Persuasion through Format

In the excerpt of “Fat is a Feminist Issue,” Orbach directs the information towards woman as she describes the issues of “Overeating and Obesity” as primarily an issue women deal with. She introduces the topic by explaining the issues being fat as a woman causes. “Feeling out of step with society, believing it’s all their own fault…” She then offers the feministic response to explain how issues such as these became so common in society. Orbach offers multiple feminist views on the issue of obesity stating that it is seen as a “rebellion to society” as they are going against society’s ideal image of a woman. The format of Orbach’s essay contrasts the format of Carrie Packwood Freeman and Debra Merskin’s “Having It His Way: The Construction of Masculinity in Fast-Food TV Advertising.”  In Freeman and Merskin’s Essay, the issue of gendering food in the media is presented much less to a specific gender. To grab attention, the essay starts with an obviously overdone Hummer ad putting the perfect picture to the problem in the media. Freeman also offers large amounts of background information stating connections between eating and hunting for meat between men and women. They then provide feminist critiques to the patriarchal depiction of meat in advertisement and how these “ideals” became a part of society. Merskin and Freeman present reasons for the gendering of meat to the rituals created around hunting creating status for men, as humans were primarily vegetarian before this. They then connect their claims to specific fast food commercials which depict men as dominant and woman as objects. Although these passages have similar themes, the format and structure is very different. Freeman and Merskin offered much more necessary background information and specific examples of the issues they brought forth as well as creating an argument more presentable to both genders. Orbach stated the issue of over eating as primarily feminine presenting reasons why over eating has become so popular but lacks in specific examples of how it is represented today and how it has become so primarily feminine. She also presented an argument directed toward women leaving men unable to connect as well to her argument. The structure and format of “Have It His Way” creates a much more compelling and persuasive argument through providing ample evidence and information to back up their claims.