Diet culture is so ingrained in our current daily that we run the risk of forgetting that it is very seriously messed up. So I think it's important to point it out when we see it - like this:
This ad is pretty standard diet bullshit - it has your undressed salad surrounded by artfully placed food that is meant to appeal to the idea of food moralization, it has your measuring tape (though, being wound around the fork is, perhaps, a new low.) It even has the re-naming of stuff to make it seem less diet-y (see also " It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change!" meaning you change to a lifestyle where you diet all the time.")
But there's another layer of awful here. Because this isn't a diet ad. It's the sign-in screen for KeyBank.
This is what reader Ziggy found when trying to login. And remember, it's not just perpetuating dieting, it's also possibly triggering an eating disorder. To login. To your bank account. WT Actual F Keybank?
Here's my favorite part - if they are equating dieting to your financial goals, what they are saying is that they offer almost no chance of success. So, good job there, KeyBank marketing officials.
Now may be a good time to remind ourselves that diet culture is ubiquitous, and dangerous, and totally bullshit. And we should not be Here are some options for dealing with it (besides, you know, screaming into the void, which is also completely valid.)
What are the worst places that you've seen diet used as a metaphor like this? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments!
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Book Me! I'd love to speak to your organization. You can get more information here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!
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If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.
Hi, I'm Ragen Chastain. Speaker, Writer, Dancer, Choreographer, Marathoner, Soon to be Iron-distance triathlete, Activist, Fat Person. View all posts by Ragen Chastain
