Edel R. Brooks-Wilcox

As a child I would get ecstatic if my mother let me have a cookie. My whole family is in great shape and this is partly due to the fact that we were taught to eat healthy. I remember seeing the commercial years ago of the child having a whole family size package of Oreo cookies sitting next to him while his dog watched him instruct the rules on how to properly eat an Oreo with milk. He informs the dog that his mother told him chocolate isn’t good for dogs but he can have some of his milk. The question running through my mind was if his mother tells him that chocolate is good for kids - because this is what’s being implied. Also, where is his mom while he sits and eats an unlimited amount of cookies?

This is just the beginning. Later down the road, commercials with licking contests were aired. I like Oreos as a snack maybe once a year if that, but the thought of people racing to shove them in their face is a disgusting picture. The licking contests are very disturbing with the inappropriateness of the slobbering tongues.

The outreach to children with these commercials by Nabisco is very unsettling and downright gross. With childhood obesity on the rise you would think that the targeting of children would decrease. It appears that the rise in this epidemic is an avenue sought by this company for the road to major revenue. Where is the line drawn? With marketing skills like these the dubbed phrase “Unlock the Magic” should be changed to “Unlock the Obesity.”

How do you feel about sweets and junk food ads being aimed at kids?

Graphic Credit:
Sabrina Segal