Figmentations

Note: Hope I’m not violating too many copyright or intellectual property laws here by posting some graphics that I came across online. My disclaimer here is that hopefully by duly referencing my understanding of the appropriate sources of these images, and so as not to let the sentiments captured in these images forever disappear in the bandwidth of lost or broken links, I reprint these images here with all due respect to the original owners of these graphics.

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I’ve chosen the following two images which I came across separately, yet strangely find the one to be so very complementary to the other.

First is this Peter Brookes cartoon from Times Online. Next is this image from the Facebook Social Advertising group:Clearly money alone won’t solve the world’s problems. Poorly spent money is no doubt a tragedy to fundraisers, policy makers, social workers, and citizens alike. Everyone has different talents to offer. Let’s appreciate the philanthropists and endowment providers, but let’s also put the right combination of policies and policy implementers in place so that real change, progress, and evolution can truly take place.

At first, I thought that my last excuse not to go on a diet had finally arrived. I’ve always used the excuse that, well, yes, you can be oversized and still be beautiful and successful, too, so why lose weight just for the vanity of it? I, like many people, have been in denial about the potential health consequences of the excess weight, which admittedly is easily ignored until it rears its ugly head.

Anyway, the self-proclaimed “voluptuous” plus-size role model, Queen Latifah, is joining the Jenny Craig weight-loss movement, along with Kirstie Alley and Valerie Bertinelli.

She will be supporting the company’s “mission of improving health by taking her first step toward achieving a more healthful lifestyle.” She will work with the company “to communicate the importance of how small lifestyle changes, in the areas of diet and exercise, can have positive effects on overall health.”

While I love her personality, her work, and her self-confidence, a commitment to health is not something I’ve noticed from her. Interesting that she has chosen to endorse a company whose product/service she hasn’t used yet, though their message is undisputably important. This is also a rather abrupt contrast to her recent voiceover for Pizza Hut commercials. Add to that her reportedly since-college-year dream of opening her own Fat Burger franchise.

While most so-called “commitment devices” (as Freakonomics refers to as weight loss solutions that people invest in) don’t seem to work, from a business point of view it can’t hurt to enlist well-known role models to champion the cause, especially if actual weight loss isn’t the even the main goal any more. Ca-ching. Ca-ching.

The Queen herself has nothing to lose, since I’m sure she is getting paid nicely to be a sponsor along with the free publicity to boot. (Just to point out the facts, Jenny Craig already sponsored the Queen’s ‘Travelin’ Light’ new album tour.)

Too bad the Jenny Craig program is not even really affordable (even in the short-term) for many of the people that The Queen’s popularity would appeal to. Looking forward to seeing how this campaign evolves.