J.J.: I got a paper route.
Barney Stinson: Bah! Good time to get into print media, right Dad?
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Entertainment
In preparation for my presentation at Western’s ‘Flaunting It’ conference next Friday, I revisited a paper I wrote last year about weight discrimination. My research focuses on how this affects hiring practices and employment, but it certainly affects overweight people on a larger scale.
In some developing countries, people are starving and malnourished due to poverty, but obesity rates are increasing around the world exponentially. Fortunately, people are taking note of these statistics, such as the producers of MTV’s I Used To Be Fat. The show completed its first season earlier this month after introducing viewers to nine high school graduates who devoted their summer to losing weight. Motivating viewers to meet their weight loss goals is a positive step forward, but it does not change the fact that far too many youth are binge eating, out of shape and lazy.
Before reading Barry Popkin’s The World Is Fat, it never occurred to me that people have developed such a sweet tooth that youth are not only overindulging in soft drinks, but also adding additional sugar. For many overweight people, being weight is not a conscious choice; sometimes it’s merely a matter of genetics. Deliberately sweetening drinks like that is outrageous though. Even after government regulations ensured that all food and beverage packing include nutritional information people are ignoring this data, or at least dismissing it as unimportant. Education is an essential tool to discourage such unhealthy lifestyle choices. This is important for not only nutritionists, doctors, and food manufacturers to reiterate, but also fashion designers and advertisers.
On Tuesday afternoon, I had the privilege of listening to the inspirational entrepreneur, Ben Barry, who spearheaded the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, once again. Ben’s tenacity helped him convince Sears Canada to include models in their catalogue that resemble their customers, unlike the twigs who typically posed for their glossy pages. Since then, he continues liaising with fashion and marketing executives to help them sell products to their target demographic by hiring models who customers can identify with. The average soccer mom does not look like a toned size 2 woman with flawless skin and Ben asks advertisers to recognize that and promote their products accordingly.
As someone who started a business at age 14, Ben strongly believes in the potential of youth entrepreneurship and youth’s ability to inspire others and make great changes in the world. With Ben’s message in mind, I have changed my opinion about the MTV reality show because even if those nine kids inspired 100 people to start exercising, that’s better than nothing. Their reunion episode for the season finale allowed the participants to reflect on the show and prove to audiences that they have since created a social network amongst themselves and offer each other ongoing support. This is what people truly need: support, friendship and motivation. Whether this comes in the form of fat acceptance amongst hiring managers who should change their attitudes about candidates’ physical appearances, or clothing manufacturers that should produce high quality clothing that flatters overweight people, everything counts.
Ben Barry, November 2008, Queen’s University
The trouble with Oscar statues is that they aren’t packaged the same way Mattel and Hot Wheels toys are – there is no explicit age warning.
As seen in the clip, 15-month-old Lara Egan, the daughter of The King’s Speech’s co-producer, Simon Egan, lost her grip of her father’s Oscar at a celebration on Feb 28, the day after the highly anticipated awards ceremony.
“Like everyone else I was celebrating off in one corner of the garden with some friends when I saw my daughter looking very cute with the Oscar having her picture taken,” Simon recalls.
Immediately after the award fell out of her hands, Simon heard it hit the concrete.
Shortly after contacting the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy replaced Simon’s damaged Oscar with a brand new one.
“I had no idea that they had an ‘Oscar Hospital’ on standby,” he told the press.
Thanks to the Academy’s quick response however, Simon no longer needs to worry about how a damaged award will look on his mantelpiece.
With all this talk about discrimination circulating in cyberspace, classrooms, and within our communities, it’s important to recognize what people can accomplish despite certain setbacks they have. During reading week, I met with a visually impaired public relations professional and had an entirely new interview experience, where nodding and grinning were insufficient responses. Nevertheless, this person has built and maintained a successful company and has great ambitions for further expansion. When someone’s driven and goal-oriented, such setbacks seem minor in relation to their long-term plan.
I look at Roger Ebert and admire his perseverance since he was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. This is a man who I used to watch weekly on Sunday nights for commentary about upcoming film releases and sometimes anxiously wait to see whether he thought a film deserved a thumbs up or down. Today he continues pursuing his passion for entertainment by taking advantage of social media and new technology to engage with his loyal fans. The TED talk he delivered on Friday in California, by using an Alex-equipped MacBook shows just how powerful technology is. Computers are much more than the ‘Facebook machines’ that many people use them for – they connect people, offer therapeutic opportunities, both by blogging and for medical purposes, and can even save lives. Aided by the computerized voice and a supportive family, Roger is able to continue inspiring film buffs worldwide and that’s something positive to think about. Two thumbs way up!
In her interview on Friday with 104.5 CHUM FM’s Joey Brooks, Lady Gaga said that her intent with her latest single, ‘Born This Way’ was to create a song with an “un-apologetically positive and strong and empowering” message.
Each time the station introduces her song now, they refer to her performance on the Grammys, when she emerged onto the stage from an ‘egg’ before launching into a highly choreographed dance.
Lady Gaga always gives something people to talk about, but now that she has broken records for digital downloads, she is making headline news. ‘Born This Way’ is the fastest selling single on iTunes – quite an accomplishment for a 24 year old. Speaking of young talent, Lady Gaga also intends to invite YouTube superstar Maria Aragon to join her on stage at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on March 3rd. I can’t help but think about how Avril Lavigne once joined Shania Twain on stage and look where that punk princess is now…like what the hell! Imagine what the future holds for 10 year old Maria, especially once she has some professional vocal training.