Mike Tyson Commercial- Fat Shaming 101

When “Eat Real Food” Turns Into Fat Shaming: Why the Mike Tyson Commercial (and the MAHA Health Agenda) Miss the Point

Let’s not tiptoe around this.

The Mike Tyson “Eat Real Food” Super Bowl commercial didn’t truly promote nutrition — it leans on fat shaming as its emotional engine.

The tone is aggressive (watch here).

The imagery is punitive and it was honestly a horrible commercial to put forth.

And the language used by Mike Tyson repeatedly frames being fat as weak, undisciplined, and embarrassing.

Throughout the commercial, Tyson talks about Americans being “fat,” “soft,” and out of control — portraying larger bodies as proof of moral failure and personal decay.

He states:

• “I was so fat and nasty”

• “We have the most obese fudgy people”

The message is loud and clear: If you’re unhealthy, it’s because you didn’t try hard enough.

• That’s not motivation.

• That’s stigma.

And stigma has never improved population health.

Let me be clear: obesity is not a personal flaw or the result of one bad habit. It reflects systems that influence income, access, stress, healthcare, and environment. Processed foods matter — but social determinants of health matter more.

Why the commercial feels gross — and why it matters to public health

Fat shaming is often defended as “tough love,” but decades of research tell a different story.

Weight-stigmatizing messages:

• increase stress hormones like cortisol

• worsens mental health

• linked to disordered eating behaviors

• push people away from healthcare

• and are associated with higher mortality risk, independent of body size

Shame does not inspire sustainable change.

It triggers stress, avoidance, and disengagement.

So when a Super Bowl ad — amplified by political figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — uses fatness as a warning sign or punchline, it’s not bold or honest.

It’s outdated science packaged as personal responsibility.

Let’s explain what actually drives health

What are social determinants of health?

Because this is the part the commercial — and the MAHA-style health agenda — completely ignores.

Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. They shape health outcomes far more than individual willpower ever could.

In real life, this includes:

• access to affordable, nutritious food

• income and job stability

• education and health literacy

• healthcare access and quality

• neighborhood safety and walkability

• time availability and chronic stress

• social support and community resources

Translation: Health is not just about choices. It’s about what choices are realistically available.

Why “eat real food” sounds simple — and why it isn’t

Here’s where the Tyson commercial really collapses under scrutiny.

Telling people to “eat real food” while:

• grocery prices continue to rise

• ultra-processed foods remain the cheapest calories

• many communities lack full-service grocery stores

• people work multiple jobs with limited time

• stress levels are chronically high

• preventive healthcare is inconsistent

…is not empowering.

It quietly shifts blame back onto individuals and says:

The solution was obvious. You just failed.

That framing doesn’t fix health.

It protects broken systems while RFK Jr. builds a personal brand.

This looks less like public health reform and more like a campaign poster. Dramatic lighting. Tough slogan. Minimal policy.

Health isn’t a photo shoot.

I truly believe RFK Jr. is putting on a performance for all of us to run for president again… I mean look at this picture…Cosplay

Elite athletes are not population-health role models

The commercial leans heavily on Tyson’s identity: discipline, toughness, self-control.

But elite athletes:

• have access to trainers, chefs, and medical teams

• have schedules built around recovery and health

• have financial and time resources most Americans don’t

Using an elite athlete to shame the general population creates a false comparison — one that ignores the structural barriers shaping health in the first place. This is very common in the United States: models, actors, celebrities - we all try to imitate them, but they live VERY different lives than we do.

Same nutrition knowledge. Very different realities.

Two people can know the same nutrition information — and have completely different outcomes because their environments are different.

Scenario 1: A single mom with two kids

She knows the basics:

• fruits and vegetables are good

• cooking at home is healthier

• ultra-processed foods aren’t ideal

But her reality looks like this:

• working two jobs with unpredictable hours

• limited childcare and little time to cook

• a tight food budget stretched across multiple mouths

• a grocery store that’s far away, but a convenience store nearby

• constant stress and exhaustion

When someone tells her to “just eat real food,” what she hears is:

• Do more — with less.

• You are the problem

• You are not doing enough

When in reality the system is not built with whole health in mind to help her.

Scenario 2: The millionaire/billionaire:

• has personal chefs and grocery delivery

• can afford fresh foods without thinking twice

• has time for exercise, recovery, and sleep

• has concierge healthcare and early prevention

• lives in a safe, walkable environment

When he hears “eat real food,” it sounds obvious — because for him, it is.

Same nutrition knowledge.

Wildly different outcomes.

This is why public health cannot be reduced to slogans or toughness.

Health isn’t about always knowing or having the right answer. It’s about having the conditions to act on it.

Their message sounds rebellious. It sounds empowering. But functionally, it turns health into a moral test instead of a systems outcome. And public health doesn’t improve by yelling at people to do better while leaving the environment unchanged.

And when health messaging ignores that reality — like the Mike Tyson commercial and RFK Jr.’s MAHA-style approach — it doesn’t motivate people. It blames them.

What the evidence actually shows improves population health

If the goal is lower obesity rates and better health outcomes, the research points upstream — not inward.

What works better than shame:

• improving access and affordability of nutritious foods

• changing food environments in schools, workplaces, and communities

• reducing economic stress and instability

• increasing access to preventive care

• improving walkability and safe activity spaces

• reducing stigma so people engage with healthcare earlier (how many of you are afraid to go to the gym due to feeling judged!? You aren’t alone)

These strategies don’t make for dramatic commercials.

But they produce better, realistic outcomes.

This commercial reduces all these complex health issues to a character judgment — as if your body is proof of your discipline. That’s not evidence-based care. And shame is not policy.

Now Let’s Talk Policy — Because Health Is Built Upstream

If we’re serious about “Make America Healthy Again,” policy has to align with physiology.

And this is where their messaging has consistently missed the mark.

Environmental Protections Are Health Policy

Air pollution is linked to:

• Cardiovascular disease

• Stroke

• Asthma

• Lung cancer

• Premature death

During this administration, numerous environmental regulations were/are being rolled back or weakened, including:

• Emissions standards

• Methane regulations

• Clean Water Act interpretations

• Enforcement oversight

Multiple peer-reviewed analyses projected increased pollution exposure and higher preventable mortality risk associated with weakened standards.

You cannot talk about toxins harming Americans while supporting weaker environmental oversight.

Cleaner air saves lives.

Safer water reduces disease.

That’s epidemiology.

Medicare, Medicaid, and Access to Care

Healthcare access is a social determinant of health.

Medicare and Medicaid cover:

• Seniors

• People with disabilities

• Low-income families

• Children

• Pregnant women

When funding is reduced, eligibility restricted, or costs shifted:

• Preventive care declines

• Chronic disease management worsens

• Early detection drops

• Mortality risk increases

You cannot reduce population-level disease while limiting access to care.

Prevention is cheaper than crisis care.

But it requires funding.

Public Health Infrastructure

Public health includes:

• Local health departments

• Nutrition assistance programs

• Environmental monitoring

• Community prevention initiatives

• Disease surveillance

When these systems weaken, prevention weakens.

And when prevention weakens, disease increases.

A Super Bowl slogan cannot replace infrastructure.

The MAHA Rhetoric Problem

The MAHA messaging framework often emphasizes:

• Discipline

• Natural living

• Personal responsibility

• Distrust of institutions (don’t even get me started on the vaccine debate…)

But improving population health requires:

• Strong environmental protections

• Stable Medicare and Medicaid funding

• Investment in prevention

• Food access reform

• Infrastructure improvements

• Reduced stigma

Health is not a moral ranking system.

Bodies are not evidence of virtue. You can be in a larger body and still be a healthier person.

And discipline is not a substitute for policy alignment.

Chasing Your Health Final Take

Mike Tyson’s commercial sells toughness as health.

RFK Jr.’s MAHA agenda sells discipline as reform and likes to play the celebrity.

But discipline doesn’t fix food access. Shame doesn’t reduce disease risk. You don’t lower disease rates by wishing it was 1965…

If we actually want better health outcomes — not just louder messaging — we need: evidence, compassion, access, and systems-level change.

That’s the lens we’ll keep using at Chasing Your Health.

Facts first. Fear tactics never.