Spirulina: thrown off balance

If we look at the woman in detail, we see someone in business attire (working mom), carrying a baby, what seems to be a laptop on the back and a shopping bag in the right hand. Further scrutiny reveals that the baby has a distressed look on his/her face and is not fully dressed. The shopping bag contains what seems to be box of cereal, cleaning products and possibly hand cream or shampoo. The woman's eyes are cast downward showing intense concentration on the 'balancing act', which is symbolic of balancing personal aspiration and achievement against the demands of being a mom and wife (she wears a wedding band). The background showing high-rise buildings is not arbitrary neither as they symbolise aspiration, achievement and progress. It is interesting to note that her rope is tied to the lowest building in the foreground.

What does all of this mean? The narrative gives us a hint: "We all grow into the roles that we are to play in our lives. It is the natural order of things, we are born, we grow, and we reach our potential. But with Marcus Rohrer Spirulina you can reach new heights and achievements sooner than you ever expected." In the light of the total composition, this means that businesswomen (who are targeted here) will never exceed their 'natural' potential without Spirulina (even if they eat healthy foods, e.g. cereal) or groom themselves (lotion/shampoo). Neither will they completely master the tension between personal aspiration/needs and the demands of the family and motherhood.

The product entices women to aspire to ever greater levels of achievement, creating ever growing demands on their ability to balance diverse demands and hence a greater need for the redeeming, fix-it-all Spirulina.

Moreover, the ad perpetuates a certain self-serving version of reality with statements like 'we grow into roles that we play' and 'the natural order of things'. Says who? Dictating this brand of reality (which many regrettably concur with and aspire to) only serves to drive people further away from their authentic selves. It perpetuates the grovelling by their social selves to conform to versions of reality punted by companies in the interest of perpetuating the misconception that multi-vitamins and minerals are a sine qua non for accelerated personal growth or achievement. That'll be the day!

Rest assured, when people who allow themselves to be influenced by ads of this nature, to drive themselves even harder (at cost to themselves and others), start to experience a crisis of meaning, burn-out or a shattered relationships, nobody (least so a multi-vitamin) will be able (or willing) to break their fall. This ad has some serious moral defects: I say, women out there, find your own true north and not one of media-based perfection!