You Are What You Eat
Shot and Creative Directed by: McKinley Brown
Written by: Marko Maturino
Modeled By: Sophia Lins, Seamus Flanagan, Caroline Sluss, Alexis Loftis, & Alayna Love
Snacks and candy are a staple of our lives. We grew up eating these foods, and for a lot of us, this has not changed. People usually have a select few go-to snacks. Are you into sweet chocolate, spicy chips, or sour gummies? — Your favorite snack says a lot about you, whether you realize it or not!
Food in general is the most frequently advertised product to American Children. If I list some common products, it is easy to picture the color schemes. The colors are a prominent part of product advertising, and for many it may be one of the first things that pops into our minds when we think of a snack or candy.
Let's look at Hot Cheetos, for example. I might be a bit biased, since they are my favorite snack, but I’d assume most of us are going to think about their iconic color scheme: orange, red, and yellow. Or another well-liked example, Oreos: black and white. Simple yet iconic.
These colors are ingrained in our Gen Z minds. We’ve all seen Chester on that colorful bag of Cheetos since we can remember. Many of us became very familiar with the snack aisle during the formative years in our lives. For some of us who weren’t allowed to eat ‘junk food’ as often as we would have liked, these snacks felt like a prize.
Product packaging is the first thing that grabs our attention. Unlike other aisles in stores, the packaging in the candy and snack aisle is expressive and colorful in its design.
A lot of us build community around what we eat. Food has been a staple of culture for humans for centuries. Whether we notice it or not, the snacks we buy are typically a part of our broader cultural taste
Snacks and candy vary around the world. The types of snacks and candies I see stocked in a Mexican supermarket vary drastically compared to those in an American supermarket. The snacks and candies in Mexico are usually a bit spicier, while snacks in America are more often sweet. Regardless of if you like or dislike these snacks or candies, you can’t help but not to imagine them as a part of your culture. I feel a certain cultural pride when it comes to certain snacks and candies. They’re more than just a treat, they’re a shared common experience between your friends or family.
Next time you’re on a late-night snack run or stopping by a gas station in the middle of a long road trip. Think about how your choice is more than just a snack. It’s a representation of self, and everything that comes with it. Your preferred candy or snacks reflect your tastes, experiences, and culture.