Super Size Me

Super Size Me

Messages distributed by institutions such as the media have the potential to reach very large and anonymous audiences. In the movie Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock documents a month of eating McDonald's, only to prove how food media affects the way Americans are living extremely unhealthy lives. Well I think communication starts with an event, which in this case is the two teenage girls that decided to sue McDonald's for their obesity, then there are sources, a message, a communicator, another message and then the audience. Well in this documentary the sources are the doctors Morgan visits, the people off the street he interviews, numerous others he interviews (Mc employees, kids etc), his own experiment and also a number of un-cited facts and figures. The main message was that McDonald's, along with other types of fast food, can directly affect a person's health and was doing so just to get a fast buck. He then backed this claim up with doctor's opinions and then finally ended with another message that it's up to Americans to fix the epidemic that there in and to be aware of the Mc money making machine. He influences the audience with many facts and figures and studies which seem to be ridiculous and also un-citied, with graphical representations of the stuff in the McDonalds foods and the consequences of obesity, and he finally uses film techniques (low angle shots, lighting) to influence the viewers perception

After hearing the McDonalds Corporation defense against a lawsuit filed by two overweight adolescents who claimed their condition was caused by eating at the fast food establishment, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock decided to conduct a similar experiment on him showing the riveting and often revolting eating habits of American people and the fast food industry. After being checked out by a team of doctors and nutritionists to document his current state of health which was considered above average, Morgan decided to set out on an all-McDonald's diet. For 30-days his intake consisted of eating nothing but what McDonald's offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner. He was to sample every single menu item throughout the month.

Over time Morgan's weight dramatically increases, his health weakens and he begins to show signs of depression. Morgan at 6 foot 2 inches, 185lbs, and 11% body fat was fit and lean at the start the month. After 30 days Morgan has gained 24.5lbs and increased his body fat by 7%, concluding that such an extreme diet really can be hazardous to your health. Obesity is a major health problem in the United States; over 60% of adult Americans are obese. Obesity can lead to an array of other diseases, an increased risk of illness and premature death. The movie "Super size me" shows how the epidemic is spreading across America and how it affects the life of a person.