"This health crisis was brought to you by Nickelodeon" - a video essay

[@kelath5555]

In the early or mid-90s I saw a program on Nickelodeon that explained food advertising to kids. I wish it aired at least once a week. They also placed emphasis on that the kids in the commercials were actors, and showed behind the scenes shots of auditions showing the kids pretending to be excited. It shocked me as a kid, and it played a huge part in making me more resistant to children's advertising as a kid.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thanks for sharing that! I don't remember this at all but would love to see it! Do you think it was a segment on Nick News, or maybe a PSA during the commercial breaks? I'd love to look deeper into that! Thank you for watching as well!

[@kelath5555]

@@VideoEssayCharlotte I've never been able to find it again, but an almost identical film "Buy Me That! A Kid's Survival Guide to TV Advertising" (1989) looks like it covers everything the program I watched did, from how toys are made to look more exciting to how food is made to look more appetizing.

[@kelath5555]

@@VideoEssayCharlotte I found it! It's actually "Buy Me That 3! A Kid's Guide to Food Advertising" from 1992! They showed it on Nickelodeon a couple times.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

@@kelath5555 oh wow, thanks! Definitely going to check that out when I have a chance!

[@ivyej]

It’s so hard to come across new, quality video essays these days! Thank you for your research, dedication, and clear respect for the subject- this deserves wayyyyyy more views than it currently has

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

This really means a lot. Thank you so much! If it’s not too much trouble, please feel free to share with a friend! And thanks again for the encouragement 💜

[@CrimesTimeLive]

KZbin randomly recced this to me and I'm so glad. This may be one of the best video essays I've ever watched. I didn't actually get to eat a lot of processed food growing up- and the bit you mentioned about how being able to eat that stuff seemed "cool" because of the commercials is one of the things that made me so self conscious growing up. Even though now I'm very grateful my mom was able to make us so many fresh and healthy meals, at the time I felt like I was missing out. And even without having eaten all the processed foods, my brain still has that association with food in general, which then set me up for the 2000s body image hell. The seventeen articles in particular, man, I feel like those are carved into my bones. I hope this essay reaches a large audience, it's well deserved.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment! I could totally see how the grass would look greener to kids on the ultra processed food side. And yes, the body hell of the 2000s. I feel like the general consensus of Seventeen is that it didn’t age well, but I really think it’s overlooked that they told us to “spend” calories on cotton candy, cinnamon twists, and Mountain Dew. Eat all that and you’re still going to be absolutely hungry. That’s some serious ED territory, directing girls to eat in ways that leave them hungry but confident they won’t gain weight. Absolutely wild and I would love to know how much of it was paid advertising. And thanks for your kind words about the video. I also hope it reaches a large audience because I feel like TV consumption is an important piece we overlook when talking about food and body image, and I’d love to see it added to the conversation. If it’s not too much trouble, please consider sharing this with friends if you think they’d like it 🩷 Thanks again! 🙏

[@CrimesTimeLive]

​@@VideoEssayCharlotte Yeah the prompt to "spend" calories on all that sugar is particularly wild in retrospect. Like the pitch for Taco Bell is eat one less beef taco, aka the bit that's actually gonna keep the girl less hungry, and then go ahead and drink what boils down to a slightly smaller drinkable candy bar. The comparison you made between the recipe for the pasta with plenty of veggies and the direction to just eat a veeeery small amount of the processed stuff hit pretty hard. Like I cook for myself regularly, eat a lot of veggies, but even so I have been trained to "spend" calories and it's always on my mind. That combined with the ATM stuff is what really makes your little visual of Angelica falling down the slide feel so real. Sorry to ramble, you just REALLY got my noggin cooking lol. I have indeed been passing this to others, I think it's worth a watch. I wish you luck with your autoimmune troubles- I've been in a medical hell of my own related to food and that shit sucks. May we survive on this long food road.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

@@CrimesTimeLive YES to all of this. Right, looking back, it was all such bad advice. The fast food page also said that we could opt for a kids' size beverage at McDonald's, which like, okay, whatever, but my problem with that is suddenly the McDonald's kids' meal, which we would have seen hundreds of hours of ads about, is suddenly now part of the plan we should have to get/stay skinny. I'm glad you cook for yourself. I really struggle to keep up with it. But yes, that calorie math is hard to ignore when it felt very important for a while there. And no need to apologize! This stuff has been rolling about in my brain absolutely bugging me for years, and I'm so excited to finally hear from others about it too. And thanks for the well wishes and sorry to hear you're also experiencing health struggles. I wish you the very best of luck as well. 💜

[@Tapirclip]

I'm genuinely surprised this hasn't gotten more attention. It's hands down the best documentary on American fast food culture I've ever watched. This is packed with incredible research and observations. What really stuck out was the influencer's "too cool" persona, echoing those old kids' food commercials. I know I'm going to be "aware" of this next time I see it. And that final revelation, where it became clear the video was imbued with nostalgic ads for comfort, hit me hard-I definitely felt that comfort. I loved seeing those ads. Also, your delivery and editing were perfect. A lot of KZbin content is overwhelming to me, so even if a video essay covers a topic I'm passionate about, I prefer to treat it like a podcast. Your visual editing found the perfect balance-engaging, yet never too aggressive or overstimulating. I was captivated the entire time. Absolutely flawless. I hope you continue to make video essays and share your perspective. I'm sharing this with everyone I know. Thank you so much for making this.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

This is genuinely one of the nicest things I’ve ever read. This project took more than two years at this point, and hearing someone recognize my ideas, editing, and all of it, really means a lot. Thank you for sharing with your common as well. This truly means so much to me. Thank you 🙏

[@sirathena]

This video is awesome and really got me thinking. Ever since I could remember, most sugary and processed stuff like the food in the Nickelodeon ads---always gave me a headache! A lot of things gave me a headache and I was very inconvenient to feed which made me feel guilty and weird and uncool. The ads for those foods make me feel stressed out and panicky, tbh. And I associate Halloween and Valentine's Day with headaches. Very early on in my adulthood, I was aware that I would have to have a really big food budget and I've often foregone social events and other spending to ensure I had the right food that wouldn't make me pained. And I've also gone through times where I'm like "I'm just being a snobby baby, I can eat like everyone else!" and then attempted to buy cheaper things and more convenient things and felt immediately sick and regretful. I see my investments in food as healthcare because for a really long time I didn't have health insurance. I've definitely sacrificed a lot to be able to eat non-headache food and nobody should have to. The part where you talked about wanting to be the Cool Girl Who Doesn't Care and just eats whatever junk---that's such a present thing to me since I was young. I've always felt like a snobby diva for having dietary restrictions---and people think you're faking it or people think I'm going to evangelize at them when I'm really just trying to avoid getting a headache. This, for me, extends to alcohol as well which gives me a headache. I have maybe one or two drinks a year and I have to have tons of protocols in place to enjoy them. And I've always felt really left out of certain celebrations or felt like people were twisting my arm to get me to drink. But I can't! Hardly ever! The social component of this has impacted me so much. But also, it has taught me how to cook and I love sharing food with others so I try to focus on what I can bring and share rather than what I cannot have. Anyway! I just wanted to share my personal experience!

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much for sharing! Yes it’s really interesting how our culture has these conditions where we have to feel self conscious about making food choices that simply won’t make us feel sick. It’s interesting too that you say the commercials make you feel kind of nauseous to see - I actually feel that way about just one of these commercials. If I ate that lunchables brownie today, I know it would knock me out with a migraine. Thanks again for sharing your experience. I really enjoy hearing from others on this topic because I think it impacts so many of us and doesn’t get the discussion it should (particularly regarding the ads). Thank you! 🙏

[@yuxinglin8017]

Convenience = Time = Money , therefore, Convenience = Money

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Yes and based on those numbers I found about how much debt many of us have, convenience food makes so much sense. I feel like the word convenience in food discourse often shuts down the conversation, but we really need to look deeper into the many different reasons (including finances) why convenience food makes sense for so many of us. Thanks for watching!

[@florentoula]

This is such a well thought out video. I didnt really think about the topic of ads of food while growing up but it enlightened me in so many ways. Thank you! You have earned a subscriber

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

@@florentoula Thanks so much for watching and commenting and for your kindness. Yes I hadn’t thought of it either until a few years back! I’m so glad you enjoyed hearing more about it! 💜 More soon!

[@phangkuanhoong7967]

so...i worked in advertising in my country (malaysia) for 20 years. All the marketing tactics you've detailed here are true. It's why i eventually quit. the constant lying and manipulation touted as "creativity" just ate at something inside me.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

That is so interesting! I don’t know much about what it’s like inside the room of an advertising meeting, but there’s something unsurprising about hearing you say that the manipulative nature of it is touted as creativity. Sounds like if you think about it that way, as creativity, it doesn’t feel so bad. I imagine (and please correct me if I’m wrong), lots of people in the room truly are creative too, and maybe advertising feels like one of those few careers where they can put that to use before they realize how dark it actually is. Thanks so much for watching and commenting! It truly goes a long way 🙏

[@p0stry]

This was AMAZINGLY well-put together. I can tell you put a lot of research and care into telling this story. Thank you. Seriously, this laid it allllllll out in such a beautiful package. Media, fatphobia, the vilification/glorification of foods, consumerism -- you made it so coherent!!!

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much for watching! I’m so happy you enjoyed 💜 Thanks so much. More soon!

[@sarahcarestoomuch]

You ate with this one (pun intended). Encouraging healthy food ≠ hating fat, poor, and non-white people. Such a huge problem being unaddressed

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you, Sarah! It means so much to me that you enjoyed it 🧡💜 Really appreciate it!

[@alexbrown128]

I think a key point to address when it comes to big food criticism is the careful language and messaging that is needed to separate critique of foods and critique of those foods consumers. It's easy to say "McDonalds is bad food," but it's difficult to say "McDonalds is bad food, but the people who eat it aren't doing anything wrong." I think this is where the big stigma against the term "Junk Food" comes in, and why I think we should still move away from that terminology, because it is basically impossible to separate the term "Junk Food" from implying "Junk Eaters"

[@alexbrown128]

To add an additional point, I think this actually resembles the challenges that come with talking about addiction, and why we see people saying things like "actually heroin is okay" or etc., because it's hard to acknowledge the dangers of drugs and the harm they can cause without using language that may feel like it attacks those who are victims of drugs' influence.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Something interesting about that Bon Appetite article that I critique in the video: the url text actually says “it’s time to stop saying junk food,” and not, “there’s no such thing as junk food,” which ended up being the article’s name. I actually think I could get behind that first one. If we start recognizing that the problems are with big food and not the people (who may have little time, energy, money, access, or whatever it may be) eating big food, and we came to call it something else that can still highlight the gap in food equality while also making sure we’re treating people who eat big food with respect, that would be a positive thing. But I think saying there’s no such thing and then going on to say that just because it’s made by a big food brand doesn’t mean we should judge it harshly, is really concerning. We could have had an article about the points you just mention, but instead it feels like they’re using the social issue of food inequality to take up for Post, Snickers, etc. And they don’t need any positive press when their foods and market manipulation are very likely causing harm to the most economically disadvantaged in more ways than one. I think all compassion should be saved for the common folk until we close the gap on that graph that shows the discrepancy in rich people vs poor people diets. Thank you so much for such a thoughtful comment and for watching 🙏

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

This one is a little out of my scope, but I do understand that compassionate language would be important in helping people with addictions. That academic article we cover here about tobacco companies owning big food brands was actually published in the journal called “Addiction.” It would be really interesting to see a study about language used when addressing both issues (food/drug) to see how people positively/negatively respond and where similarities lie.

[@Iridescent_Peasant]

Now that's what I call food for thought! 🥁🍛🧠 Great video. All those 90s and 2000s food commercials are so nostalgic. It's interesting to look back now and see all the creepy, sneaky little advertising tricks they used. Bernays-style manipulation on the youth. The bold colors and hyper energy must have done a number on our still-forming brains. 👀

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much! Yes it really brought some mixed feelings - so nostalgic, but also when you watch so many of them in a row, it does feel creepy. I don’t think I directly say it in the video, but the McDonald’s happy meal ones feel particularly manipulative. Ronald acts like a parent in a lot of them, helping kids with projects and guiding them on hikes and of course feeding them. Thanks so much for watching!

[@SemiIocon]

Ever since I heard that the forces behind junk food were also behind advertising cigarettes, a lot of things clicked for me.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

I know, and it's also kind of wild how unnoticed it went for so long. When I first learned it, I told my mom that it used to be "RJR Nabisco," and she disbelieved it so much that I even started to wonder if I'd dreamed it haha. I had to do a double-take and google it again.

[@azrayvideos]

appreciate the vulnerability and intimate tale. amazing video and set design. thank you for what you do

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Hey, AZ Ray! Thanks so much. This project took so much work, and it’s really nice to hear the encouragement

[@azrayvideos]

@VideoEssayCharlotte you are an amazing artist, editor and story teller. can't wait to see you explode

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

@@azrayvideos Thank you so much!

[@drowsy7921]

A really good video essay! I'm surprised it doesn't have more views.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

@@drowsy7921 Thank you so much! That is so kind 🩷 I’m also hoping more people will watch and enjoy! More videos soon!

[@syntacc8462]

Havent watched it yet, but i did subscribe bc I see the intersection of media and social issues and I love SYnTHESES! it's art to pull together so many pieces of culture to make a profound statement

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thanks so much for subscribing! Ahh I really hope you like it! Appreciate the chance 💜

[@Autumnliminal]

Incredible content, I love this analysis and all the nostalgic commercial clips!

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thanks so much for watching! 💜 Yes the commercials really are a trip down memory lane!

[@bucklemonster21994]

man as an artist, I feel bad for that ice-artist. what did he do to deserve his artwork being melted and fall into an ice lake? lol 29:42

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

LOL yes so unnecessary! That one was definitely one of the goofier commercials from the bunch. Thanks for watching!

[@bucklemonster21994]

@@VideoEssayCharlotte no problem! thx for responding. greetings from Belgium

[@shin_kiyo]

phenomenal work!

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words!

[@papplepia]

Amazing video, as always! 💫💫

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much for your kind words 🩷💜🧡

[@Stell-z5s]

Shes back! 🔥

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

And so are you! Thanks for watching!

[@NewSonyWonderHappyMadisonFan]

Good video otherwise but some of the video (including the title) reeks of "let's ignore the real issue and blame the Columbine sh00ting (typing it like this because KZbin would hide and/or delete this comment otherwise) on violent video games because the perpetrators liked Doom" energy.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thanks for watching and for the honest feedback. Respectfully, I disagree that this is the position this video takes, although I could see how the title in isolation (meant to be a play on “this program was brought to you by our sponsors” and of course to be intriguing enough to garner clicks) could make you think so. The real position is that watching hundreds of hours of food ads that we came to enjoy and remember fondly, made by big corporations (that contribute to health, wealth, and food inequality) was just our starting point in going easy on these corporations later. Regarding your specific comparison - Big food lobbies against health, the NRA lobbies against safety. Blaming video games is just a distraction straight out of the NRA playbook and something they do when they feel threatened. The NRA loves having video games as an out, and you’re right to call that out (if I’m reading your comment correctly). Big food can’t turn around and blame ads - the ads are them. If you were turned off from watching the later chapters because you thought this was a piece about “it’s not the corporations - it’s all our fault for liking Nickelodeon,” it’s later on where we delve into food inequality, corruption, why we rely on convenience food in our lives with little work/life balance, and more. Thanks again for watching and for bringing a real conversation starter to the comments!

[@Bluejoltyt]

Amazing!

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you so much! 💜

[@NeighborhoodOfBlue]

I dunno man, I'm willing to eat a lot of interesting things, but I wouldn't eat "lentil bolognese". Most of us would eat the taco bell over that.

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Haha fair enough! My real point was that a lot of us got the idea that the small taco, soda, and cinnamon twists were ‘healthy’ because it was a relatively low calorie meal that could keep us from what the magazine said was the opposite of healthy eating (weight gain). It felt like everything was about calories around the turn of the century.

[@DanielNight-Lewis-fs9tm]

Wow. This is absolutely amazing work! More people need to see this!

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thank you for saying that! And yes please feel free to share it with others 🩷💜🧡

[@Freshmarketflesh]

No way it’s called MAHA. That means belly in Finnish😭

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Omg that must sound hilarious. “The belly movement” hahahaha Thanks for watching!

[@johndoe1053]

1:34:15

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Thanks for watching! 🙏

[@bradmacpherson4172]

You rule

[@VideoEssayCharlotte]

Really appreciate that. Thanks so much for watching!