“Debbie Does Salad”

Summary: The first part of the article focuses on the recap of the sit down with Barbara Nitke. It discusses her perspective from watching several different food networks shows to see the parallels between the different techniques of producing the show to the techniques of producing a porn film. Then it goes into the biology behind the gut being the second brain. It connects this to the gut reaction when watching these shows to show the connections we make when watching. It says that it’s not necessarily about the subject of the show but how it is conveyed. It then states a more general theme of television in how it creates a place of “desire and fornication”.

Personal Example: When reading about how food network shows romanticize the food in the way that does porn does, it made me think of our generation and social media. Social media is a place where people highlight there best moments in life and idealize it. They can show off what they want to portray to seem like they’re living their best life. This can especially be seen with college student freshmen who are trying to portray that they’re thriving when in reality the transition is hard on everyone. Along with the editing and filters, people can idealize the way people look at them based on their posts.

Reading Connection: On page 57, it gives the quote from “”We create this sensual, lush world, begging you to be drawn into it… It’s a beautifully idealized world. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that world?”. A lot of people post only positive moments in their life and in this way they want to draw you in to believe that their life is idealistic. The influencers on social media now are pushing this idea further with their travel or makeup accounts. They show off everything to promote the perfect lifestyle that companies want them to portray using their product.