When most teenagers think of McDonald's, they think of food that is horrible for them but, regrettably, tastes good. When parents think of McDonald's, they see an easy alternative to cooking dinner and cleaning it up that takes much less time and makes the kids happy. And when kids think of McDonald's, they think of bright red and yellow, free toys, yummy food, and fun characters. The reason that kids love McDonald's so much is that McDonald's preys upon their innocence. Kids like bright colors, so McDonald's uses red and yellow as its theme. Kids are attracted to mascots, so McDonald's has Ronald the clown to interact with them and tell them all about how great McDonald's really is. Kids like playing, so there are Playplaces that they can have fun in after they enjoy their meal. And kids like burgers and fries, so McDonald's knows that it's the perfect place, selling an "all-American" meal that tastes great. The corporation knows that selling products to children is the best way to make a profit - what parent can say no when their hungry little Sally is begging for a Happy Meal? Executives attend national conferences about how best to appeal to children and tailor their advertisements and techniques to fit the desires of kids.
But kids don't realize the negative consequences that eating fast food can have for them. What I focused on in my essay was the nutritional aspect. A McDonald's Happy Meal contains anywhere from 380-700 calories and 12-27 grams of fat. Eaten rarely, foods like these are fine for kids to eat. But when they are eaten in large amounts, which happens a lot, they can lead to long-term health consequences. Plus, when children learn to associate fast food with happiness and fun, it can wreak havoc on their future nutritional decisions. Obesity is a rising epidemic in our country, and the fast food restaurants of today are doing absolutely nothing to stop it.
Anyway, now I can finally get to the actual analysis of my project. My claim is that fast food companies' advertising to children can have devastating consequences on their health. My intended audience, besides my class, is the general American public, especially parents of young children. I hope that they will see how McDonald's takes advantage of the youth and easy-to-please attitudes of their kids and maybe stop taking them to such places before it's too late.
The images I chose to use and the order I put them in reflects, I hope, the pattern that usually takes place. I started with some pictures of McDonald's restaurants in order to introduce the topic and to show how even the architecture is appealing to children by looking very simple and comfortable, almost like a home. Then I showed the various ways that McDonald's draws children in: Playplaces, Happy Meals, toys and themes from familiar movies, mascots/characters, merchandise, and attractive and tasty food. I showed kids eating with their families in order to make a point that by attracting the kids, the entire family is persuaded to attend McDonald's. Finally, I showed pictures of children who are obese, ending with a picture of two heavy boys eating McDonald's. This is to show the consequences that McDonald's can have on the health and well-being of whom they are advertising to. I closed with a picture of the McDonald's golden arches with a caption that says "i'm lovin' it." This is meant to inspire questions in the minds of viewers - should we really love something that is so bad for us?
Musically, I chose to use the Justin Timberlake version of the McDonald's theme song. It's kind of similar to the example Mrs. Cardona used because it carries the same connotation - do we really love it (McDonald's)? If I had used a different song, I think it would lose some of the irony that I tried to portray. We love McDonald's so much, yet what does it do for us? It gives us cheap, poorly processed foods that are terrible for our bodies, then keeps us coming back for more.
Something needs to change in the way that we see fast food. It's not, as is thought, an American cuisine. The companies don't care about individual customers. They're out for a profit, and the sad truth is that they will do anything to make money.
Thanks to Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation for inspiring this video!
But kids don't realize the negative consequences that eating fast food can have for them. What I focused on in my essay was the nutritional aspect. A McDonald's Happy Meal contains anywhere from 380-700 calories and 12-27 grams of fat. Eaten rarely, foods like these are fine for kids to eat. But when they are eaten in large amounts, which happens a lot, they can lead to long-term health consequences. Plus, when children learn to associate fast food with happiness and fun, it can wreak havoc on their future nutritional decisions. Obesity is a rising epidemic in our country, and the fast food restaurants of today are doing absolutely nothing to stop it.
Anyway, now I can finally get to the actual analysis of my project. My claim is that fast food companies' advertising to children can have devastating consequences on their health. My intended audience, besides my class, is the general American public, especially parents of young children. I hope that they will see how McDonald's takes advantage of the youth and easy-to-please attitudes of their kids and maybe stop taking them to such places before it's too late.
The images I chose to use and the order I put them in reflects, I hope, the pattern that usually takes place. I started with some pictures of McDonald's restaurants in order to introduce the topic and to show how even the architecture is appealing to children by looking very simple and comfortable, almost like a home. Then I showed the various ways that McDonald's draws children in: Playplaces, Happy Meals, toys and themes from familiar movies, mascots/characters, merchandise, and attractive and tasty food. I showed kids eating with their families in order to make a point that by attracting the kids, the entire family is persuaded to attend McDonald's. Finally, I showed pictures of children who are obese, ending with a picture of two heavy boys eating McDonald's. This is to show the consequences that McDonald's can have on the health and well-being of whom they are advertising to. I closed with a picture of the McDonald's golden arches with a caption that says "i'm lovin' it." This is meant to inspire questions in the minds of viewers - should we really love something that is so bad for us?
Musically, I chose to use the Justin Timberlake version of the McDonald's theme song. It's kind of similar to the example Mrs. Cardona used because it carries the same connotation - do we really love it (McDonald's)? If I had used a different song, I think it would lose some of the irony that I tried to portray. We love McDonald's so much, yet what does it do for us? It gives us cheap, poorly processed foods that are terrible for our bodies, then keeps us coming back for more.
Something needs to change in the way that we see fast food. It's not, as is thought, an American cuisine. The companies don't care about individual customers. They're out for a profit, and the sad truth is that they will do anything to make money.
Thanks to Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation for inspiring this video!
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