Supersize Me Review

Supersize Me is a Morgan Spurlock film about how fast food chains such as McDonalds are greatly contributing to the increasing population of obese Americans. In this interactive documentary, Spurlock takes on the “McDiet” in which he must only eat McDonalds for an entire month. There are many other aspects to this diet. For example, he must purchase everything on the menu at least twice and order a “supersize” when offered, hence the name. He also cuts down his workouts to remain constant with the average American’s 5000 steps per day. Before he starts his new diet, he has a weigh-in and overall physical fitness test. Spurlock is above average in his body-fat/muscle ratio and seems to be in excellent general health. He consults with many different doctors as well as a nutritionalist and a personal trainer and asks how much this diet will affect his current health. Most of the doctors say that unhealthy habits will have minor side effects, but nothing particularly harmful. By the end of the first week, Spurlock has already gained a significant amount of weight and he is experiencing symptoms such as depression and lethargy. On the 21st day, Spurlock has heart palpitations after gaining even more weight. When he made it to the 30th day of the challenge, all of the doctors were surprised by the dramatic changes to his body shape and some predicted that his previous heart troubles could have irreversible effects. His girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, a vegan chef, helped Spurlock create a special de-tox diet. It took him 14 months to lose all of the weight and regain his health. This film was eye-opening. Since I am a kinesthetic learner, I thought the demonstration of how fast food really affects the body and mind really resonated with my learning style. The facts really stuck with me as I was able to see the changes in Spurlock’s drastically deteriorating health. This film is intercut with many interviews and images that help illustrate Spurlock’s research about obesity. This helps the viewer digest the sometimes incomprehensible statistics. Statistics about obesity and perception of fast food were motifs that helped give the audience a break from Spurlock’s gross objective. The film a little grainy and the filmmaker used mainly natural lighting. I think this made the film seem more personal and homemade, especially the parts in which the camera was wobbly. In some cases, Spurlock was filming himself in his car or outside the restaurant. I felt almost as if I was at the restaurant with him every day, and every day he seemed more and more out of it. I would definitely recommend this film for anyone that doesn’t have a weak stomach (It can get a little gross at times). It definitely gave me a different perspective of the fast food industry and really made me question some of my diet choices. You can watch the entire video on Hulu for free:

Fashion Trends that Irritate Me- Uggs

Uggs- I apologize in advanced to those of you who own a pair (or pairs) of Uggs. And for those of you that have been living under a rock since the 90’s, Uggs are a “unisex style of sheepskin boot made of twin-faced sheepskin with fleece on the inside and with a tanned outer surface, often with a synthetic sole”. Yes, I just quoted Wikipedia. Not in an attempt to plagiarize from The Worst Website Ever (preached by every teacher since third grade), but to give an objective definition. I can barely type the word Ugg without shuddering in my boots (Steve Madden combat boots to be exact). Wikipedia later states that this type of shoe originated as a “utilitarian boot” purely for “warmth and comfort”. I wish it stayed that way. Anyways, ever since the 90’s these boots have been everywhere. And I mean everywhere. During the dreary winter months, I see so many girls in the hallways at Blair wearing the typical shapeless sweatshirts, yoga pants, and of course, the infamous grungy camel clubfooted clompers known as Uggs. And boy they are UGGly (that was not trying to be original; I realize that so many people beat me to that joke). They make every girl look like they have thick calves and duck feet. The cliché chestnut color and cheapie suede do not flatter any outfit. I realize that many girls wear Uggs because they are easy and comfortable, but I would really rather see everyone show up in their fluffy duck slippers. At least it would be more interesting. It’s like looking at clones as they file down the hallways, the parade of plain t-shirts, Uggs, and leggings. I mean there have to be some other options for comfortable boots. And some girls are CRAZY about their Uggs. Anyone in their right mind would be after spending TWO-HUNDRED DOLLARS on cheap looking shoes, but they take so much work to maintain. One small drop of water could make a giant stain and then they’re ruined. I saw a local dry cleaning business that advertised “Ugg Cleaning”. This means that people are paying even more than $200 if they are going to get them cleaned on a regular business. I’ve seen dirty Ugg boots and they are even less attractive, though I never thought that would be possible.