Simplifying food: what popular culture can teach us about food

In the midst of abundant information about what constitutes a healthy diet, it is sometimes hard to decide what to believe and what to take serious. Nutrition labels are an incomprehensible list of ingredients. Medical experts fight about the healthiness of GMO’s (genetically modified organisms). And how do we know when an organic food label can or cannot be trusted?

These kind of food issues have infiltrated our society to such an extent that they also appear in the arts. Many food-related art projects criticize the food industry or the lack of sustainable food practices. However, some merely aim to illustrate human behaviors in relation to food, such us our perceptual biases of food size, or the excuses we use to justify unhealthy food choices. American pop artist Claes Oldenburg, for instance, created supersized soft sculptures of food objects in order to illustrate the increased availability of fast food in the 50s and 60s. Among his works are a sculpture of a giant hamburger, BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich, and pretzels.

Floor Burger (1962) by Claus Oldenburg, source: http://www.turkoisdesign.com/blog/2013/6/19/the-street-the-store 

Être féministe : qu’est-ce que cela signifie ?

Au milieu du XXème siècle, les femmes n’avaient pas le droit de vote, elles n’avaient pas le droit d’ouvrir un compte en banque sans l’autorisation de leur conjoint, elles n’avaient pas le droit de disposer librement de leur corps… Si aujourd’hui, tous ces droits sont acquis, c’est grâce aux combats des mouvements féministes. Et pourtant, même si la plupart des femmes et des hommes adhèrent aux valeurs égalitaires des mouvements féministes, elles et ils refusent de s’identifier en tant que féministes. Pourquoi ?