‘Sick’ Daytime TV

I have been at home unwell this week and to help pass the time while resting, watching daytime television. It’s a total trip and I had no idea there were so many things happening in the land of soapies and talk shows. What has caught my attention the most however, is the incredible concentration of weight loss, dieting and exercise products that are marketed during the day. I can only presume the target audience is stay at home Mums which makes me both sad and mad at the same time.

The advertorial content in the morning talk shows is truly phenomenal. I had genuinely thought that ab crunching machines had been relegated to the back of garages, dumped at the tip or were possibly lurking somewhere on ebay. Little did I know that they are certainly still out there and making outrageous claims like the ‘Ab Circle Pro’ which will give you a money back guarantee that you will lose 5kgs in 2 weeks by using it – minus postage of course. The focus of the hard sell has nothing to do with any health related needs someone might have – it’s all about how flat and toned your abs are with people proudly claiming they have lost 3 dress sizes in record time. With the use of a silly contraption like this alone? Please!

Then there are the diet pills and programs. It seems to me like every second ad throughout the day is trying to tell me to stop eating nutritiously and replace whole foods with pills, potions and shakes. ‘Fat Magnet’ tablets are marketed with images of a magnet actually sucking fat from someone’s body. Are they serious? It’s so silly and so outrageous that if they weren’t so dangerous it would be funny. ‘Lemon Detox Diet’ and ‘Celebrity Slim’ push the notion that by using their meal replacement programs you will look like a superstar. The name of Celebrity Slim alone is somewhat of a giveaway there and the lemony thingy is promoted by C-Grade personality Tania Zaetta parading around in a lemony coloured gown.

It’s all incredibly pervasive and I am sure directly feeding into the insecurities that many people unfortunately feel about their bodies. These products are designed to prey on vulnerable people who are looking for a quick fix solution to feeling unhappy about their body image. There is no quick fix to such complicated issues of course and in fact, using such products can make a situation even worse for someone.  They really need to be seen for exactly what they are – nothing more than marketed products designed to take money from people and get them ’hooked’ into the weight loss industry.  Sigh.

I’m turning the tv off for the rest of the time I am at home. Not only do I not want to see these ads and get myself worked up to the point I start writing targeted letters to companies pointing out the error of their ways, I may just purchase some whiz bang steam mop I really don’t need. Seems like even household floors have image problems and need a product to fix them too!