Voices
film the “Move Your Body” dance
number for the same reason Pepsi
recruited her — she’s a huge influence on her young fans, including
millions in the African American
and Hispanic communities where
children suffer disproportionately
from diabetes and obesity.
Too bad there wasn’t a conversation between the First Lady
and Beyoncé during negotiations
between Pepsi and Beyoncé’s
“team.” Then came the $50 million sponsorship announcement,
the widely released photo of
Beyoncé in short shorts (really short) pushing a shopping
cart filled with sugary soda. One
can of soda consumed per day increases the likelihood of a child
becoming obese by 60 percent.
Apparently, Beyoncé wants us to
buy them by the cartful.
Maybe she’s second guessing
this decision right about now.
Perhaps while lulling her new
baby to sleep she watched her
friend Oprah’s Master Class special this past week. In it, Maya
Angelou entreated us all, “sista,
you know what’s right. Right may
not be expedient, it may not be
profitable, it’s not always easy, but
it will satisfy your soul. Live your
life in a way you will not regret.”
LAURIE
DAVID
HUFFINGTON
01.20.13
Angelou urged us to “pick up
the battle and make it a better
world.” Oprah herself concluded
we all must “just do right. That
might mean being honest even
when it’s hard.”
Shilling soda to an already sick
nation surely doesn’t fit that prescription. We’ve got to stop acting as if it’s OK to advertise jun