In Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me!, the fast food industry is seen as an evil entity that is causing major health risks to high percentages of Americans, all hidden under family-friendly advertising that appeals to all types of people because of the low prices and large sizes. This documentary is meant to draw attention to the fact that many Americans lead busy lives, many needing to support families and uphold payments on homes, apartments, or other places to live on top of other expenses. Because of this, fast food seems like a simple, fast, and cheap option for many people if they need a quick meal. To prove the claims of many law suits against fast food industries for their harmful products and the statistics showing the growing percentages of obese people in the US, Morgan Spurlock created an experiment in which he would only eat from McDonalds for a month to show how it affected his physical appearance and health.
In the beginning of the movie, Spurlock begins to lay out his “essay” with statistics of obese people and the numbers of fast food places across the US, among other already researched facts and statistics that were pertinent to his experiment. Throughout the movie, Spurlock takes viewers on his own personal journey, documenting what he is eating each day. Periodically he shows interviews with everyday people where he asks them how often they eat fast food and their opinions on people who are trying to sue fast food corporations. The end of the movie is when Spurlock allows his personal experiment to show the final proof of the major negative impacts fast food can have on anyone, when he undergoes major heart issues and almost dies. However, there is some criticism to be made for this experiment. Spurlock consumes copious amounts of food from McDonalds for every meal, more than the typical American might eat, and does not choose any of the “healthier” options McDonalds has to offer (like the salads). This could have caused the results of his experiment to be skewed towards the more drastic side.
This documentary helped to shock people into seeing the dangers of fast food, when not eaten in moderation. These crippling statistics hold water, which is proven by Spurlock’s experiment, however, they are masked by the widespread family-friendly advertisements McDonalds has. With indoor play areas, the ability to host birthday parties, happy meals with toys, the clown used in advertisements: these factors all appeal to children and families, making it more likely that younger children are consuming higher levels of fatty, processed foods which can affect their health even earlier in life. This was compared to the lawsuits on big tobacco that were first criticized, but soon people came to realize the serious dangers smoking has. This documentary and the strong impact good advertising can have on the general public can be related to a similar issue we have today with the marketing of vaping products. These electronic devices provide the exact same ingredients as cigarettes, which are now known to be extremely harmful. But with creative advertising and “fun flavors”, vape companies have been able to cause an entire generation of young adults to become addicted to nicotine.
This was a magazine cover that was displayed in part of the documentary and shows the correlation between the major health issues these two things provide that many turn a blind eye to or are unaware of. Yet these issues still stand as some of the most pressing concerns for future generations’ health.
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