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SUSAN WU 11th THING FINAL PROJECT

This is Jane.

Jane wants to lose weight, look healthy, and be happy.

In order to do so, Jane should have a healthy balance of:

sleep

exercise

nutrition

cardio

...alternatively, Jane can use another method that suppresses hunger, increases metabolism, and prevents fat absorption, all while leaving more time for her to get some well needed rest...

Diet pills work to promote weight loss by altering the body’s

chemistry.

Diet pills work to promote weight loss by altering the body’s

chemistry.But there is more to diet pills than their function.

In this PowerPoint, I will analyze the diet pill by framing it as an artifact that connects cultural ideals with social

trends and the technology that makes it all possible.

Diet pills work to promote weight loss by altering the body’s

chemistry.But there is more to diet pills than their function.

THE HISTORY OF DESIGN IS THE HISTORY OF SOCIETYKnown as fat reducers, the first diet pills in the late 19th century were based on thyroid extract, which speeds up metabolism. This artifact, however, did not become popular until nearly one hundred years later. What factors contributed to the prominence of diet pills as a weight loss solution?

The environment in which diet pills were born was shaped by social and historical change.

Since the 1960’s, the idealized vision of a thin woman became popularized by supermodels of the era. By the 1970’s, anorexia began receiving widespread news coverage, and diet pills used to suppress appetite became popular.In the same vein, women’s bodies became less of something to hide under bulky layers, as evidenced by spandex in the 80’s and increasingly small bikinis since the 60’s.

A result of unhealthy food choices and sedentary lifestyles, the BMI of the average American woman rose from 24.9 in the 1970’s to 27.5 in the 2000’s, while the BMI of models average 15.5.

The environment in which diet pills were born was shaped by social and historical change:

Since the 1960’s, the idealized vision of a thin woman became popularized by supermodels of the era. By the 1970’s, anorexia began receiving widespread news coverage, and diet pills used to suppress appetite became popular.In the same vein, women’s bodies became less of something to hide under bulky layers, as evidenced by spandex in the 80’s and increasingly small bikinis since the 60’s.

A result of unhealthy food choices and sedentary lifestyles, the BMI of the average American woman rose from 24.9 in the 1970’s to 27.5 in the 2000’s, while the BMI of models consistently averaged 15.5.

These trends created a social environment in which it became increasingly important to have a conventionally desirable figure, while it became increasingly difficult to maintain one. This is not to say diet pills were invented to satisfy this new collective desire of American women to look thin. Humans had been using herbs and extracts to lose weight for centuries. Instead, the three trends described earlier created an opportunity for producers to aggressively market this existing solution in a way that offers their consumers the promise of beauty rather than just chemicals in a box.

These trends created a social environment in which it became increasingly important to have a conventionally desirable figure, while it became increasingly difficult to maintain one. This is not to say diet pills were invented to satisfy this new collective desire of American women to look thin. Humans had been using herbs and extracts to lose weight for centuries. Instead, the three trends described earlier created an opportunity for producers to aggressively market this existing solution in a way that offers their consumers the promise of beauty rather than just chemicals in a box.

It is simple to connect diet pills with the social environment of their making, so a more interesting

question becomes ‘why were they adopted?’. Undoubtedly, there is a stigma attached to using

artificial chemicals to achieve a goal weight instead of employing self-restraint with regular exercise and

dieting. However, the concept of taking

supplemental pills is not new. This artifact’s heritage is rooted in pill

culture: the idea that a simple quick-fix design solution can counteract a

multitude of health challenges.

The following timeline shows the name, function, and FDA approval

date of a variety of pills used to treat a variety of problems.

1955 – Ritalin cognitive enhancer

1959 – Soma muscle relaxant

1974 – Amoxil antibiotic

1982 – Xanax relaxant

1983 – Elavil antidepressant

1984 – Fioricet pain relief

1995 – Ultram analgesic

1995 – Valtrex antiviral

1996 – Levaquin antibiotic

1996 – Lipitor high cholesterol

1996 – Topamax anti-convulsant

1997 – Propecia hair regrowth

stimulant

1998 – Viagra erectile

dysfunction

1999 – Orlistat antiobesity

2001 – Prozac antidepressant

2004 – Lunesta sleep aid

Diet pills speak to the widening belief that a simple pill can solve our problems. From antidepressants to hair loss, many Americans regularly take one or more pills to the point that pill popping reduces to self-medication and is no longer confined to the fringes of society. The prevalence of health solution in pill form removes a lot of the stigma from using diet pills.

A diet pill is markedly different than other weight loss solutions. Most weight loss techniques focus on a natural

approach, from goal setting to paleolithic eating. As common as pill popping is, diet pills carry no pretention of being an organic method of weight loss. Are there ways in which the design of diet pills synthesizes with rather than

detracts from its function?

INNOVATION: PRE-EXISTING DESIGN SOLUTIONS APPLIED TO NEW PROBLEMS

According to Dr. Drew Leder and Dr. Mitchell Krucoff,“four attributes set apart the pill from an indefinite array of other

therapeutic interventions”.

ingestibility potency reproducibility miniaturization

ingestibility potency reproducibility miniaturization

People who use diet pills have usually tried some combination of exercise and dieting to no avail. A common frustration is the belief that one’s own body simply does not have the means to achieve results without external help. Like a pedometer, a pill is a piece of external technology. Unlike these other assistive tools, however, pills can be physically incorporated into the body, serving as the perfect interface between vast potential of the outside and the needs of the inside.

ingestibility potency reproducibility miniaturization

The pill inherits a heritage of medical contexts and uses. There is a strong word association between pills, doctors, health, and healing, and these connotations carry over to OTC pills that are not prescribed by a physician. The vector of a pill reframes diet pills as a medical tool – something that will make the user healthier, rather than something that is predominately taken to improve appearance.

ingestibility potency reproducibility miniaturization

The pill is not a customized product. When consumers buy diet pills, they do not feel singled out in their desire to lose weight. In fact, the mass production of diet pills metaphysically connects a user to millions of other consumers who are in a similar situation. It also delivers a sense of consistency that consumers may find difficult to achieve with their normal fitness plan.

ingestibility potency reproducibility miniaturization

The progression of the iPod from classic to mini to nano shows that size matters. And when it comes to technological devices, smaller is better. For diet pills, size directly correlates to effort. The appeal of a diet pill lies in the fact that effort required is so low. Instead of maintaining a lifetime of diet and exercise, consumers are lured by the potential of achieving the same results with just two pills a day. After all, a pill is so small – it can’t hurt.

ingestibility potency reproducibility miniaturization

From medical credibility to ease of consumption, in many ways, the design solution of a pill sells a consumer something new that they cannot get from other “natural” weight loss mechanisms.

The placebo effect demonstrates that belief is a powerful tool. It is a common notion that pills also operate in this psychological or cultural realm, rather than through a strictly chemical agency. In doing so, they alter the context of their own function. How do diet pills change the relationship between humans, their values, and their medicine?

THINGS PERFORM ALL KINDS OF WORK

The simplest conceivable scenario is:

Problem | desire to lose weight

Solution | diet pills

As more people start popping pills, one could argue that it is more important to look at the underlying problem causing so many Americans to desire a slim waistline.

Problem | unrealistic standards of beauty

Symptom | desire to lose weight

Solution | diet pills

However, the relationship between humans and their pills is hardly one-sided. Diet pills act to change metabolism or adsorption of nutrients, but also create a direct association between the effect of these pills (to lose weight) and the effect of losing weight (social status, personal happiness).

Problem | unrealistic standards of beauty

Symptom | desire to lose weight Solution | diet pills Result | happier life

This association is problematic because it perpetuates a culture of pill popping, where consumers project their fantasies onto an external object. Similar to believing that money will solve all of one’s problems, this artifact lends itself to the misconception that purchasing this product will transform a person into a more desirable and attractive version of themselves.

Problem | unrealistic standards of beauty

Symptom | desire to lose weight Solution | diet pills Result | happier life

There is also a problematic relationship between wanting to lose weight and turning to diet pills in order to do so.

Problem | unrealistic standards of beauty

Symptom | desire to lose weight Solution | diet pills Result | happier life

In many cases, the motivating desire behind weight loss is aesthetic rather than therapeutic. Using a diet pill to lose ten pounds, however, ostensibly puts the problem on the same level as swallowing an ampicillin pill to treat typhoid. Diet pills contribute to a culture that medicalizes life’s smallest problems and concerns.

Problem | unrealistic standards of beauty

Symptom | desire to lose weight Solution | diet pills Result | happier life

Mindset | a complaint/discomfort should be treated with a pill

As stated earlier, consumers project their fantasies of being happy, healthy, and desirable onto the diet pill. In

this way, it is both a mental prosthesis as well as a physical one that helps people to supersede their own

perceived limits. What is the future of weight loss? Will it continue to draw upon devices external to the body in

order to improve it?

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CYBORGS

My guess is yes.

New artifacts show that innovation in personal health is all about outsourcing externally to science and technology.

Wii Sports creates a virtual environment for users to exercise in the comfort of their own home.

From the Fitbit to Jawbone’s Up, wearable technology captures the essence of efforts to exercise smarter by quantifying steps, heart rate, or calories burned.

Sleep apps track the duration and quality of slumber in order to help individuals make better decisions.

Both gyms at Stanford have bought new exercise bikes and treadmills that feature touch screens with the ability to play music videos or simulate biking through fantasy worlds.

Google Glass can scan the barcode of the food item being purchased, tracking its calorie information without any extra effort on the part of the user.

"Women's Body Image and BMI: 100 Years in the US." Rehabs.com. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.rehabs.com/explore/womens-body-image-and-bmi>.

"The History of the Bikini." Elle. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.elle.com/fashion/spotlight/the-history-of-the-bikini-654900#slide-1>.

Whittemore, Frank. "The History of Diet Pills." LIVESTRONG.COM. 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/74336-history-diet-pills/>.

"Amitriptyline HCL (Elavil)." EMedExpert.com. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.emedexpert.com/facts/amitriptyline-facts.shtml>.

Levy, Ariel. "Pill Culture Pops." NYMag.com. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/features/n_8763/>.

Leder, Drew, and Mitchell Krucoff. "‘‘Take Your Pill’’: The Role and Fantasy of Pills in Modern Medicine." The Journal Of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 20.6 (2014): 421–427. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/acm.2013.0447>.

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