Public Outrage : The Strong4Life Campaign

Originally posted on That Shaker of Salt.

When I started blogging it was because I wanted a place to go where I could make a difference. I have often spoke of the power bloggers have, together they can make changes. According to studies people are more influenced by the opinion of a blogger then they are a celebrity. This is one of the times that it makes me proud to be a blogger banning together with bloggers and health-base communities all over the country  to show our opposition to the  Strong4Life Campaign on childhood obesity.

When I went to the Strong4Life Campaign website my first reaction was outrage over the parents who let their children be in these ads. For example the little girl in the ad above, and yes regardless of size she is in fact a little girl. In the video ad of her she states, “I don’t like going to school cause all the other kids pick on me, it hurts my feelings.” What kind of parent would know their child is being picked on because of her weight and then let her image be plastered all over on these kinds of ads? What benefit would you see in letting your child be subject to even more teasing and bullying? What kind of compensation would be worth all the ridicule your child would endure?

After I sat and thought about where my outrage for these ads were coming from I realized that it was from inside. I was that little girl. I was the one who woke up every morning dreading going to school because you knew as soon as you walked through the door, someone would make cow noises or something. From grammar school to high school I was picked on for my weight. Did drawing attention to the fact that I was the fat kid help solve the problem? No in fact it created more. I would show them, I become the skinny kid. How did I do it? By starving myself and sticking my finger down my throat when I did “slip up” and eat.

Yes something needs to be done about the Weight problem in the United States, but it doesn’t fall on the shoulders of these children to do it. The adults need to step up and teach through example.

I urge you to contact Strong4Life and tell them you oppose this campaign. There are several ways you can do this. They are on Twitter: @Strong_4_life and also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/S4LGA. The way I urge you to help ban together is by signing the petition on the Mamavation Website. You can find that Here. Also, if you use Twitter join in on the converstation Friday, January 27th from 9-10pm EST. Use the #Hashtag: #ashamed , though there will be prizes I hope you join just to make a difference.