The 2004 documentary Super Size Me, directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock, became an iconic piece of filmmaking in the realm of health and fast food. In the film, Spurlock embarks on a 30-day experiment where he exclusively eats McDonald’s food three times a day. Throughout the documentary, Spurlock not only demonstrates the physical and mental effects of consuming fast food but also critiques the larger food industry and its influence on public health. One of the key rhetorical strategies used in the documentary is ethos, which refers to the establishment of the filmmaker’s credibility and character to persuade the audience.
In this blog, we will explore how Super Size Me employs ethos to convey its message and enhance its impact. Let’s break down the various elements that contribute to the film’s ethical appeal.
What is Ethos?
Before diving into the specifics, it’s essential to understand what ethos means in the context of persuasive communication. Ethos is one of Aristotle’s three rhetorical appeals (along with pathos and logos) that focuses on the credibility of the speaker or creator. In the film, ethos is often established through the filmmaker’s character, qualifications, integrity, and trustworthiness. In the case of Super Size Me, Spurlock’s approach to using ethos plays a significant role in making his documentary convincing and compelling to viewers.
Morgan Spurlock: The Personal Story
One of the most powerful ways Super Size Me uses ethos is by placing Morgan Spurlock himself at the center of the experiment. Spurlock’s decision to undergo this 30-day challenge and document the entire process allows him to speak directly to the audience from a place of personal experience.
By choosing to put himself in the position of the subject, Spurlock establishes his credibility as someone willing to take personal risks for the sake of educating the public. His willingness to suffer the health consequences of his experiment—such as weight gain, mood swings, and increased cholesterol levels—adds a layer of authenticity to his message. Viewers are more likely to trust and connect with Spurlock because he is not simply preaching from a distance; he is living through the very effects he is criticizing.
Spurlock’s firsthand involvement helps the audience believe in his findings. Because of this, they are more likely to take his arguments seriously. His vulnerability in sharing his personal struggles, including visits to doctors and health professionals, further strengthens his credibility and increases the emotional weight of the documentary.
Professional and Expert Testimonies
In addition to Spurlock’s personal narrative, Super Size Me includes interviews and expert opinions that enhance the documentary’s ethos. Throughout the film, health professionals, nutritionists, and doctors are brought in to explain the dangers of fast food and its impact on the body. These experts add weight to the film’s arguments by providing scientific and medical perspectives.
For example, the film includes insights from a nutritionist who explains how fast food contributes to obesity and chronic diseases, helping to support Spurlock’s personal experience with the health consequences of his diet. By incorporating expert voices, Super Size Me appeals to the ethos of professionals who are seen as trustworthy and knowledgeable, which strengthens Spurlock’s position and message.
These expert opinions help frame Spurlock’s experiment within a broader context of medical and scientific research, thus enhancing the film’s overall credibility and authority. Rather than solely relying on Spurlock’s subjective experience, the documentary draws from professional sources to support its claims.
Ethical Appeal Through Transparency
Another important aspect of Super Size Me’s use of ethos is its transparency. Throughout the documentary, Spurlock is upfront about the experiment’s limitations and the ethical considerations involved. For example, he openly admits that the experiment is not entirely scientific—it is a personal experiment, and the results are not representative of the entire population. This transparency shows that Spurlock is aware of the ethical implications of his experiment, and it prevents the documentary from appearing as a sensationalized stunt.
Moreover, the documentary does not try to vilify McDonald’s or the fast food industry as inherently evil; instead, it critiques the industry’s practices and the broader societal issues surrounding fast food consumption. Spurlock’s approach to presenting the facts with fairness and transparency ensures that the audience does not feel manipulated into making conclusions based solely on emotion but rather on a balance of personal experience and expert testimony.
Spurlock’s Integrity and Accountability
Throughout the film, Spurlock demonstrates integrity by holding himself accountable for the potential harm the experiment could cause to his health. He consults with doctors before, during, and after the experiment, ensuring that viewers are aware of the potential risks of his actions. This sense of accountability strengthens his credibility because it shows that he is committed to doing the experiment responsibly and ethically.
By not hiding the negative impacts of his 30-day McDonald’s diet (such as weight gain, increased cholesterol levels, and psychological effects), Spurlock reinforces his ethos. His willingness to face the consequences of his actions and show the unfiltered results of the experiment conveys a sense of trustworthiness that is essential for building ethos in documentary filmmaking.
Creating a Relatable Connection with the Audience
In addition to his transparency and accountability, Spurlock’s personal story is relatable. He presents himself as an average person—someone who is not a health expert or a nutritionist but simply a regular guy trying to navigate the modern food landscape. This relatability draws the audience in and makes the issues discussed in the documentary feel more personal and immediate.
By positioning himself as an everyman figure, Spurlock taps into a collective concern about the modern diet and the challenges of making healthy food choices. His vulnerability and openness make the audience more likely to trust him, as they can see themselves in his shoes. He is not some distant authority figure lecturing viewers on what they should or should not eat—he is a person experiencing the consequences of his choices in real-time, just like the audience.
Conclusion
Ethos plays a critical role in the success of Super Size Me by establishing Morgan Spurlock’s credibility and trustworthiness as both the subject of the documentary and its creator. Through his personal experience, expert testimony, transparency, and integrity, Spurlock is able to persuade viewers and create an emotional connection with the audience.
By crafting a narrative that is both informative and relatable, Super Size Me uses ethos to establish authority on the subject of fast food, obesity, and public health. It goes beyond just presenting facts—it invites the audience to trust the filmmaker and the information being presented, making the documentary a powerful and influential tool in raising awareness about the dangers of fast food and its widespread impact on society.
Through this strategic use of ethos, Super Size Me becomes more than just a film about fast food—it becomes a call for critical reflection and change regarding the modern food industry and its role in shaping public health.