culture of Obesity As Portrayed in Movies and Films
Tolerance, acceptance, and withdrawal
The culture of obesity has been portrayed in different movies and films across the world and especially in America. The films try to ridicule fat people as having obesity and they are portrayed as sad and uncomfortable. Fat people in the movies are associated with heavy and bad eating habits .those with thin bodies are seen to be happy even if their eating habits are bad. Children programs and movies communicate negative message and give bad impression about overweight people (Kumanyika & Brownson, 2007). Different studies have revealed that even in children programs, overweight cartoons characters are always depicted as unattractive, unintelligent, unhappy and cruel. Studies show that in 40% of films and movies aired in televisions, at least one obese character is disliked, and obese character in children movies are shown thinking about or eating food.
The Reality TV shows are effective in show-casting health and fitness matters to many people around the world (Christenson & Ivancin, 2006). In these shows people who are moderately to morbidly obese are assembled for once-in-a-lifetime chance to get in shape, lose weight fast and win cash. The reality shows command a big mass audience, hence worthy considering how the causes, consequences and possible solutions to obesity are portrayed. In this shows the overweight contestants are exposed to physical exercises to cut their weight. Some contestants leave the show before it ends when the exercises become tougher for them, others struggle up to the end to see that their weight is cut and win the prizes.
In the film The Nutty Professor, Norbit and Shall Hal, the actors dress in big suits to look big and engage in clinched slapstick,i.e they are shown stacking in small spaces because of their big bodies (Montalbano, 2010). These actors are trying to imitate how the obese people behave in a mocking manner. They look bad while acting as overweight people and this create a lesson to the viewers. Some people stop the bad eating habits by watching these films and stick on good diet to maintain their weight.
In the hit show friends, the obese characters are shown over eating junk foods and when compared with thinner people, they less get involved in romantic relationships. In this show ‘Fat Monica’ is used as a prime example of obese people. In this show Monica is portrayed as attractive and lovable in her thin figure, but when dressed in overweight suits, Monica is portrayed as pathetic and eating all the time. This shows that men do not like to have romantic relationship with fat women likewise, slim ladies are unwilling to have a relationship with overweight men.
In Shallow hal film, the fat character like Dudley the cousin of Harry Potter is portrayed as dim-witted, greedy, mean and fat. The movies associate fat people with all bad behaviors related to eating (Chelsea, n.d). Also in Too fat for fifteen movie, fat characters are associated with eating Jung food all the time and very less. The movies make fat character be seen as the last prejudice. According t research, children learn to make fun of their pat friends from watching these TV programs. The show portrays the fat people in a fun way which makes the children to extend the same portrayal to their peers (Chelsea, n.d).
The Reality TV show portrays obese with a lot of biasness. The presenters of these shows especially in The Biggest Loser feel that obese people are responsible for their condition, associating them with laziness and gluttony. According to studies, these beliefs are ingrained from traditional American values that individuals are in control of what happens to them and they receive what they deserve (Chelsea, n.d.). This is why the show presenters put the blame for obesity epidemic on the shoulders of obese people. This is why the ground for prejudice is laid against obese people. The movies show obese characters being laughed at and humiliated because the society believe they deserve it
Effectiveness of Proscribed Treatment Methods
In different Reality TV shows obesity is portrayed as a result of reduced activities and poor diets. Inadequate activities and poor eating habits are leading to increased rates of overweight and its related problems like increased rates of mortality caused by hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancer. The solution to these problems as portrayed in the movies is for obese people to check on their diet and exercise regularly monitoring their bodies. Also obsess people should carry powerful moral overtones about how people are supposed to behave. These solutions are effective as they reduce the complexity of obesity. However, there are reported cases of people who have tried o exercise regularly and observed their eating habits but their w...
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