What the Super Bowl Ads Revealed About Weight, Health, and Who We Blame
What weight stigma hides about health, access, and power
Welcome to The Community Letter, a weekly reflection from the Enhance Black Women’s Health Community. Here is our opportunity to come together to discuss what’s shaping the health of Black women and other historically marginalized groups.
Everybody has a body, but the experiences that we all have in our bodies can be vastly different. That was made blatantly obvious during this year’s Super Bowl commercials, where weight stigma took center stage in a way that I, for one, wasn’t prepared for.
It’s taken me a few days to write down my thoughts, not because I didn’t have a lot to say. If you follow me on Instagram stories, you heard me process my thoughts about the Super Bowl ads in real time.
While I shed a tear of joy watching the Budweiser ad, three ads made me absolutely cringe:
Levi’s “Backstory,” which glorified butts in a way that reminded me how much certain bodies are sexualized over others.
MAHA Center Inc.’s “MAHA Real Food by Mike Tyson” highlights how misinformed the general public is about nutrition and health.
Hims & Hers, “Rich People Live Longer,” demonstrated how many telehealth companies are willfully ignorant of the real health challenges the average person faces.
Special thanks to USA Today, which gave me the official names for each of these ads. Even though I will give Novo Nordisk “A New Way to Wegovy” and Ro “Healthier on Ro” honorable mentions, they make me cringe for a different reason.
For the main reason that it’s Black History Month, and why aren’t these commercials talking about the myriad of ACTUAL health disparities impacting Black people?
Secondly, even when Black people lose weight, it doesn’t erase racism, sexism, and other isms that we face in medical settings.
However, that is a rant I will reserve for a different day.
Even though I found those ads problematic, it’s not for the same reason I found Levi’s, MAHA Center Inc, and Hims & Hers problematic. What truly bothers me about the message from Levi’s, MAHA Center Inc., and Hims & Hers is that, once again, it focuses on the individual, NOT the system.
Levi’s “Backstory”
Although Levi’s might have called it “Backstory,” we all know that it’s not talking about the backstory of the sexualization of women’s bodies, especially Black women’s bodies. If you haven’t read the book, Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Dr. Sabrina Strings, literally do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go read that book right now, because it brings to light the direct connection between the hyperfocus on Black bodies and the health disparities that exist today.
Although this ad isn’t the only non-health ad I will talk about today, it still isn’t missed by me; it focuses so much on bodies. It focused on what many perceived bodies should and shouldn’t look like. It also rarely shows faces, as if to say the only thing that matters is how you look in certain clothing. As a Black woman who was once a Black girl who was sexualized when I was still playing with Barbie dolls, this commercial reminded me of how far our world still needs to go to truly treat women as equals. Yes, I know there weren’t only women in this ad, but it doesn’t change my opinion. When we don’t talk about the real backstory of how bodies have come to be sexualized, we risk perpetuating harm.
MAHA Center Inc.’s “MAHA Real Food by Mike Tyson”
Even though MAHA Center Inc. says this video is about “real food,” you notice that in no part of this commercial did we actually talk about any of the nutritional barriers Mike Tyson or his sister faced. You hear his sister “died of obesity at 25” (his words); however, you don’t hear if his sister had access to quality healthcare that could have prevented her from dying of a heart attack. You also hear he felt “fat and nasty” and wanted to harm himself. However, you don’t hear if the self-hate (also his words) he had for himself could have resulted from having to maintain a certain physique as a boxer.
His words (while laced with weight stigma) remind me of a 2022 study by Rand Health that looked at how the Marine Corps body composition and military appearance standards contributed to unhealthy behaviors. As a Marine Corps veteran who engaged in unhealthy behaviors to maintain a certain physique, a lot of what Mike Tyson talks about sounds like the result of disordered eating. So, I’m not discounting how he felt at the time, being in a body he wasn’t comfortable with, or how he feels today. What was missing from that ad was the harsh reality that simply eating “real food” will not address the deeper issues of self-hatred. That requires getting to the root, which that ad did not do.
Hims & Hers “Rich People Live Longer”
Lawd have mercy. When the first lines of an ad are “rich people live longer,” you already know things are about to go downhill real fast. Even though it’s clear that there is a serious health gap in the world, it’s commercials like this that remind me how out of touch telehealth has become. When telehealth expanded during 2020, it was to address healthcare access. Now it’s less about providing access to all, and more about providing access to those who can afford it.
That became abundantly clear when I took a browse around the Hims and Hers site, which I know I’ll later regret for retargeting reasons. The first thing I saw in the promo bar is “20% off select orders of $500+.” Because we “non-rich people” just have $500+ lying around. Now, on a side note, Novo Nordisk is suing Hims & Hers to prevent them from selling their GLP-1 copycat drug. Hims argues this is an attack on Americans who rely on personalized care, while Novo argues they are simply protecting their patents. I argue that both options aim to make people smaller, but not necessarily healthier. And, clearly, not richer with these prices!
At the end of the day, I want each and every one of us to ask ourselves the hard questions.
Is this product or service doing what it says it’s intended to do? Are the Levi’s jeans providing the backstory that we want to tell? Is MAHA actually providing access to real food? Have Hims & Hers made it so the non-rich can live long lives, too? I’m not asking you to come to the same conclusion I have. I’m simply asking you to ask yourself the hard questions and be open to the answer.
Community Prompt
Alright, I’ve shared my deep thoughts on the Super Bowl ads I could have absolutely lived without. Now I want to hear from you!
Which Super Bowl ads for you were a hit or a miss?
If you enjoyed this post, come join us at The Roundtable! Our Roundtable community offers a private space for meaningful reflection, lively monthly discussions, and engaging threads on vital topics impacting Black women’s health. It’s just $5 a month, and you can cancel whenever you’d like. We can’t wait to welcome you to our table!
Monthly Book Recommendation
In celebration of Black History Month, I’m highlighting a book that I believe everyone should read if they haven’t already. As I mentioned above, it’s Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Dr. Sabrina Strings!
Check out the rest of my BHM recommendations at the EBWH Bookstore!
Closing Signal
Until next week,
Tomesha