Ready to feel great about yourself? Special K is here to help.
The sugary-sweet pressed corn cereal has been running The Special K Challenge commercials since 2008, promising women they'll drop six pounds or one jean size in two weeks.
Peppy music swells--a terrible cover of Nappy Roots' "Good Day." A brunette scans a Gap-like department store for her jean size. Many know the annoyance of trying jeans on in-store, hoping vanity-sizing hasn't transfigured your usual size. For our heroine, it must have come as a shock to discover that her denim provider swapped numbered sizes for uplifting phrases to better entice shoppers and stroke egos: "Radiant," "Confident," "Oooh-La-La," and the coveted size "Sassy."
After eight seconds, a cheerful disembodied voice shares this kernel of wisdom: "Wouldn't it be nice if we focused less on the number and more on the way the fit makes us feel?" Not a bad concept. Yet.
A chorus of children butchers Nappy's "And all my homies gonna ride today," into "And all my ladies got pride today." The incorporeal voice interrupts to answer her own rhetorical question: "Take the Special K Challenge. Drop a jean size in just two weeks and slip into size 'Sassy.'"
Fast-forward to two weeks from the original shopping trip. Our heroine swallows her mouthful of Special K Redberries then spins to show us her rear where "Sassy" is printed on the label of her jeans. The all-knowing Voice, which has followed her home a la Paranormal Activity, points out that there are lots of delicious ways to lose weight and finally fit into size "Sassy."
There is even a website you can visit and an online community to support "positive change." You may create a meal plan that fits you--as long as it includes at least four Special K products a day. The Voice leaves us to ponder, "What will you gain when you lose?"
Another commercial gives us a view of nervous, pedicured toes--130 toes to be exact--as approximately 13 women approach their bathroom scales. The format of the commercial is basically the same as the last, but they take it a step further.
Hopefully, hitting a nerve with women everyone, the scales flash redeeming qualities and fuzzy feelings instead of numbers: pep, shine, joy, nerve, pride, hope, calm, freedom, laughter. While this is a baffling situation, when the camera pans up we are shown three orgasmic faces.
The women are thrilled to weigh in at "Spirit." They finally made it. "Thanks, Special K! Couldn't have done it without you," the ladies practically shout.
The Voice returns with the unfortunately all-too-familiar catchphrase: "What will you gain when you lose?"
Here's what's wrong, in case you've missed the blatant contradiction. First, Special K is masquerading as a company that supports healthy lifestyles for women and believes in female empowerment.
They claim to be the emancipation from a life of being a slave to the scale. They say numbers don't matter, except to Special K, numbers matter quite a bit. They are promoting quick-fix dieting while lining their pockets with the cash women cough up once they've bought into the scheme.
Because some women think the Special K Challenge is all they need to jump-start a healthy diet, they will return again and again. Not to mention the sugar addiction the artificial sweeteners in the products undoubtedly trigger.
More distressing, though, Special K is telling us that once we lose those last six (or eight or 12 or 20) pounds, we'll finally feel good about ourselves. We shed the weight and gain confidence and happiness. We slip into a smaller size and throw off shyness and dissatisfaction.
Everything Special K promotes is external. Everything is wrapped up in how much you weigh. Instead of nurturing women and showing them how to accept themselves, The Special K Challenge demands alterations. They don't put a cap on it either--they don't say, "some people shouldn't lose any more weight." Instead it's a blanket statement: "everyone could stand to lose at least six pounds."
And then what? When a girl is exposed to messages like this--and there are thousands, I'm just picking on Special K for fun--she is set up for disaster. Arguments start in her brain and she wants to make the changes and feel the feelings like the women in the commercial, like the juice-fasting celebrity in the magazine, like the Adderall-abusing roommate. Because she's been taught that these are gateways to happiness. She doesn't see the frustration and the downward spiral that lies in wait.
If you're looking to feel sassy, confident and free, skip the Special K Challenge. You already have it inside you, I promise, and it's not too late to uncover it if you think you've lost it. Take a deep breath, have a bubble bath, go to Restorative Yoga on Friday nights, be kind to others, and speak gently to yourself. Invest in your healthier life, starting from the inside out.
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