Paula Deen and the American Dream
My boss and I leave trashy entertainment magazines on each other’s chairs sometimes for various reasons. It’s fun! Today she left me the most recent People with Johnny Depp on the front about them living Separate Lives: The Real Story, but what caught my eye was the side bar with Paula Dean’s Health Crisis.
See, it has recently been reported that Paula has Type 2 Diabetes. You know, the kind that most people get from poor eating habits, lack of exercise etc. The one that for many is preventable and there have been many cases where people who caught it early were able to change their lifestyles to help control it and even get rid the symptoms. In less severe cases, it can be controlled through diet and exercise as opposed to the Type 1 which must be controlled through medication.
If you’ve ever watched Paula Deen cook, you wouldn’t be surprise that she has it either. The woman deep fries everything, adds ridiculous amounts of butter to things that do not require butter and even watching her show makes me feel like I need a fatty food detox and to go eat some veggies. Apparently it is the Southern way and I am just too Northern to appreciate it.
My cholesterol levels and arteries thank me.
Here’s the kicker though. Ready? Her diabetes (that she basically gave herself) is being sponsored by Novo Nordisk, a company that makes diabetes management medication. She’s making money off being a spokes person to promote their product (which apparently she uses to manage her condition)
Talk about the American Dream, right? Give yourself a horrible disease and then make money off it. I don’t know if I should be impressed or aghast. I can only hope this isn’t just about making money for herself and more about using her “Star Power” to help the public see the dangers. I’ll be curious to see what else she endorses and comes out with to help, or if this is just about the money.
Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle choice. The same way being sexually active, smoking cigarettes and/or participating in extreme sports is a lifestyle choice. All of these can result in your premature injury and/or death but people choose to do them because they weigh the enjoyment as greater than the drawbacks.
So, why shouldn’t be sponsored? She isn’t doing anything wrong. If she’s happy with the way she’s living her life, and part of her happiness is centered on or involves a particular product (diabetes medication), I see no reason she should not share that sentiment with anyone who would care to listen…
-gen
In a (somewhat) unusal turn of events…I agree with GenWar here.
Worse case scenario – she purposely got diabetes so she could get the endorsement deal (which I’ve heard suggested) – I don’t see why that’s an issue. She’s only hurting herself.
As far as encouraging unhealthy eating habits – her audience is made up of adults, who are free to choose for themselves. She never claimed she was a nutritionist. I think anyone eating the cheeseburger on a donut knew the risk. If they didn’t, then that’s on them.
The only “shady” aspect of the whole Paula Deen story, in my mind, is that she’s waited a long time to tell people she has diabetes (she was diagnosed quite a while ago, I heard) and is only now choosing to tell people, but is acting freshly worried and fretful about the situation. If she’s been cool with her diagnosis for this long, and hasn’t felt it necessary to share the information, why “come out” now? Probably because she is being sponsored by Novo Nordisc, per your posting. I just wish she would be really honest, and say “hey y’all, look, i was gonna keep this private issue PRIVATE, and go on cookin’ lots of fattenin’ food for all my adorin’ fans, but then I got this sponsorship, see, and that just changed the whole darn picture! except that i’m gonna keep on cookin’ fattnin’ food, ’cause thats what I’m good at.”