Beyond Birth Control Commercial

So, I've seen a couple feminist sites making fun of this Beyaz Birth Control commercial. First off, yes, Beyaz is just Yaz but with folate...which is something pharmaceutical companies do all the time. They tweak their original drug, rename and rebrand it and then start the marketing when their old product is available to be copied for cheaper, generics.

I like this commercial--yes, it looks like it takes place in some other-worldly Sephora--but it emphasizes that birth-control relates to your life choices and working toward goals. THIS COMMERCIAL SHOULD BE AIRED DURING TEEN MOM ON MTV EVERYWEEK. All of these women are grown and they're working toward goals like graduate school, buying a house, a dream trip to Paris, etc. Yes, birth-control does help women work toward goals like these (and that's why the anti-sex brigades want it made more difficult to access). So, I'm giving the makers of this commercial Kudos of the Week! (Although, of course, that doesn't mean that I think anyone should drop their current birth-control brand and sign-up for Beyaz. Stick with what works for you).

Taco Bell's "Drive Thru-Diet": I call bull#@!%

So, with the New Year comes the marketing blitz regarding weight-loss. An individual thinks, "I'm going to shed some weight"...30 seconds later, cue the company that wants you to use their products/foods/systems/etc. to do it.

After the success of Jared and the Subway diet (which involved him WALKING TO SUBWAY, key point) more fast food chains would try to get on the band-wagon. Enter, Taco Bell and the "Drive Thru Diet"--the name itself, where you drive thru to conveniently get your Fresco menu choices, is an indicator that this is a ploy to lure the new dieter to buy into their brand with little actual lifestyle changes. Now I don't know if Christine was approached by Taco Bell or more probably she used Taco Bell's Fresco menu in part (along with exercise and home-cooked nutritious foods) to lose weight and then market herself to Taco Bell to get a promotion deal, if so, well played Christine--it worked for Jared. BUT, this is not a "diet" that will work for most, nor should it.

#1 diets are bad, lifestyle changes are what it fundamentally takes to achieve a weight and other measures of health that you deem best for you.
#2 fast-food culture has been a primary cause of the break-down of a healthy food culture in America (and by fast-food, I also include overly processed food found in grocery stores). So, the solution to our horrible American diet isn't more fast food.
#3 the drive-thru name erases the need for increased movement in our lives, exercise is key to many health measure improvements or sustainability. Drive-thru culture kills.

Now, that all said, being an anti-fast food fundamentalist isn't very realistic in our current world. The fresco menu is a good thing when you are on the road. I haven't tried any Fresco items, any recommendations? My current go-to fast-food when you have to is Wendy's Chili and diet coke. What do you do, dear readers, when there is no alternative to fast food?

Faceless Marketing

Anybody else bothered by this faceless marketing campaign for Precious? The movie looks intense (and I'm definitely going to go see it--you can check out the trailers HERE) but the erasure of the actress, new-comer Gabourey 'Gabby' Sidibe makes me feel uncomfortable. Now, the poster is beautiful in its haunting, kind of early 20th Century Expressionist way, but I can't help but think that perhaps this faceless campaign has to do with our protagonist being fat. Sympathizing with the faceless, drawn fatty verses the real life young woman? Faceless-ness, can be symbolic for all the neglected girls she represents (neglected by her mother, the father who raped her, and the school system that didn't get her the services she needs in order to learn how to read). Yet, at the same time, this film is based on a specific memoir, but a specific human being and the actress who was brave enough to take this difficult role ought to be acknowledged.

Anyway, dear reader, let us know your thoughts in the comments. Am I crazy for feeling uncomfortable with this campaign or is there something there?