If you have a child in secondary school and he or she wears glasses and he or she attends a school that still shows Channel One News, then your child is probably dreading the next Channel One program.
For the last several weeks, Channel One has approved and aired a hard-hitting, insensitive commercial for Acuvue contact lens.
The purpose of the ad is simple: Make children believe they are ugly wearing their glasses.
The stills you see here are from the commercial shown in high schools and middle schools.
The girl wearing glasses says she will not be in the school play wearing glasses. She says she would rather be blind. That’s not a paraphrase, she actually says, “I rather be blind.” She later says that a friend who got contacts was gorgeous. It is that simple: Wear glasses and you are ugly. Wear contacts and you are gorgeous.
Notice the small print in this commercial aimed at young people. You can barely read it as a still picture. No student in class, even with Acuvue contacts could read this warning. It is unethical for this ad to be shown to children. Acuvue and Channel One News are acting like bullies. They are mentally beating up kids to get them to beg their parents for contacts.
Here the girl is questioning her looks. Girls who see this ad over and over have got be affected by this demeaning commercial. As with many commercials, this ad has an aura of authority, Being shown BY the school ON school time, gives the impression that the school endorses the product and the message.
Obligation’s Jim Metrock said, “This is sad stuff. When did adults start doing this to kids? These ads make Acuvue and Channel One News a lot of money, but do they have the right to make thousands of young people question how attractive they look? What about the children whose families can’t afford contact lens? This is yet another reason to demand your school district end its contract with Channel One News.”
