Who watches the Weightwatchers
A good 13 years ago Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon put out a classic country punk album with Mojo's mates the Toad Liquors.
Among the twisted gems on it was a track entitled Nostalgia for an age That Never Existed - its premise was that the golden days of yore weren't actually that golden.
The advertising industry is the biggest culprit when it comes to applying the rose coloured filters on reality.
Take the new Weight Watcher's campaign.
According to the TV advert a mere generation ago we were all outdoors types playing footie on the lawn taking the stairs and leaning up against the HG Kingswood in our Stubbies.
Apparently back then everyone was buff.
Since then, according to Weightwatchers, we've all gone to the pack and it's only taken one generation.
It's all escalators, fast food and couch surfing.
I remember the 70s, and they're not exactly telling the truth.
I grew up in Gisborne where taking the stairs wasn't an option, there were only about two department stores that had more than one floor.
The five storey Post Office was considered a skyscraper and riding the elevators was a thrill.
Most importantly not everyone had beach bodies to die for.
Back then togs were invariably by Speedo and a lot less forgiving. Believe me there was a lot to be forgiven.
It's true, there were people of fuller figure back then, I know, I was on the way to becoming one of them.
Weight Watchers would have us believe that over eating is a new thing too.
Vegetables routinely had all their goodness boiled out of them, the country's dairy mountain was turned into cheese sauce and poured over every inch of the plate and lard was a staple in every pantry.
When people killed the fatted calf they didn't de-fat it before they cooked it up.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Weight Watchers world is a complete fantasy.
The Vitas did own a succession of Kingswoods, I did wear shorts that showed off copious amounts of thigh and the front lawn was big enough for a decent game of two a side.
Sure it doesn't do any harm to take a look at the amount of food we put in and offset that against the amount of energy we put out, however the suggestion that we'd be better of if we partied like it was 1979 doesn't quite cut the mustard.
Among the twisted gems on it was a track entitled Nostalgia for an age That Never Existed - its premise was that the golden days of yore weren't actually that golden.
The advertising industry is the biggest culprit when it comes to applying the rose coloured filters on reality.
Take the new Weight Watcher's campaign.
According to the TV advert a mere generation ago we were all outdoors types playing footie on the lawn taking the stairs and leaning up against the HG Kingswood in our Stubbies.
Apparently back then everyone was buff.
Since then, according to Weightwatchers, we've all gone to the pack and it's only taken one generation.
It's all escalators, fast food and couch surfing.
I remember the 70s, and they're not exactly telling the truth.
I grew up in Gisborne where taking the stairs wasn't an option, there were only about two department stores that had more than one floor.
The five storey Post Office was considered a skyscraper and riding the elevators was a thrill.
Most importantly not everyone had beach bodies to die for.
Back then togs were invariably by Speedo and a lot less forgiving. Believe me there was a lot to be forgiven.
It's true, there were people of fuller figure back then, I know, I was on the way to becoming one of them.
Weight Watchers would have us believe that over eating is a new thing too.
Vegetables routinely had all their goodness boiled out of them, the country's dairy mountain was turned into cheese sauce and poured over every inch of the plate and lard was a staple in every pantry.
When people killed the fatted calf they didn't de-fat it before they cooked it up.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Weight Watchers world is a complete fantasy.
The Vitas did own a succession of Kingswoods, I did wear shorts that showed off copious amounts of thigh and the front lawn was big enough for a decent game of two a side.
Sure it doesn't do any harm to take a look at the amount of food we put in and offset that against the amount of energy we put out, however the suggestion that we'd be better of if we partied like it was 1979 doesn't quite cut the mustard.