Can you compare obesity with suicide?

Time for a serious topic. While surfing around, I stumbled upon fatosphere blogger Kate Harding's mention of the following ad campaign:

Hanging oneself with sausage links, exploding your insides with butter, OD'ing on chocolate candies. "Obesity is suicide," the tiny-print copy at the bottom reads. "But it doesn't have to end this way. Find out how bariatric surgery can help. The Northern Bariatric Surgery Institute www.cutweight.org"

What's your reaction to these images? Is it ethically right to compare obesity to suicide, a horrific and unimaginable experience for the friends and family left behind? Or can the creator (I believe these were some sort of student project) of the ads be forgiven because he's simply doing his job, trying to sell something - in this case, bariatric surgery - even if the overall message being delivered is, "If you're overweight, you're as bad as a suicide bomber and should have your stomach reduced to a tiny little pouch"?

Comments

Being fat won't kill you. Starvation will.

I think that ad campaign is pretty much offensive, unfair b.s. to both obese people and families of anyone who has committed suicide. end of story. the fact that it's an ad makes it worse, not better.

While I completely disagree, I understand where the creator of this ad might have been confused: some obese people are addicted to food and like any addiction, it's unhealthy and can lead to death. BUT I think there are distinctions between the two mindsets. An addiction is something a person feels compelled to do without much (or regardless of) forethought about the ultimate consequences. An addict wants the instant gratification of their addiction and that desire outweighs the concern about the aftermath. A suicidal person acts with the end in mind. True, they may be in too much pain to care much about how their death will impact the people they leave behind, but they act with intent to instantly harm the body rather than to instantly satisfy a craving harmful or not. So while I get where he's coming from, I don't think the analogy is a good one or even a fair one. It certainly has shock value, but that's about the only value I can see in these pictures.

wow thats harsh! maybe since i my self battled depression and borderline anorexia when i was younger, i find the opposite of obesity just as harmful. This is just offensive for people who honestly have a genetic predisposition to be obese. maybe if they aimed this towards things like pollution and smoking?

yeah, these are awfully rough. like others have said, there are so many reasons people struggle with obesity. to make it that much more stigmatized is not cool with me.

I'd say the fact that it's trying to sell something makes them even more inappropriate. at least the smoking ads aren't necessarily promoting a product, you know?

Wow. I really don't like that add campaign. It's incredibly harsh, and seems a bit over the top for an add for bariatric surgery. Okay, not a bit, more like way over the top.

I can't even really think of anything to say about, I'm so dumbfounded at the imagery.

It's funny, I find these to be revloting, but have been known to say that smoking is slowly committing suicide.
These are incredibly offensive, especially because they are selling a product...perhaps they wouldn't be so bad if they were PSAs, but I doubt it.

My brother committed suicide when I was 15 (and it wasn't from overeating). Yes, I know people turn to food for emotional issues, but to compare the loss my family (and many other familes) endured is sickening to say the least. I would much rather have a hefty brother around than just a memory of him. My brother died from emotional issues stemming from a failed marriage and a childhood marred with abuse...oh how I wish his problem had only been an abuse of fried foods! These advertisements were written by idiots.

obviously I agree with the sentiment above...which all led me to wonder what the ad agency who came up with the ads would say.
only being fleetingly acquainted with the industry these campaigns go through SO many check points and *this one* made it past all of them?

it would be so enlightening to hear about the thought process BEHIND this...

M.

I also saw these on Shapely Prose. I think the idea is to shock and get attention, but theses are incredibly offensive. My uncle hanged himself, and a friend of mine overdosed repeatedly on pills (and survived, thank God).
I understand that ad agencies feel the need to get attention, but they sometimes go WAAAY too far (like Diesel Jeans). And linking obesity to suicide is just wrong on so many levels.

Of course I agree with all of the above comments.

But also offensive on another level - look at the woman in the last image, with the M&M's or whatever in lieu of pills. Wait, SHE is supposed to be fat enough to be dying of obesity? SHe is supposed to be so fat that her only option for a life worth living is bariatric surgery? Wow. What message does that send to the huge percentage of women out there who will see that ad and recognize that they are already, in fact, larger than the woman portrayed?

I don't like the underlying message that if you are fat, you are better off dead. And don't try saying oh that's not what they meant - it's clearly there. There are far, far better ways to combat obesity related health issues.

I'm truly sorry for the pain these ads must cause to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. :(

Good point about smoking being more like a slow death than obesity is like suicide.

I echo your sentiment, Sonn - my thoughts to anyone in this kind of pain.

I think that's a messed up add campaign, but whatever.

I agree whole-heartedly with Sonn. Not only is the concept at its core offensive, I find it incredibly disturbing that the models in the pictures do not come close to what I would picture when someone says "obese."

Alyssa and Beanie, I'm so sorry for your losses.

I just find jarring advertising really un-necessary. These images were created for shock & awe reactions, and yes they are getting that reaction, but fear is not the best way to get people to make long lasting healthy changes especially with images like this.

But this makes me wonder, remember that anti-anorexia italian campaign with the sick 66 lb model, is THAT justified. Is it even necessary to scare people with weight issues?

I agree with Hungry Waif - the only scare tactics that should be used on any person of any weight is their own reflection in the mirror (and an awareness of what they are doing to themselves) and a diagnosis from a doctor telling them that if they continue down this path - whether it be starvation or obesity - they will not live the long happy lives the envisioned for themselves.
Thank you all for your kind words, I know there have been countless people touched by suicide and I think sometimes it's a subject that's taken too lightly by those who haven't experienced it.

I agree with Hungry Waif - the only scare tactics that should be used on any person of any weight is their own reflection in the mirror (and an awareness of what they are doing to themselves) and a diagnosis from a doctor telling them that if they continue down this path - whether it be starvation or obesity - they will not live the long happy lives they envisioned for themselves.
Thank you all for your kind words, I know there have been countless people touched by suicide and I think sometimes it's a subject that's taken too lightly by those who haven't experienced it.

Those ads definitely don't sit right with me.
No one is denying the health complications associated with morbid obesity, but the ad seems to suggest that any excess fat is immediately going to kill you - and that it's your own fault. It also makes light of the really horrible reality of suicide. It's offensive on all angles.

I think they're horrific. I literally jumped away from the screen when they popped up on your site. Shaming/scare tactics only work in the short term. Hating yourself thin doesn't work!!!

And AMEN to what WundaLucy said about making light of suicide.

Okay. I get the point they're trying to make - that conventional wisdom holds that being obese will eventually (through related health conditions) kill you, so if you don't do something about it, you're killing yourself. I don't agree - that's way too generalized and not true in all cases - but I get it.

However, what an offensive way to try to make the point, even if it were valid. Clearly they are going for the shock factor; clearly, they found it. In that sense, the ads are successful. But it doesn't make me want to go have bariatric surgery - it makes me want to find the creator and throttle him. So, not successful.

Not every obese person is unhealthy. And it's not being obese that leads to "related health conditions". It's eating badly and not exercising, as well as genetic predisposition. Not every obese person has these habits, and not every obese person became obese through these habits.

And that's all I'll say, not because I'm out of words, but because I'm out of space. :-)

V.

You've got to give the author of the ads credit... He got a reaction out of people. For good or bad the public is talking about it.

This is so unfair for those of use who are having problems with loosing the weight & keeping it off.

Like MizFit, I'm interested in the thought process behind the campaign. Although, if the point of ad campaigns is to get people to notice them and remember them, then it is certainly effective and definitely accomplished that, however horrifying such an ad is.

What were they thinking?! Yes, obesity is a problem in this country, but to compare it to something as heart wrenching as suicide is tasteless and overly dramatic.

Sorry Carmie, I still think the point of their ad is to sell their surgery (not to create a buzz), and I don't think we would have any takers on this page. They could care less if people are heavy and could die of complications from their obesity, they aren't trying to raise awareness or promote healthy behaviors, they simply want business...and I'm not giving them credit for anything except being heartless.

"I get the point they're trying to make - that conventional wisdom holds that being obese will eventually (through related health conditions) kill you, so if you don't do something about it, you're killing yourself."

Does everyone realize that LIFE will eventually kill you? And that, despite all our efforts at controlling it, we really don't get to pick how we die. We only get to pick how we live so I say spend less time hating yourself (and hating on others) and more time enjoying the ride while you're here:)

Gimme a break. And that last image is so poorly done that it is down right pathetic.

Wow. Props to the ad campaign for getting our attention. Shame on them for being so tasteless. There are way more dangerous vices out there than butter! And if butter really blew you up it wouldn't be allowed on airplanes.

Charlotte, that is so true! We're all going to live to death. That's basically what life is!

Alyssa and Charlotte, not only are we going to eventually die, but whats up with all these new inventions and crazy cr diets claiming we can live to be 150. Barbara Walters devoted a whole 20/20 special about the new developments for extending our lives. I dont take death lightly, my mother died rather young, but i dont want to live forever, evnetually, i 'd want to retire my body peacefully, i doubt butter or m&m's would speed up the process.

Not to mention being thin doesn't somehow give you a magic guarantee of eternal life or something. Thin people get sick, and thin people die, too.

Admittedly,these ads are probably not the best way for the center to make its point. But I have to say, as a student nurse on a cardiac monitoring floor, that nearly EVERYONE who comes there is old, run-down and very, very SICK...from FOOD and lifestyle related issues. Seriously, I have worked on this floor for a semester and nearly every patient has obesity, coronary artery disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure AND arthritis (it's really hard to move when your heart is pumping at 20% of normal capacity and you are 100 pounds overweight!)

This is not to sound preachy, since everyone has their issues, but as someone who has really seen the state of American health first hand, I think we're at the point of needing images like these.

I'm not sure I equate obesity with suicide. Probably more with just stupidity.
I'm obese & fought with weight all my life.
In addition to controlling weight...exercise, exercise, exercise!

As someone who is severely depressed and struggles with thoughts of suicide, I find those adds mentally and morally disturbing.
Before I began taking antidepressants I wasn't fat. After being on them for two years I have gained 100 pounds. I think those jerks should rethink their ad presentation!!

i think these ads are BRILLIANT.. yes a bit harsh but thats what you fat asses need to see to get off ur lazy butts and put down the forks. Its supposed to be satirical yet send the VERY TRUE message that by being so gluttonous, you are KILLING YOURSELF. no one else. so stop sueing mcdonalds and making excuses for not exercising. there is no excuse to be that unhealthy.

there are exceptions to the rule, but most overweight people are that way because they eat too much of the wrong foods, and too much period.

i think it was hippocrates who said most people dig their graves with their teeth ...

This is not offensive at all. This is the best ad I have ever seen. Fat people are disgusting and make me sick. There is no excuse for being obese. Your body is a gift and feeding it trash and being lazy is a sin.

Being obese WILL kill you it just takes longer than people who starve themselves.

Wow,this is exactly how i see this issue. Being obese will kill you and that's very like suicide! Becoming obese takes time,it's like long journey towards death. Why don't people realise what they're doing to themselves (and to their dearests)?! I don't consider this only as problem that changes person's appearance but also as cahnging your personality. The real you becomes the victim of your huge body and that's revolting.

The amount of time it takes to die does not change the one that initiates the action.

For those that are aware of the dangers, and do it anyway -- well, what do we call drunk drivers?

I like the ad campaign's images (NOT the surgery). Something needs to be done to wake people up!

I think these ads are extremely offensive, not because of the message with which I agree, but the offered solution which is as unhealthy as the problem. The surgery suggested is equivalent to recommending baldness as a cure for dandruff.

Obesity and any eating disorder is not a joke or something to be used lightly in comparison to suicide to sell a product. We have many users on our site who struggle with eating issues that are a reflection of deeper emotional health problems. As anti-depressants are often an inadequate response to stress and anxiety so pills are a poor response to eating disorders. It is not difficult to advertise in a socially responsible way - it simply requires imagination - which the producer of this ad evidently lacks. Jenny Hyatt, Founder, bigwhitewall.com

This ad campaign is very offensive. The marketers should know how complex obesity is and that it goes far beyond a choice. As someone who has dealt with suicide in my immediate family I cannot begin to express how disturbing it was to see these images. Totally tasteless...

Jenny, a cheap shot on the imagination of the designer is not the best way to responsibly criticize the your differences. People are dying due to their obesity. Yes, deeper emotional issues are at the core of many. But, should we not put a mirror up to them? I have been one of them.

KS, obesity is a choice for more than many care to admit. I have dealt with suicide, and it does not change the fact that obesity is throwing life away. There are always goping to be exceptions to the rule. But, many have made the choice to be obese -- one bite at a time.

I sent a complaint to the website listed on the posters and received this candid response "
Katie,

Thank you for contacting me. I had nothing to do with the ads that you are referring to. Someone made me aware that they were on there last week and I have filed a complaint with the FBI. It would take me a liittle while to explain to you how they got there. I did not author them and I did not permit them to be associated with me. In fact I denounced them to those who made them in the strongest possible way. I forbid them to ever put them out in the first place but they have apparently feel that they don't need my permission to speak for me.

I too find them disgusting and horrifying. Please tell anyone you talk to that I had nothing to do with them and am working to get them off there. My only internet presence is my obesityhelp.com website. The web address is www.cutweight.org Anything else you see about me is not my doing."

James,

I understand that obesity is a serious issue with serious ramifications. I said it goes far beyond a choice. I just take issue with the method of conveying this message. As one user states above I would rather have an obese brother rather than a dead one.

Good God....if these "ad" people worked for me, I would fire them on the spot for being so out of touch with the subject they are supposing to know about trying to push such abusive images. Like someone above said, they should direct concepts like these to smoking and/or environmental pollution and not be selling anything, i.e., bariatric surgery. People are overweight for a variety of reasons and are not necessarily depressed and socially dysfunctional because of it. Some people just like to eat and don't care if they're overweight. What the medical establishment won't do for $$$$, is mind blowing.

The campaign is harsh, but right on the money. Too often we are concerned with being politically correct, and too afraid to face reality. For too many of us, we are slowly eating ourselves to death. We can blame others, the food industry, our parents, but none of relieves us from the responsibility to act. It's similar to a person walking into the middle of rush hour traffic, then suing the driver who hit him. I have overweight family and friends, and I have high cholesterol. I'm tired of seeing them get sicker, and their indifference to the fact that their food and lifestyle choices are affecting their health.

wow, Katie - good investigative work! I did just check back at the student web site and they're still posted. wonder did you contact the student or the doctor? Would love to clear this up...
Thanks,
Leslie

I can certainly understand how everyone feels here & I too find the ads a bit much, but let me explain where I am coming from. I have a relative whom I have often felt IS trying to slowly commit suicide-with food & cigarettes-the 2 biggest killers known in the US today. She refuses to do one thing to try to change. I don't feel I ever push her, but occasionally, when she brings the subject up, might try to offer some helpful idea that I've learned somewhere. She immediately rejects it, with a list of reasons as to why it won't work in her case. I one time, talking about health issues, not weight, tried to explain what I'd learned about complex carbs vs simple sugars. She shut me off QUICK - she didn't want to hear ANY of it-basicly didn't want to learn anything-Period. What also strikes me as strange-is she is VEHEMENT about people who commit suicide-Says it makes her MAD. Yet her destroying herself makes ME angry. I know her depression is a big factor, but she won't get help for that either-shes just given up.

Yet another example of the "thin is in" obsession being taken too far. Equating obesity with suicide is just wrong.

I find these ads deceiving and incorrect, not because it's offensive (though it may, undoubtedly, be to some), and not because the "thin is in" obsession is being taken to far.

I find them to be wrong because suicide is an intentional act of taking your own life, not a lifestyle that may lead to death. Also, those who are obese may suffer from COD (Compulsive Overeating Disorder), or another such eating disorder, and it may be out of their control. Thus, obesity shouldn't be compared with suicide because the two are completely different, but I do think the ads did an excellent job in grabbing an audience's attention as well as blatantly informing America on the risks of obesity. I'm all for curves, but when those "curves" become a health risk, that's when a problem develops.

Also, speaking from a photographer's point of view, I absolutely loved the photos, very creative. =)

i do not disagree with the comments you all have posted but do know i have a friend who is over 300 lbs and i equate her obsession with food as a death wish not suicide she is diabetic and a kidney transplant recipient numorous surgeries diabetic shall i go on and on on the health issues of ignoring the fact you have a problem with putting down your fork and caring about your health it is a slow death i my self have have the gastric bypass successful for 15 years now what people do not realize is it is a tool not a miracle cure i was 300 pounds for many years it takes alot to keep the weight off so i am sorry the term suicide was used but they should have used death wish and for those of u who have never been there or wish that their family member would have rather used fried foods instead it is still the same end result death one is slower than the other

The adds are just wake up calls, which are always unpleasant...

But these wake up calls are true and necessary.

People should stop being so easily offended. I would just ask these people to join me at MacDonalds for some ritual mass suicide.

I am an obese female. I work out at the gym 5 to 6 days a week. I do cardio and strength training. I happen to go to a terrific gym with great staff and members. I watch what i'm eating. I may be a large person but I'm also healthy. I don't think obesity is a slow form of suicide. What is important in my life is my family and friends, I'm very lucky to have very supportive group of people who love me and inspire me to love who I am. Surgery is a quick fix that creates more health issues with the complication associated with the surgery.
I am still a large person and very happy that I surround myself with love, kind and understanding people who truly understand me.
The ad did upset me, which it was meant to do to make money. I'll save my money for the undertaker because we all are going to die.

sad, i don't know what to say to people who have experienced a suicide and then read THIS. For one, in response to the first comment, Yeah, obesity AND being fat DOES kill and is a bigger problem then starving so don't even try to compare. dont even try, and for 2, why the hell did they use sausage and butter in the first 2 pics? I ate nothing BUT hamburger and sausage when i was a stick, they shoulda used a doughnut and cake, cookies, pie and chips. THATis what causes obesity Obviously not the only thing)

Fat america should see these ads. Our fast food, highly refined, white bread, more, more, more society IS killing us. Our country has so much, and we push for more, no wonder our combined culture is unhealthy. These ads do not condone suicide, merely state a fact, that we are eating our way into morbid obesity. Look at our fat kids, look at the increase of diabetes and heart disease. Our culture of excess should be put under the microscope and we should all try to consume a healthy diet, get regular exercise and stop trying to impale those who have created so much discussion on a subject that needs to be addressed. Our children, our healthcare system and our lives do depend upon OUR choices. Less bad fats and carbs. I agree with liz to a point, but there are healthier protiens than sausage and butter is definately better than margarine!, but should be used in moderation as it is a saturated fat. Olive oil would be a better choice. I obviously don't have the answers, but something needs to change in our country

Though I agree being overweight is a form of slowly killing yourself, I can't say it's equal to suicide. Suicide is permanent, the actual act is usually fast, and once it's done there's no going back. Becoming obese happens slowly, pound by pound, and thankfully it CAN BE CHANGED! No one can make the decision to lose weight for you no matter how badly they want to help you. Until you're ready it won't ever happen (permanently) even if you go through the motions. It's all about making that conscious, no excuses, decision to change your mind and your habits. You have to ask yourself “Do I really want to live the rest of my life this way?” And if the answer is “NO!”, you know what you need to do.

I figured out the reasons I’m fat- both physical AND emotional and wrote them down. Then I wrote down why these reasons aren’t working for me anymore. I wrote down why I want to lose weight, and what it would change about my life. For me the biggest key is believing I CAN do it. Then I JUST GO FOR IT!!!!

IT MAKES A GREAT POINT WE LET ARE KIDS EAT THEM SELFES TO DEATH AND THEN BLAME THE SOCIAL WORLD AT MOCKING THEM THE PAIN AND THE SHAME.......

IT MAKES A GREAT POINT WE LET ARE KIDS EAT THEM SELFES TO DEATH AND THEN BLAME THE SOCIAL WORLD AT MOCKING THEM THE PAIN AND THE SHAME.......