I must admit, it’s quite addicting. I couldn’t seem to resist the urge to keep clicking “next” as I perused through the gallery of dietary disasters, like deep-fried lard balls topped with sugar, bacon chocolate cake, and deep-fried cheeseburgers. It’s hard to believe some of the creations people have come up with…and even more difficult to imagine someone actually eating them! Meat “cake” iced with mashed potatoes and ketchup, anyone?
“This is why you’re fat” America!—the hard-hitting reminder plastered in bold pink letters at the top of the site is hard to ignore, its dark humor declaring more than the website’s telling name, but ingraining the browser with feelings of appall, weight gain, and even guilt. The photos will harass your eyes and churn your stomach, screaming for you to take a good hard look at the plaque-infested, clogged-up heart of this country’s major weight problem.
For some, though, looking through the photos will make them more hungry than nauseated. Everything tastes better when it’s on a stick or deep-fried, dipped in fat, covered in bacon, and slathered with melted cheese, right? We know it’s bad for us, but sometimes we’re simply unable to resist temptation! Forget health! What’s a little myocardial infarction for a few minutes of pure oily bliss? Taking on the task and conquering a nasty mass like the “White Castle casserole” is a proud feat for those willing to take their chances with six of the chain’s burgers topped and baked with gravy and American cheese.
For all of you fast-food junkies looking for a reason to refuse the pull that drags you to that quadruple cheeseburger or for those in need of a little motivation to diet, this website just might do the job. A quick scan through the images, and you’ll feel like you’ve already gained 10 pounds—your chest may even start to ache. Seeing such an extreme level of junk food and calories gathered together in one place is a real eye opener to the disgusting lengths some people will go to put flavor before health.
The unusual and unappetizing concept for thisiswhyyourefat.com was the brainchild of couple Richard Blakely and Jessica Amason. The two are no strangers to the blogging world with Richard being the video editor for Gawker media and Jessica the lead blogger for Urlesque.com and columnist for TheFrisky.com .
The site was launched on February 9th of this year, and within less than 24 hours they had already received over a million views! In under a month, the site had gotten over 2,000 submissions and almost 4,000 followers on Tumblr (the site that powers thisiswhyyourefat.com). More impressing stats generated by the site can be found at eatmedaily.com .
Expect to see a “This is Why You’re Fat” book hitting shelves fairly soon. They already have a book deal with Harper Studio and are currently looking for submissions to be included. Sounds like it will be a good conversation piece and coffee table book—just make sure it’s not out before a big dinner party. According to the aforementioned Harper Studio link, it also seems as though Blakely and Amason are in talks for a TV show. Jackpot!
The site has definitely hit a nerve. Catch phrases and nauseating pictures abound. And the word “fat” reigns over it all. Let’s face it—the world has a stereotype of “fat” Americans. There is an assumption that our big bellies and bulges are usually the result of weight gain due to eating too much extreme junk foods, just like those showed on thisiswhyyourefat.com. So does the site contribute to this stereotype, or is it just the truth? Maybe it’s about time someone tells us, “Hey! This is why you’re fat!” Clearly, fear of your headless butt ending up on another nameless news segment is not scary enough for you. And it’s so easy to laugh and gasp at the gross concoctions people claim to be eating. But the truth is—it really all is kind of scary.
So what’s next? A website where people can post pictures of plates piled high with vegetables and grains? Nah, that’s no fun.
Let’s pause and rewind back for a moment to the way the word “fat” is so carelessly thrown around here. Our culture is one obsessed with physical appearance, ingrained with the image of ripped, thin, Photoshop-altered bodies as the real pictures of health, and so concerned with who’s losing weight and who’s gaining it. “Fat” is a word that is used very lightly, its definition vague and its connotation derogatory. How does a forum like thisiswhyyourefat.com, that connects the term “fat” with basically being disgusting, contribute to our perception of body image and healthiness in today’s society? Do you believe it promotes the negative stereotype that all heavy people are unhealthy and the product of gross, junk food? How does it make you feel to be told that if deep-fried moon pie on a stick looks and sounds kind of good, then you must be, or well on your way to being, fat?
Let us know! We’d like to hear your thoughts…
Marisa Musto is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked in kitchens and the food industry for several years. She is currently a student studying communications.
Originally posted on the VM Blog.