Diets Don’t Work Therefore You Must Diet!
September 24th, 2023 Barry Posted in Becky Hawkins collaborations, Fat Acceptance | No Comments »
This cartoon was written by Barry and drawn by Becky Hawkins.
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has six panels.
Panel 1
A doctor (surgical scrubs, white lab coat, standing in a standard doctor’s examination room and holding a manila folder filled with papers) talks directly to us. He is neatly groomed and very likable and trustworthy looking, with a very friendly expression.
DOCTOR: The way public health experts think about weight is changing! Here’s some things we now all accept:
PANEL 2
Although the doctor’s monologue continues, we don’t see him in this panel; instead we see a collage. There’s a desert with a road sign saying “Next Food 1200 Miles”; a DNA helix; a prescription pill bottle with “side effects may include weight gain” on the label; Sigmund Freud, reading a notepad and holding a cigar; and a cupcake.
DOCTOR: People are fat for a wide variety of reasons.
PANEL 3
The doctor is holding a pamphlet out to us (which due to foreshortening takes up most of the panel). The pamphlet cover says “BMI: How do YOU compare to a small group of white male Europeans 200 years ago?”
DOCTOR: BMI is an imperfect measure of health.
PANEL 4
A couple of happy-looking fat people are cooking; in the foreground, a woman chops onions, while in the background we can see a man flipping the stir-fry in a frying pan like a pancake. In the background, we can see the Doctor on a tablet screen on a shelf.
DOCTOR: Health markers like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol can be improved without weight loss.
PANEL 5
A close-up of the tablet, with the Doctor talking on the screen, now with a concerned expression.
DOCTOR: The vast majority of diets fail because people regain weight. Losing and regaining over and over can harm your health.
DOCTOR: And most importantly…
PANEL 6
In a contrast to how calm the Doctor has been up to now, he’s now screaming in panic and waving his hands like Kermit the Frog.
DOCTOR: EVERY FAT PERSON MUST LOSE WEIGHT! LOSE IT NOW! NOOOOOW!
