Southern cuisine queen Paula Deen has recently found herself in a hot mess after publicly admitting that not only has she had Type 2 Diabetes for the last three years, but she is also a paid endorser of a diabetes medication called Victoza.
The 65-year-old chef became the victim of serious backlash last week as she revealed her diabetes diagnosis and endorsement of Victoza, an expensive drug running for about $500 a month.
For the last week defenders and critics have grilled the “butter queen” about her hypocrisy over willingly hiding her condition to her public and The Food Network for the last three years.
While Paula Deen has publicly announced that she will be showing slight moderations to her famous recipes specifically for diabetics, she does not seem to be ashamed of her decision to wait until three years after her diagnosis.
On ABC’s “The Chew,” Deen claimed she had “nothing to bring to the table” at the time and had to digest the news before she could speak about it.
Among her toughest critics is fellow chef Anthony Bourdain who accused Deen of being the “worst, most dangerous person on the Food Network.” He even alluded to her strategic move of becoming a paid sponsor for a diabetic medication on Twitter by saying he would “get into the leg breaking business to profit from selling crutches later.”
On Friday morning, CBS interviewed renowned celebrity Chef Jose Andres about the issue. While attempting to remain neutral, he relieved some of the blame that has been given to Deen by saying that it’s not her fault the nation is so obese. He blamed The Food Network for not taking more initiative until recently to promote healthy eating habits such as self-control and moderation.
Deen has said that she doesn’t eat that way all the time and moderation is key. There is a lack of individual responsibility that is being ignored because the truth of the matter is that we know her food is bad and we consume it regardless.
Yes, she has profited from selling books with these recipes but she isn’t force-feeding us her food, we are making the conscious choice to eat the food and have no one else to blame for that.
It was bold and admirable that Andres admitted how great it is that she is now focusing on the national obesity problem given her power in the public sphere.
Apart from the obesity lies the morality issue with Deen not only hiding the fact that she had Type 2 Diabetes but the fact that she has admitted it only when she has arranged a paid sponsorship for the medication she is using.
It seems that people want her to not get paid for sponsoring the drug simply because for the last decade she has been a major cause of the disease she hopes to cure through this endorsement.
While it is hard to tell if Deen will actually do the ideal move and back away from the sponsorship, it will be great to see healthier alternatives to her heavenly and guilt-filled concoctions.
The most important move that has yet to be seen is The Food Network’s. Will they combat national obesity instead of promoting it? Even though every person makes conscious choices as to what they eat, The Food Network could do its part as a very successful and powerful network to help the cause.
Nayeli Carillo is a senior journalism major and a contributing writer for the Daily 49er.
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