In a perfect world we would be comfortable having commercials where Wendy (namesake of Wendy’s) is the sexy and friendly spokeswoman that drives your business towards her establishment. We have come far enough that there are a handful of commercials starring the illusive owner of the Wendy’s empire, but most are run by skinny red-headed stand ins that are there more for their looks than any serious acting chops. In a visual world, modern media is predicated on spokespersons who are attractive in a specific way. We don’t leave room for all forms of beauty, because it doesn’t vibe with the beauty meme.
The Beauty meme is the idea that beauty is either X, Y, or Z. In reality beauty is subjective, but in many nations beauty is prescribed by history and the controlling class. They decide what beauty means and populate the media with that image. Therefore we fall in love with the idea of what is beautiful, even though that idea wasn’t originated inside of us. In order to become a part of society, we conform to the mores, one of which is dating and marrying those who society finds most desirable.
What does that mean to Wendy? It means that because she cannot look exactly the way we have defined beauty, she doesn’t sell products as well as a younger thinner version of herself. So, Wendy cannot be herself and feed us burgers.