Ashley Meyn
A.R. Mallory
Visual Rhetorical Analysis
Thinking
back to a few of our favorite childhood super hero movies and comics, the
actors were always fit, healthy, and ready to save the world. These heroes are
extremely popular for children and teens. From birthday party themes, to Halloween
costumes, children idolize these characters. Looking at the photos, these are
not the usual images of the superheroes we love. Just like these superheroes,
being overweight will keep you from doing what you want and love to do.
In
the movie Spiderman, most of the scenes take place in the inner city;
skyscrapers, alleys, and subways. Here, Spiderman is bracing the rail of a
subway (or bus) looking exasperated. His feet are turned in, right hand is on
his knee, and head laying low. His usually fit physique is now overweight. His
body is bulging from his suit. In the
movie, he lives a double life of going out to save people, then returning home
to pretend that nothing had happened. You simply would not see Spiderman fatigued
in his suit like this, in the movie. The colors used in the image are the
traditional red and blue. The colors of the bus accurately represent what it
would normally look like. Traditionally, images and advertisements associated
with Spiderman show him swinging with agility from building to building or
swooping down to save a helpless pedestrian. The image shown here symbolizes America’s
shift from active lifestyles to one of convenience. For example, young people
take the easy route like an elevator instead of the stairs. Instead of walking
to school, children take the bus.
The
Batman photo is dark and mystical, similar to what many scenes of the movie
look like. There are large, concrete buildings, a rusty green water tower, and
the only light is from the full moon blaring down on him. This is where
traditionally, much of the action would happen. However, he is sitting on the
ledge looking down with his head rested on his hand. The back half of his body
even seems to not fit on the ledge he is sitting on. His belt is lying next to
him which usually means that it was not comfortable or did not properly fit.
This image of Batman shows that with the rise of obesity comes the fall in
ability to perform certain tasks. Similar to how Batman can no longer scale a
wall when overweight, children miss out on many activities they love to do when
obese.
Superman
has a more brightly colored background. He looks as if he is in a park. There
is green grass and autumn red trees. There are birds flying in the blue sky
above him. He looks as if he is walking in strides, hands in a fist, and on a
mission. However the main focus of the image is his large, overweight butt. I
believe the artist is trying to contradict him and his background, depicting that
he wants to go out and save the world, but his overweight backside is not going
to allow that. Obesity brings up the issue of not physically being able to fit
in your normal clothes. Superman’s cape usually billows around his body but in
this image, it barely reaches the span of his shoulders.
All
of these images shown above show the downsides of obesity and can encourage the
audience to avoid obesity. Seeing childhood favorites like this really makes
people look at obesity in a new perspective. Obesity is at an all-time high and
it affects everyone, including superheroes. Statistics show that nearly 18% of
United States children and adolescents are overweight in 2010. This percent has
nearly doubled since the 1980’s. I believe that the target audience for these
visuals is for children. Children mimic those that they admire and look up to.
These images look odd and undesirable, and children will not want to look like
that. The label at the bottom right of each picture is “Powerhouse Healthclub”.
One could infer that it is a health advocacy group promoting healthy eating and
living among children.
The
images in these photos symbolize the growing rate of obesity in America. It is
becoming a real problem. Seeing the superheroes from our childhood painted in
such a light is an enlightening perspective and a reality check. Symbolism of obesity
problem is prevalent in all three photos.
Bibliography
"Childhood Obesity Facts." Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 July 2013. Web. 13 Feb.
2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm>.
"Only for Ads.” Power House Health Club. N.p., 2010.
Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
<http://onlyforads.blogspot.com/2012/01/power-house-health-club-advertising-for.html>.
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