Most people don't know how much energy and money any given company will put into marketing and advertising. I remember taking marketing classes in college, and how much psychology goes into that whole process. For example, you'll notice that people don't just put pink flowers on a product because they look pretty, they put them on there because pink is a feminine color. It's effects are calming, warming, and nurturing. There's a reason pink is the color for little baby girls and not red. And that's just the color aspect of advertising. You can also use "target audience" techniques. Lets say you're trying to sell yogurt. You're not going to put a 20-something man in your commercial because who buys most of the groceries? Women. And who is out there trying to take in more calcium? Women. And of course there is the whole part about probiotics and the feminine balance.Marketing is a HUGE industry, and as I've just demonstrated, it goes much deeper into the psyche than people realize. I, for one, am Marketing majors DREAM. I'm the type who sees something shiny and goes "Ohhh! Pretty!!" Seriously, it's bad. But there are a few things that I have learned that people use to fool us in Marketing, especially in the health and beauty industry. And I'd like to share that with you.
1. Don't buy into the hype, especially in magazines. There are a few beauty products that can't really market too intensely: body lotions, body washes, and shampoos. Because yes they can show someone with great skin and hair, but the uses for something are pretty self-explanatory. "You want moisturized skin/hair, buy the moisturizing type of our product." Duh. There really just isn't enough variation besides "moisturizing, curl refining, straightening, etc." But then there are a lot of products, specifically for the face, that are marketed like crazy. It seems like I see a new lotion ingredient every week that is supposed to be the "new thing." They pour out lines like, "Try our new face lotion with agave nectar from the depths of Mozambique- which are recently discovered to be totally awesome for your skin, just look at our survey!" And then they proceed to pump out some survey of who-knows-who people who say "Ohh... it's grrrreat!!" I'm sorry, who are you people, exactly? Are you people who have spent a winter in the Alps and try this lotion and it makes you feel good because your face is parched? For all I know, this survey group is the scientists who made the stuff.
Every once in a while you will see a magazine article that goes over these types of things. And the majority of them say something like, "This stuff is all crap. Use gentle, oil-free moisturizer. For wrinkles the only thing found effective is Retinol. Cellulite-killing gels usually only contain caffeine and therefore make it disappear for like an hour, tops." Don't buy into the hype! It's an illusion.
2. Buy what works FOR YOU. I read a lot of magazines. And they are always interviewing celebrities and asking what they use. It seems like they all use the same things, and they are all expensive! For example I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing about La Mer lotion. I'm sure it works great, but I have oily skin and that stuff is totally thick and heavy. Lots of celebs use heavy lotions and styling products because they have to be on camera a lot. Their hair and faces are dried out from all the products and tools they have to use on them. So just because they say it's so fantastic, does not mean it's the product for you. Use what works.
3. Know your limits. When Gwynneth Paltrow started her blogspot, Goop, I was so stoked! I have been reading about her health regime for years and she always looks amazing. For the first few entries I was still pretty pumped: here I was getting advice from Gwynneth Paltrow! But then one day I realized: I cannot find NOR afford any of these ingredients! It all sounds really great and lovely, but some of her ingredients include things like: Garam Marsala, Buckwheat Flour AND Spelt Flour, Panko Breadcrumbs, and Mallorcan Hibiscus salt. Also you may want to keep in mind that the majority of these celebrities not only have a personal chef, but also a trainer, nanny, stylist, and housekeeper. There people are able to do all or any of the things they do because of this Team. So remember to stay within your boundaries. If you are a great chef- perhaps you MAY want to online order Garam Marsala and Mallorcan Hibiscus Salt. But if you're like me and a starter cook: use what you are comfortable or at least able to find fairly easily. Feel free to experiment but stay within your limits. Don't stress yourself out trying to stretch yourself thin by being your own elaborate Team. Do what you can and let the rest be what it is. Celebrities put an obscene amount of money into their personal lives and habits because it's their JOB. But it isn't yours.4. Forget the glitz and the glam. Remember those old movies where the actors would smoke cigarettes ever so glamorously? They made it look so elegant... well anyone who's ever been around cigarettes in real life knows how un-elegant they can actually be. People that light up in movies, perhaps at the dinner table... can you imagine that in real life? Yuck. The same goes for a lot of these things they show on TV now-a-days. You see movie stars ordering 1/2 pound burgers and chugging beers like it's cool. No 105 pound celebrity eats whatever they want and not exercise at all and it just goes away. These people work their butts off, literally! But in the movies they try to make it seem so effortless. I'm sorry but I don't buy that. And more and more it seems like celebs are coming clean about it. Gone are the days of "Oh I just eat what I want and I'm naturally skinny," replaced now by people like Gwen Stafani saying "I work my ASS off to look this hot!" So be realistic. You want to eat hard? Work out hard. Face facts people- it DOES go somewhere. 
5. Inform yourself. Lets say you're at Wendy's fast food restaurant. The obvious choice of a low-calorie option would be a salad right? Wrong. The Homestyle BLT Chicken salad is a whopping 790 calories! Even a Chicken Cesar salad is 490 calories. They really get you on that dressing, folks. And a lot of the time they will have deep fried chicken on there, which is even worse. At McDonald's, ordering crispy chicken instead of grilled costs you an extra 110 calories, and their Cesar dressing comes in at 190 calories. That's without even the salad part! And sure, you can dress your salad down, but ultimately what you're getting is a bunch of lettuce with chicken and some no-flavor dressing on top that totally sucks. The crispies and the dressings are the best part! They're also the most dangerous. The best option, in my opinion, is to get a kids meal. Most fast-food places have fruit cups rather than fries now and you get a much smaller portion of whatever you want, plus a drink for around $5. Hamburgers (or if you're like me and cant resist cheese) are usually the best bet. I have basically ONLY fast food places near my work, which is pretty discouraging. But I am somehow managing to not gain 100 pounds by staying aware of my options and the reality of some of that supposed "good stuff" out there. Here are a few of my favorite meals from the drive-thrus near me:
5. Inform yourself. Lets say you're at Wendy's fast food restaurant. The obvious choice of a low-calorie option would be a salad right? Wrong. The Homestyle BLT Chicken salad is a whopping 790 calories! Even a Chicken Cesar salad is 490 calories. They really get you on that dressing, folks. And a lot of the time they will have deep fried chicken on there, which is even worse. At McDonald's, ordering crispy chicken instead of grilled costs you an extra 110 calories, and their Cesar dressing comes in at 190 calories. That's without even the salad part! And sure, you can dress your salad down, but ultimately what you're getting is a bunch of lettuce with chicken and some no-flavor dressing on top that totally sucks. The crispies and the dressings are the best part! They're also the most dangerous. The best option, in my opinion, is to get a kids meal. Most fast-food places have fruit cups rather than fries now and you get a much smaller portion of whatever you want, plus a drink for around $5. Hamburgers (or if you're like me and cant resist cheese) are usually the best bet. I have basically ONLY fast food places near my work, which is pretty discouraging. But I am somehow managing to not gain 100 pounds by staying aware of my options and the reality of some of that supposed "good stuff" out there. Here are a few of my favorite meals from the drive-thrus near me:- McDonald's: Honey Mustard Snack Wrap (On extra hungry days I'll get 2), Apple Dippers with Caramel sauce, and a small Lite Lemonade: 360 calories and 9 grams of fat.
- Subway: Lite Lemonade and 6" Turkey Breast on Honey Oat bread: lettuce, pickles, cucumbers, banana peppers, pepper jack cheese, and Spicy Chipotle sauce (my Subway Vice): 480 calories, 18.5 grams of fat. Most of the fat is in that Chipotle sauce and there are TONS of low-fat sauces to swap!
- El Pollo Loco: 2 Tacos El Carbon, BBQ Black Beans, and a medium Lite Lemonade: 507 calories, 13 grams of fat.
...There are a ton of other places I could go over but I'll just stick with those for now. Perhaps I will do a whole "fast food" article at some point. But for now, my point is just that most company websites offer nutrition facts and it is TOTALLY worth it to pay attention to them!
Good Luck!
Love,
Lula Mae
No comments:
Post a Comment