Jezebel 
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New York, 6:03 AM
Thu Nov 12
67 posts in the last 24 hours
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06/30/09
My personal experience is that it's hard to do the paso doble in a muu muu.
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But then again, the premise for the entire show is kind of offensive. Where i'm from it's no surprise that larger people can move. In fact most of the time, because girth is so sexy in motion, they can move far more beautifully than smaller people and they are eagerly recruited for back-up dancing.
The novelty factor of "FAT PEOPLE DANCING!!!!!", like it's the equivalent of watching a hippopotamus use a typewriter or something, was really weird to me. If it had just been a dance show where the contestants happen to be larger than average I wouldn't have been so skeeved out, but framing it as this weight loss show--as if fat people could have no reason to dance other than to "graduate" out of fatness---is inherently problematic. It fetishizes fat. Me no likey.
06/30/09
Aaaahahahahaha
What are you talking about? All the animals in my household type. :=D
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Oh oh oh woke up today
Feeling the shame I always do.
Oh oh oh hungry for something
But I can't eat
Then I hear that beat
That rhythm of sound
Starts judging my pounds
It's like a message from high above
oh oh oh pulling me down to hate and fear that I know
GOOD MORNING FAT SHAMING!
06/30/09
I just read an interview with her in People, and what I DID like was that the interviewer asked her about losing weight (she just had a baby, I guess), and about trying to wear a bikini. She answered, "Oh, I wear bikinis!" That made me happy.
06/30/09
But, at the end of the day, in the clips I've seen, the contestants do seem to enjoy the dancing and there is something nice in the idea that you don't need to be skinny to dance.
06/30/09
I think it's possible to portray weight loss via dancing as a positive thing. You should see me cackling as I flail around my living room.
I can't ACTUALLY dance, but I think this show has an interesting concept: it's an interesting, artistic means of moving your body, it keeps people engaged and wanting to participate, and it can demand immense athletic effort. I also really hope that the show emphasizes the sense of accomplishment you can get from performing something well, and that there isn't so much "OH LOOK LOLFAT SPECTACLE!!1" sentiment.
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This made my morning.
Also, I've often thought it'd be a cool thing culturally if we went back to teaching kids to dance in school, as part of PE. It's a cool thing to be able to do later in life, and a great way to get them to be more active without subjecting them to the torturous boredom that is going to a gym or running laps (or being forced to play sports despite an utter lack of coordination and ability). I get that there's going to be a humiliation factor, at least at first, but hopefully kids could get over that.
[I would love to learn to swing and salsa, by the by.]
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Me too. So why can't we have a show about dancers that have non-default body types rather than presenting dancing as a way to change that awful body you have now? I know some big girls that can shake it and they're not doing it so their "ass will be as tight as your weave" they're doing it because it's fun.
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I'm rather worried about the new "Bachelor"-esque show with larger contestants. At first the promos seemed actually a little promising--they start with the premise that the average woman is a 14/16, and that their reality show is more real than the others...and then they reveal the title: "More to Love." That title just pisses me off, and I'm not entirely sure why, because on the surface, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's just calling soooo much attention to their weight, as though that's the only interesting thing about these people (which the network execs probably believe is the only interesting/sellable thing about them).
06/30/09
Actually, The Blackchelor is probably something the networks would buy. Excuse me while I go prepare my pitch.