It should come as no surprise that a lesson on media literacy would accompany our big food unit in Biology. With food porn from Carl’s Junior, weight loss advertisements, diet foods, teensy snack packages, and other not-so-subtle messages, food ads carry a pretty powerful message. I wanted my students to understand a few things about the real world:
- Women do NOT look like that.
- Men should not expect women to look like that.
- You don’t need to make love to your food in the back seat of a car to be sexy.
- Men should not expect women to behave that way.
- Buying food products will not get you more friends. Or dates. Or sex.
- Eating a balanced diet in moderation and getting regular exercise is the ONLY way to stay healthy, regardless of what the media tells you.
After doing a food advertisement scavenger hunt online, I asked my students to create a spoof food advertisement of their own. And I am VERY proud of what some of my students created. This is one example…
Filmed and edited by Bradley Virshup; acting by Chris Cano
Love this! They did an amazing job. You SHOULD be proud.
Wish I’d have had a teacher like you in high school.
Thanks Amber. The students loved watching this movie – and had fun exploring the ways that media exploits them. I only hope it makes them think a bit more about the choices they make and why they make them!