Monday, 21 September 2009
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The Phenomenom of Fat T.V.
Because I am an author and have worked with weight management, a reporter recently asked my opinion on the current trend of T.V. shows featuring plus-sized people, such as "The Biggest Loser" and "More to Love." One question posed to me was, “Do these shows reinforce the societal stereotypes about overweight people?”
I think the answer here depends on the show. In the case of the "Biggest Loser," the contestants could definitely not be called "lazy fat people," which is a common stereotype of obese people. Those contestants work very hard, perhaps too hard to achieve their goals. The contestants are anything but lazy, and I can't even imagine living life like they do. It's totally unrealistic to expect anyone to work out six hours per day!
I was hoping for good things with the new show "More to Love," however, I'm disappointed because the show presents the overweight women as needy, having little self-esteem, and that definitely plays into a stereotype. In the dating world, there is a group of men who believe that a fat girl will always try harder to please (both in bed and out) because of her lack of self-esteem. This show also reinforces the idea that it is okay for a man to be overweight and desirable - just look at all those women vying for the "fat guy." On the flip side of the coin is the fat girls have to compete and prove their worth, while he gets to basically just stand there. I think it would be far more stereotype-busting if the roles were reversed here: a fat woman with a dozen men (of varying sizes) all vying for her. Now that would get people talking!
There are pros and cons to all this weight-related tv.
Pros:
- Overweight people feeling less isolated as they see peers on tv, and realize they’re not alone in their struggles.
- Overweight people being educated on nutrition, exercise etc.
- Overweight people watching others achieving their goals, whether weight-related or socially-related.
- Access to overweight role models, and stereotype busting in some cases.Cons:
- A sense that being overweight is okay, due to the societal de-sensitization of obesity, and growing acceptance of it.
- Sensationalism and profit on the backs of the overweight.
- Stereotype validation in some cases.I also wonder how many average weight people are watching these shows. I have reviewed many blogs around these fat shows, and from what I can tell the great majority of viewers are overweight people. This means that these shows are "preaching to the choir" so to speak. I am not sure that they are educating the average demographic at all.
Do you watch these type of shows? How do you feel about the sensationalizing of obese or overweight people in their journey of weight loss?
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About the Author
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- From: whyareyouweighting
- Name: Stacey
- About Me: I am an author (Why Are You Weighting? It's Not the Food That's Making You Fat! www.WhyAreYouWeighting.com) and a weight coach. I came into this line of work after I was finally able to get to, and STAY AT, my ideal weight. I shed 135 lbs and have kept it off for many years now. I didn't do this with dieting, but rather with reprogramming my mind to be that of a slim person, rather than one of a fat person. This wasn't easy, but then neither is dieting. Now I eat what I want, when I want, and maintaining my weight is no problem. If I can help you with your weight struggles, please get in touch at info@WhyAreYouWeighting.com
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Comments (17)
I don't watch those shows.
I do want to say that those people featured were probably 'lazy' before they got the push and opportunity that the show offered.
It is true that a lot of overweight people have low self-esteem exactly because they are fat and feel unattractive. of course that wouldn't be true for each individual.
I'm against making obesity acceptable, I'm quite disappointed in that as well. It is not my intention to bash large people but I do think that they should take a long hard look at their life-style and hopefully make a change.
I'm underweight/normal (BMI: approx. 18.7) weight and would never watch it because I don't need any 'dieting help'.
I do watch the Biggest Loser... because I feel that the concepts behind that diet in particular are something that even my doctor prescribes to. It's actually a pretty simple diet, and is really a lifestyle change. But those men and women are given such confidence through the whole program. It makes me happy to see, because I know the emotional struggle that weight has been for me. And yes, they are trained unreasonably hard, but they are trained as athletes, not as their original weight (i.e., "typical fat people").
I refused to watch More to Love. I thought it was ridiculous. Why not just have a regular dating show with a variety of normal sized women. The average size of an American woman is size 12 or 14... neither of which were obese. I don't think that More to Love featured anyone who was "average" sized. Most of those women look to be about size 20, 22.... perhaps larger. I caught a small part of one of the episodes, and you're right - they seemed super needy and emotional. I can't stand to watch The Bachelor, though, either, so maybe it's just not JUST More to Love.
Oh, and to answer your question... I am slightly overweight (still blaming it on "baby" fat even though my babies are toddlers now), but I know plenty of people who are not who watch The Biggest Loser (and Diet Tribe, which is on Lifetime).
I still watch the Biggest Loser sometimes. It has a special place in my heart because it helped inspire me to lose 90 pounds on my own.
I agree so much with your statement concerning the double standard between fat men and fat women. It frustrates me that women are made to feel sub-human for their excess weight while men are allowed to feel they yet have hope to live normally (even though they do still feel the pressure of our fat-phobic society).
I don't tend to watch weight-related shows as I can't stand the inevitable insensitive or ignorant comment. I also don't like how the shows perpetuate the message of skinny being healthy and attractive while fatness is seen as unhealthy and revolting. There are plenty of beautiful and healthy people on both ends of the weight spectrum and I wish TV shows would focus more on people loving themselves and treating their bodies right than just focusing on weight as the deciding factor.
I don't watch those shows often, but I always thought they were fine. I'm not an overweight person, so I don't even really notice the sterotyping you have. I love seeing a big, confident woman though. Like the actress from drop dead diva, love her.
I do watch the Biggest Loser sometimes, but I agree with your cons, especially when it comes to making it seem like being obese/overweight is totally acceptable. :P
Umm... not fat myself but this show seems to inspire people to lose weight but some simply cannot lose it due to some glandular problems. For anyone losing weight, you must be patient with it. The people on T.V. made it their job and unfortunately real life does not offer a second day in one day.
I do watch the biggest loser, It is a very inspiring show. These people competing are going from being unhealthy to being very healthy over a course of time and that inspires some people ,like my mother, to get healthy themselves.
Shows like more to love however are disgusting and strange in my opinion. I dont think I can even explane why, I also think they are kind of a mean exploitation of overweight people. They could also (as actually many things do) Present the idea that being fat is okay.
I have watched a few episodes of Biggest Loser, I also watched (when it was on) Celebrity Fit Club which was the same kind of thing but for celebs obviously. I think the principles behind these shows are good ideas. They are very inspiring, showing that if you work hard enough you can lose the weight that in some cases you really do need to lose in order to live. And IMO it is a better option to try and do it 'naturally' through diet and exercise than through surgery. But this simply fails for some people. I have constantly struggled with my weight and that is in part due to the fact that I am simply very short but still an 'average' weight. Because of that I look quite a bit heavier than I really am even though I wear a size 12/14. It is terrible to feel that people judge you because you look overweight, it is worse to know that they are judging you.
I am a person of "average" weight and I enjoy watching the Biggest Loser. It's inspiring to see people (no matter their size) working so hard to change their lives for the better.
i dont watch those shows but i agree completely.
I don't watch the Biggest Loser. Every time they start talking about snacks and what not, I get hungry.
I have issues with the show "More to Love." That definitely enforces the stereotype. Those women aren't even average size. I honestly don't see women that large very often. Maybe like 1 out of 5 or 6 people. Usually people I see could be classified as overweight, not obese. They also have horrible self-esteem. How is that supposed to demonstrate rocking the curves? To me, those women are the ones that I picture saying "I'll take what I can get because I'm fat." It may be the way the show is edited or just how they're portrayed, but it drives me nuts. When I was overweight, I was just as confident and happy as I am now. I was unhealthy, but emotionally my self worth was not based on my weight.
um I don't watch these shows. I prefer to watch things that don't insult my intelligence and assume that I swoon to the sesationalism that the mass media creates.
The word is phenomenon.
Just a thought.
i don't watch these shows. i think biggest loser does it right though, because they teach about exercise and nutrition. all the others i've seen are more for entertainment and sensationalism ("more to love", "half ton teen/mom/dad", not sure about "dance your ass off"..). it's difficult for me to watch and know they are reinforcing stereotypes as well as not educating about ways to get fit and healthy. that should be the purpose, not just to gawk at obese people. either way, it's still very strange to me that weight loss is being viewed as a competition.
First let's get this out there. I'm overweight. Maybe that makes me biased? Don't know. I watched the first season of the biggest loser, and just started watching this season. I think it's inspiring. The people work extremely hard. I think it's a positive show.
More To Love is okay. I think you're right about the stereotypes. All the women were insecure. I don't know if we were every actually see the situation reversed.As for people accepting overweight/obese people. I really think everyone should get over it. If a person over eats, LET THEM. we tolerate different races, different religions, different everything. Notice that I use the word tolerate (because we all know not all of us are ACCEPTING, but we tolerate it because we have to - this obviously doesn't go for everyone). Why can't we just tolerate people and their decisions to eat what they want, smoke when they want (I'm not a smoker, but it's not my decision to make for someone else), and do what they want - as long as they aren't harming anyone (that's excluding themselves - because these are all personal decisions).We can't make decisions for people. Even if we want to, we can't. So the world should be accepting, or at least tolerate everyone in it no matter what.I made it a point to watch the Biggest Loser last season. This season I am not sure that I am going to. A high carb diet doesn't work for everyone. I don't think that fat people can exercise right off the jump like they do. I know that I get sick from overly strenous exercise.