Media Watch: Does dedication mean giving up desert?
When I first saw the recent Citi commercial in which athletes profess all of the sacrifices they’ve made to get where they are today, it didn’t sit well with me. To put it in perspective, I was at the time, enjoying a bowl of chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge sauce as a male athlete voice-over proclaimed, “I haven’t ordered desert in two years.”
I cringed in that moment. Not because I felt guilty for my delicious desert (I’ve already made it clear I eat chocolate every day.) but because I thought of all of the vulnerable men, women, boys, and girls who would hear that proclamation and take it as an indication of what should be rather than what one silly advertising company felt might represent sacrifice.
The commercial goes on to feature supposed athletes claiming all of the things that they gave up for their sport – from not reading the latest bestseller (c’mon, they are clearing talking 50 Shades here…) to not participating in many other “typical” joys of life. The picture painted is of the single-minded, tenacious athlete whose greatest sacrifices beget his or her greatest glories.
Blah. Blah.
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty tired of that cultural standard. I’m not suggesting that the athletes that have made it to the Olympic games have not given up a number of things, and that this hasn’t in part allowed them to succeed. Sure it has. But does one’s life have to be consumed by fourteen hours per day of training with no time for socialization, recreation, or education (or a flippin’ Kit Kat bar) in order to achieve greatness? I don’t think so.
Granted, it may come down to how we define success. If being considered the best in the world at a particular endeavor is your measure of success, then surely your priorities might have to shift a little. But for most of us, and I’ll include myself in that group, success in life means living a well-balanced and well-nourished life. And I don’t believe that a singular pursuit can nourish anyone. Man cannot live on bread alone, the saying goes. Well, he can’t live on Power Bars and time trials alone either.
If you’ve seen the Citi commercial, my wish for you is that you were able to recognize the message as a gross distortion and still enjoy your trashy novel and dessert. If you haven’t seen it, don’t both. Watch this parody instead:
Olympians Have No Lives
Jenn @BeYOUatBeMe
281 days ago
Very well said! I will take seconds of dessert and begin the sequel to 50 shades…
Jenn @BeYOUatBeMe recently posted..What Edward Scissor Hands and Recovery have in common.
Tiffany
281 days ago
I saw that commercial and found it ridiculous because right after that one would be a McDonald’s or Coke commercial. As Coke, McDs, and Cadbury are three of the largest sponsors of the Olympics I find it baffling, to say the least. I watched an interview with swimmer Ryan Lochte and he was asked if he could eat anything he wanted and not gain weight (Pierce Morgan was the interviewer if you’re wondering) and he said “yeah, I can eat anything I want.” Like, seriously, no Ryan you may not gain weight, but your not winning your gold medals off eating McDonald’s everyday. Anyway, this Olympics taught me the power and influence big business, marketing, and money has over what we think and our perceptions. As if I needed anymore reminders.
Jackie
281 days ago
I didn’t eat dessert for years, not cake on my birthday, nothing and because that choice was so respected in our culture as dedication to a sport, it took me a loooong time to realize that my dessert choices had so much more to do with an eating disorder and so much less to do with elite swimming. I can honestly say that I probably would have swam faster if I had eaten dessert, just from the extra nourishment it would have provided that I was otherwise depriving myself of. I still find commercials like this bothersome.