Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why a Miracle Whip advertisement is offensive

Dr. Charles
Physician
August 10, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

MiracleWhipMillion-e1371926810326

I happened to see this Miracle Whip advertisement in a magazine left open by a patient in our waiting room, and I really found it offensive.  Let’s dissect the ways in which this advertisement sullies the notion of food, and examine how far the concept of Miracle Whip strays from real food that should be enjoyed.

At the top of the page it states: “This year, we’re opening a million mouths to our unique flavor.  Get your taste at Facebook and be counted.”

There is raw ambition in this statement, and it conceives food as empire.  It is invasive.  Kraft aims to open your mouth.  I open my mouth to very few things – conversation, good food, a kiss – but certainly not for a concoction of ingredients that hopes to conquer me among the millions.  To make this prying open even more personal, Miracle Whip aims to further invade your privacy on Facebook.  This medium always represented a sad surrendering of freedom, and it seems to be getting worse.

I don’t know who the personality is with the hat and glasses.  Can someone name him?  I don’t watch TV and my pop culture IQ is nice and low.  I feel sorry for him. He averts his joyless eyes from the camera, and his expression is one of penetration by Miracle Whip.

He is mouth number 73,302.  This statement is a kind of gut-wrenching poetry.

The ad further states:

For a long time this mouth was slammed shut to Miracle Whip.  Until finally it smeared it on wheat, slapped on some turkey, and bam!  This yapper wouldn’t shut up about how something so creamy could have such a sweet tang to it.  So what’s your holdup?

Food as sadism.  To me this sounds like the crass boasting of a bully.  “So what’s your hold up”  conjures the voice of a 1950′s boy trying to disarm the wholesome defenses of the girl next door.  The language is similarly violent and aggressive – slammed, smeared, slapped, bam!  The subject denigrated as a yapper.  I have not heard this term used for people; rather I hear it when someone refers to an annoying yapper dog that needs shut up and obey.

The ALL CAP ADMONITION is disturbing in and of its self, but the tagline is unreal:

KEEP AN OPEN MOUTH…  as a bottle of Miracle Whip floats like a phallus at the bottom of the page.

So what exactly is in Miracle Whip that makes it so urgent to get a million mouths open?  Is it miraculous?   Is it healthy?

According to Wikipedia, the current ingredients are:

… water, soybean oil, vinegar, sugar, modified corn starch, eggs. Ingredients making up less than 2% of product: salt, mustard flour, paprika, spice, natural flavor, potassium sorbate, enzyme modified egg yolk, and dried garlic.

Soybean oil is a cheap source of fat with a less-than-ideal ratio of omega 6 fatty acids that has a great shelf life.  Sugar is sugar, not necessarily bad, but in a country with rampant obesity do we really need to pry open a million more mouths to more sugar?  Modified corn starch sounds modified.  Not sure what natural flavor is, nor am I sure how natural is defined.  Potassium sorbate is a preservative.  Enzyme modified egg yolk is modified.  I don’t know what that means.

ADVERTISEMENT

I would recommend gently spreading an avocado on your next sandwich.  The avocado is packaged in its natural skin, which is eminently biodegradable.  There are no preservatives or modifications, and the fat profile is healthier.

Keep an open eye.

“Dr. Charles” is a family physician who blogs at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles and The Green Examining Room. 

Prev

More health information is not necessarily better

August 10, 2013 Kevin 2
…
Next

Physician contracts and the female doctor

August 10, 2013 Kevin 9
…

Tagged as: Mainstream media, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
More health information is not necessarily better
Next Post >
Physician contracts and the female doctor

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Dr. Charles

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    The disturbing link between high fructose corn syrup and honey

    Dr. Charles
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Beware of that new car smell when shopping for a new car

    Dr. Charles
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Radiation exposure is related to the rise of a lawsuit culture

    Dr. Charles

More in Physician

  • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

    Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD
  • Why medicine must evolve to support modern physicians

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • Why listening to parents’ intuition can save lives in pediatric care

    Tokunbo Akande, MD, MPH
  • Finding balance and meaning in medical practice: a holistic approach to professional fulfillment

    Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib
  • How regulatory overreach is destroying innovation in U.S. health care

    Kayvan Haddadan, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Why point-of-care ultrasound belongs in every emergency department triage [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why PSA levels alone shouldn’t define your prostate cancer risk

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Reframing chronic pain and dignity: What a pain clinic teaches us about MAiD and chronic suffering

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
    • Why medicine must evolve to support modern physicians

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 35 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • Why point-of-care ultrasound belongs in every emergency department triage [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why PSA levels alone shouldn’t define your prostate cancer risk

      Martina Ambardjieva, MD, PhD | Conditions
    • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • Reframing chronic pain and dignity: What a pain clinic teaches us about MAiD and chronic suffering

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Conditions
    • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

      Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD | Physician
    • Why medicine must evolve to support modern physicians

      Ryan Nadelson, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why a Miracle Whip advertisement is offensive
35 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...