Georgia Anti-Obesity Ads: Chloe McSwain, Child Actress In Campaign Speaks Out

Earlier this month, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta launched a series of anti-obesity ads that told parents to "Stop Sugarcoating" the issue of childhood obesity. The ads feature real Georgia children with copy such as: "It's hard to be a little girl when you're not," and "Fat prevention begins at home. And the buffet line." Now, one of the young actresses has been interviewed -- and 11-year-old Chloe McSwain told CBS News she's happy she participated.

The controversial ad campaign was launched as a result of soaring childhood obesity rates in Georgia, and based on a perception that parents were ignoring them. Approximately 40 percent of children in the state are overweight or obese, only behind Mississippi for the highest rates of childhood obesity in the nation. However, critics say that the "Stop Sugarcoating" campaign isn't the most effective way to address the issue, and risks stigmatizing overweight children even more than they already are.

Dr. Miriam Labbok, director for the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill told ABC News that the ads promote victim-blaming. "These children know they are fat and that they are ostracized already," she said.

Over 1,000 commenters also voiced their opinions about the campaign on The Huffington Post. Some, like reader cbellabean, supported the ads:

I don't think this is shaming kids. It's educating others about how it feels to be fat. Fat kids already know how it feels, but parents, school boards and adults need to be educated and encouraged to change it.

Others disagreed. Emily Renee Lingenfelser wrote:

These ads seem to be trying to SHAME young children into losing weight, which I find disgusting. Spend the money that was wasted on these advertisements, that will probably do more harm than good, and get some education in schools about obesity and eating healthy. We should educate our kids, not bully them!

Chloe, however, has no regrets. "I'm very pretty and I need to start getting healthier and losing weight," said Chloe to CBS News. "I feel really good about myself. I have lots of self-confidence. [The campaign] is really supposed to help [kids] ... so they can get healthier."

Plus, she has the full support of her mother, Tiffany. "I was very proud of [Chloe] ... for having the courage to participate," she said.

WATCH: Chloe Speaks To CBS News

PHOTOS: Georgia's "Stop Sugarcoating" Ad Campaign

Comments

[happyjoyjoy333]

11:44 PM on 02/28/2012

I think Georgia is negatively attacking and singling out overweight kids. If they are going to do this, then they should attack and single out anorexic kids, bulemic kids, black kids, white kids, tall kids, short kids, nerdy kids, kids who don't play sports, kids who do play sports, etc. Oh, let's not forget religious kids.
If Georgia really cares about its overweight kids, change the schoiol menus, hold shcool assemblies that teach sensible eating. Educate the children.

[Plyte]

07:25 PM on 02/07/2012

Theres a saying, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

You cannot address the issue of obesity without upsetting people. Attacking obesity is attacking someone's life style. Its going to be upsetting, but you can never get anywhere without doing it.

The ads are supposed to *shock* parents into rethinking what they are doing to their kids, and I've seen many suggestions given about becoming more active or improving diet, but what about getting the child involved?

I remember watching the first season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution when he was in Virginia helping out an obese family. Everyone in this family was obese, both sons, the daughter, and the 2 parents. The first thing he tried doing was addressing their poor diet (their deep fryer they used for every mail almost, their freezer stuffed full with the 1$ cheap pizzas, etc. He gives them all sorts of suggestions, lists of good foods to buy and cook, etc. and what do you think happened?

Nothing. The family didn't change a thing. So he tried a different route. He took one of the sons (about 15) who wanted to be a chef (probably inspired by Jamie) and taught him how to cook. The young man was empowered. He was creating his own food, creating his future. And who do you think became the driving force in that family towards better eating habits and home cooked meals?

[shawnakat]

11:53 PM on 02/05/2012

,Ask every child in America if they love happy kid meals from McDolnals most kids would say yes. I blaim it on everyone because no one really is putting much emphisis on it. SCHOOL LUNCH is very very very very unhealthy every time i eat it i throw up because of how they cook it and how much grease is caked onto it. You can't just blaim one person it is everyones fault because they won't emphais on healthy eating.

[pbrmoblife]

04:15 PM on 02/05/2012

Wow those were some of the funniest ads ever

[Runey]

12:46 PM on 02/03/2012

Well Emily Renee, maybe you should understand that education starts at home, with parenting. You do know what Parenting is, i presume?

[shawnakat]

11:53 PM on 02/05/2012

I also understand that it's not just the parents falut you can not just blaim them, at school they feed children unhealth foods like cookies and sugar filled candies. From experience the school food makes me sick and I throw up the food everytime because of the caked on greace that is on it that tells you a lot actually so i am forced to bring my own food.

[fifiwereking]

01:53 PM on 02/08/2012

you said it yourself, you're forced to bring your own food.... well, it's up to your parents to provide healthy food, choosing to eat it us up to you...

i doubt that "they feed" unhealthy foods to children at school - you have to pay to get it don't you? well, paying for it is your choice, and giving you the money to pay for it is your parents' choice...

sorry, but blaming the school just isn't going to cut it...

[N0NDescript0]

01:58 PM on 02/01/2012

Based on their comments it seems like a lot of commenter think that these adds were targeted at children. Things like "these adds will just encourage bullying" or "they are trying to shame the children into loosing weight". This idea is off base, from my understanding of the adds.

The purpose of the adds is to make *parents* aware, to shock *adults*. These adds aren't targeting children.

[dahile00]

09:25 AM on 01/28/2012

What's so sickening about this isn't the shaming--far from it. It's the fact that people still believe encouraging weight loss is about shaming and narcissism. It very, very much isn't.

Whenever I've talked about needing to lose weight, people *automatically* launch in to this "don't give in to society's pressure" bunk. When I try to educate them about *why* I want to lose weight (I'm 110 pounds *over*weight, by the way), they stare and blink at me. They ignore my blood pressure and borderline diabetes, and parrot the anti-"social pressures" line.

It's not vanity, people. It's *HEALTH*.

[Runey]

12:47 PM on 02/03/2012

It's good that you as an overweight person can see through the ignorance and indignant who can't fathom change

[dbrett480]

07:02 PM on 01/27/2012

The problem isn't with the ads, it's with people thinking childhood obesity is okay. It isn't, it brings on a huge amount of health problems, not to mention adversely affecting the child's self-esteem and opportunities later in life.

[JujuSapiens]

02:49 PM on 01/26/2012

Although well intentioned, this ad will do more harm than good. Obesity is a complex web spun from home habits, marketing, schools, other parents... the cards are stacked up against kids (and adults too). Many American cities do not ave reliable transportation and families spend an inordinate amount of time commuting in a car. Schools offer - at a maximum - 20 min of outdoor play a day...and with two working parents getting extra exercise is difficult. Big companies are constantly marketing their sugart products to kids (and their parents) and try to pass off juice as healthy. Kids rarely get to play outside on their own because media has scared most parents to death with the thought of abduction... Really the whole paradigm is screwed up and its no wonder kids (and their parents) are fat.

[Runey]

12:48 PM on 02/03/2012

'other parents' ? try putting more blame on the childrens' parents. Children are not merely helpless vessels.

[AnnArborMom66]

09:18 AM on 01/26/2012

These ads broke my heart no matter how well intentioned. Although the children were probably compensated...the complete wrong approach was used as it leads to more teasing and bullying at school more so for girls and boys. Overeating is due to economics,poor parenting,lack of activities at school and after school especially for less wealthy kids, and self-esteem related to the incessant media of what is beautiful. dyfunctional families, impending divorces or problems in the home as the food becomes comfort food. Unconditional love,gentle guidance and reaffirmatiion of how beautiful our kids are inside and out will go a much longer way. Turnoff the TV and video games. PARENTS...reward your child as you set goals TOGETHER and keep that positive reinforcement going...ALWAYS RULE out any medical issues first.
My parents were very tough on me about weight even when I actually was curvy but NEVER overweight. It affected my self-esteem greatly for years.I'm an education & behavior specialist, &family therapist...but this all is common sense. Positive guidance not humiliating banners work.
Hints:
Get your kids used to drinking water or 2% or Skim Milk only and MODEL this too.
Work with your child's school on healthier lunches or PACK lunch with your child together including fun healthy snacks. No time? Do it the night before.
PRAISE,encourage and not in front of others to embarass...but privately with a hug,
Be a team ! Do physical activities and adventures together!

[googlesward44]

07:47 AM on 01/26/2012

I was confused. Did they say that the majority of children in Georgia are overweight or did they say that obesity is growing out of control? Because if the former is true than why are fat kids picking on fat kids?

[Cougar Rat]

12:43 AM on 01/26/2012

When I was in school in the seventies we pretty much ate whatever we wanted to. With an exception here and there we are all just fine these days. The problem is sitting around rather than doing stuff outside. The schools and parents think they have all the solutions. I say let kids be kids and lighten up.

[IdleCrumble]

08:18 AM on 01/26/2012

I was in school in the nineties, not the seventies, but this is the only thing I can think of when I remember how I ate back in those days while being rail thin. Other than a few of my classmates, we were all healthy. I still live by the park I used to play at from sun up to sun down (or from homework done to sun down), and these days I almost never see children there even on a nice summer day. Everyone wants to blame it on food, but I really, really think childhood obesity is 80% lack of activity and 20% diet.

[emmeaki]

09:50 PM on 01/26/2012

I agree. I rarely see children playing outside anymore. When I was a kid in the late 70's/early 80's, the streets would be packed with kids playing everyday during the summer. When it started getting dark, the adults had to practically drag us back into the house, but now when I visit my childhood home to see my mom, there isn't a child in sight. We ate junk food (and you could get a lot with $1 back then!), but the fat kid was the exception and not the norm.

[MissFrijole]

08:46 AM on 01/26/2012

The problem is that parents are too fat and lazy themselves, to take their kids to the park. Also, many of them are afraid that someone will abduct their children while they are playing outside. I grew up playing outside. When we moved into an apartment complex in some busy area, I didn't really play outside anymore. The place had no playground.

[BeesKness]

04:00 PM on 01/25/2012

Childhood obesity is out of control because adult obesity is out of control. Why are over wt parents going to try and keep their kids healthy and fit when they refuse to keep themselves that way. It is so unfortunate because healthy food and exercise tastes and feels great. It is a natural high to do these simple and easy things for yourself.

[Joseph Schmoe]

10:40 AM on 01/25/2012

It's not "either/or" so stop framing it that way.
It's OK to say, "I love you AND we need to work together to get you healthy, because your bosy is not in a healthy place right now. It took a while and some bad coices on everyone's part...so it will take a while and some better choices on everyone's part" to make this child healthy again.
In shape and fit need NOT be linked to sexy or any other stupid adjective. In shape isn't thin or skinny or sexy. It's in shape. Not pear or apple-shape, either.
Yeah, you can be many good things if you're fat, but you have no excuse to be fat. Let's stop whining and get back in shape.

[Sherrie L Smith]

10:30 AM on 01/25/2012

I am glad there are Ads like this. It is the truth and other children who are overweight can identify with the Ad. I am sure the obese children hide their feelings when being teased by others. Hopefully parents will get a clue and change eating habits for the whole family. Normally when I see obese children, the parents are obese as well. It is a family problem and proper nutrition should be addressed.

[Jolyn GarciaBland]

11:15 AM on 01/25/2012

You hit it on the NAIL!!!

[Squiriferous]

10:33 AM on 01/26/2012

It appears that you've potted too much smoke.

[Bluelynx]

11:29 AM on 01/26/2012

Recently I was going into a store and I could not help but notice who was coming out. Obviously, a mother and teen son, they looked so much alike. Between them there must have been over 1000 pounds. I felt so bad for both of them and I wonder if that poor kid will be able to turn his life around.