Dietary Trends Reflect Socioeconomic Status and Gender Roles in contemporary U.S Society.
Nutrition has undoubtedly emerged as a dominant contemporary social and cultural value in contemporary U.S society amid an escalating rate of heart disease and ongoing obesity epidemic. However, dietary choices on the individual level are often influenced by exterior forces which both mold the perception of what is considered to be healthy as well as the availability of genuinely healthy food to certain socio-economic segments of the population. In the consumer based capitalist society of the contemporary United States, food has become an agent which reinforces traditional gender roles and also serves as a primary indicator of the ever expanding degree of socioeconomic inequality in our society. This argument will draw upon the work of author Suzanne Moore’s “Food is the Ultimate Class Signifier” as well as Marj Lefroy’s “Food: the Last Battle of the Sexes” to demonstrate how socio-economic inequality and gender roles in the U.S are reflected within and reinforced through our collective relationship with food.
The current degree of socioeconomic inequality in the United States has been deemed by experts and pundits alike as the widest disparity of wealth between the richest and poorest members of U.S society since the great depression. There is perhaps no greater example to demonstrate this socioeconomic gap than the contrast between the exquisite meals prepared on popular cooking shows and the increasing number of American citizens forced to receive emergency benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In her article “Food is the Ultimate Class Signifier”, author Suzanne Moore uses the aforementioned contrast to address the blatantly obvious degree of socioeconomic inequality in the U.S “The dishes prepared on programs such as Master Chef bear little relation to what people actually eat”, Moore states, eluding to the fact that a majority of Americans are barely able to put food on their dinner tables, much less indulge themselves with lavish gourmet meals.(Moore,2013) Moore elaborates that the contrast between the five star gourmet meals touted on popular cooking programs and the food most Americans eat reflects the socioeconomic divisions In American society “Food has become the ultimate signifier of class.” Moore states, highlighting the fact that such cooking shows are designed to appeal to more financially affluent social demographics (Moore2013),
In contrast to the extravagant five star meals glorified on popular cooking shows like Master Chef, an increasing amount of American citizens are being forced to rely on social welfare programs like food stamps for their very survival. Moore highlights the relationship between socioeconomic inequality and the food we eat by engaging in a critical analysis of the food stamps program.
Moore asserts that the food stamps program is not sufficient to provide lower income households with a viable means by which to purchase foods perceived to be more nutritionally beneficial, such as organic produce or grass fed meat, “protein and decent vegetables are beyond a food stamp budget.” Moore states to emphasize how the limited amount of aid provided by foods stamps limits poverty stricken citizens to buying less healthy processed foods. (Moore, 2013)
Moore also elaborates on the how the popular perception of the food stamps program contributes to the socioeconomic stratification in the U.S. Moore examines the prevailing social attitudes towards the program itself, “we turn the vulnerable into villains” she asserts in an effort to explain how popular social stigmas associated with welfare programs like food stamps alienate the poverty stricken recipients by lumping them into a demographic perceived by other social groups based on reconstructed stereotypes and negative associations.(Moore,2013)
In addition to socio-economic status, traditional gender roles in the context of contemporary U.S society are also represented and reinforced through dietary patterns of the general public audience. In the article, “Food: The Last Battle of the Sexes?”, author Marj Lefroy examines how gender roles have been manipulated, communicated and reinforced through commercial advertising campaigns centered around specific kinds of food to appeal to larger audience demographics. "Subtly, marketers have been doing it for a very long time," Lefroy states, emphasizing that advertising companies have long relied on popular perceptions of gender based identity complexes to market specific foods. (Lefroy, 2011). The influence of gender roles is evident in a wide variety of food advertisements we come into contact with on a daily basis, such as diet products being advertised almost specifically for female audiences or the masculine overtones present in an advertisement for a burger or “meat pie”. Lefroy states that according Alice Atherton, the Senior Planner at Grey Advertising, “food gendering” for female audience began in earnest during the 1980s, “as they joined the workforce became consumers in their own right, rather than just a means through which to reach families”, Lefroy explains, highlighting the fact that advertising targeting women became prevalent in response to their collective evolution into an audience demographic which was independent of their previously dominant male counterparts. (Lefroy, 2011).
While gender based advertising is economically beneficial from a marketing perspective, the gender based appeals of certain foods conditioned by commercial marketing campaigns can lead to a wide variety of health related disorders and complications for both men and women. According to Lola Berry, a nutritional expert cited in Lefroy’s analysis, the “male tendency” to consume trans-fat laden foods such as “pies, chips and very fast foods” has caused a range of health complications which include increased rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. Conversely, gender specific appeals of certain foods geared towards women, such as the recent trend in low fat foods, result in a myriad of nutritional consequences, such as the higher than average sugar intake issues associated with women’s use of artificial sweeteners. As Lefroy explains, "The more of a 'diet' product it is, the more unnatural it is,” which highlights the fact that the human body experiences difficulty effectively processing inorganic compounds. (Lefroy, 2011) Lefroy continues to employ Berry’s testimony to emphasize that a more well-rounded diet, such the “paleo” diet, which is composed of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and grass fed is the key to maintaining a healthy mind and body.
While each individual has a certain degree of liberty when it comes to making his or her dietary choices, it is important to remember that every choice is preconditioned according to a number of different variables, and two of the most influential socio-cultural factors that impact our dietary habits are undoubtedly socioeconomic status and the popular perception of traditional gender roles. In the context of contemporary U.S society, the widening socioeconomic gap between the wealthiest and poorest members of society is clearly evident when examining the contrast between gourmet cooking shows and the increasing amount of Americans who are dependent on food stamps, and the conditioned perception of gender roles is clearly observed through the widespread prevalence of gender specific marketing campaigns. Recognizing how socioeconomic inequality and gender roles are represented and reinforced through the nature of our food consumption is crucial to fully understanding the relationship between poverty and malnutrition in the United States. In addition, understanding how socioeconomic status and gender roles form and manipulate our dietary habits will inevitably aid us in the future effort of counteracting these social structures to establish a more nutritionally balanced dietary regimen.
Works Cited
Lefroy, M. (2011, October 31). Food: The Last Battle of the Sexes? Retrieved October 7, 2014, from http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/food-the-last-battle-of-the-sexes-20111031-1mrdv.html#ixzz1cKaj7FV2
Moore, S. (2013, March 27). Food is Now the Ultimate Class Signifier. Retrieved October 7, 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/mar/27/food-class-poor-people-stamps
