Timeline: Archival Project

1900

The Journey Of Obesity In America

Obesity is a threatening disorder that has been taking lives of Americans for decades. This archival review will cover how our efforts to fight back against obesity have varied in approach and success, most notably looking at our early responses to the disease, between the years of 1900-1950.

1905

Introduction

Obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that results in higher risk of health problems. The modern conception behind obesity is that the disease has only been a threat to the population in recent memory. However, in truth, the archives show and tell us that obesity has been lingering for much longer than expected, nearing all the way back to 1900.

1910

Various Methods Of Treatment

Being that this disease has been around since 1900, there have been various different methods presented by medical professionals that "guaranteed" to help with your weight problems. Another common theme we see with the early remedies is that they are played off as "safe" and will "cure" all your problems. The archives allow us to look back at these advertisements and compare the methods that were used, in order to learn better understand this disease and its roots.

1915

Let's Understand Where It Starts

The obesity story actually starts with advertisements pushing for Americans to gain weight. In the very early stages of the 1900s, women especially, were advised to gain weight, as that was the beauty stigma at the time. An advertisement for Wate-On, tablets and liquid taken to gain healthy weight, was being pushed to the public. The ad even reads, "it may be easier than you think".

1920

Obesity Soap

La Parle Obesity Soap was advertised out of Norwood Chemical Company in New York. A rather simple advertisement, explaining that this is an ordinary process that you would use just like a regular bar of soap. Simplicity seems to be the common theme when it comes to the two advertisements presented so far. This is a way for these companies to market their product to be purchased, because it is so "easy" to use. However, does this raise concerns of manipulating customers just to sell products?

1925

More Precise Method

As the years pass, the advertisements to treat obesity become more appealing and informational. This ad is being written from a physician, telling the public his treatment is "absolutely safe and certain". Still hitting the common theme, this ad has much more detail, trying to get the audience to be persuaded. The ad also mentions how the fat is clogging major organs, so we know this problem is getting worse.

1930

Marmola

Marmola, perhaps the most intriguing advertisement, goes after the audience differently than others. Marmola tries to grab the attention of its audience by claiming multiple times it is the, "right way to reduce". Moreover, also unlike the others this ad gives rather compelling information about the cause of obesity to help highlight and make their product look more effective than others.

1940

Marmola

Interesting enough, Marmola was also one of the first obesity fighting companies that put the ingredients of their product on the label.

1950

Conclusion

The comparison of different methods that were presented in the early fight against obesity play a big role in the type of effect the disease has on our world today. As the years progress, the advertisements become more extensive and informational. However, this does not come hand in hand with fixing obesity, as these "treatments" don't actually cause curing of obesity, even if they do help lose weight.

1950

Conclusion

After taking a look at a few different methods and archives, it becomes evident that these are serious attempts, introduced by legitimate doctors, yet none of them seem to yield any success in stopping the root of the obesity problem. One modern day statistic that strikes me is that 43% of Americans will be obese by 2030. The evidence from the archives is there, yet the disorder is more prevalent than ever.

2023

Sources

Agha, Maliha, and Riaz Agha. “The Rising Prevalence of Obesity: Part A: Impact on Public Health.” International Journal of Surgery. Oncology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5673154/. Komlos, John, and Marek Brabec. “The Evolution of BMI Values of Us Adults: 1882-1986.” CEPR, 31 Aug. 2010, https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/evolution-bmi-values-us-adults-1882-1986.

2023