The Biggest Loser

posts about #thebiggestloser more →
Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Do Plus-Size TV Shows Inspire Or Disgust?
Do Queen Latifah's Jenny Craig Ads Herald A New Era Of Televised Body Acceptance?
Do I Really Have To Lose My Shit All The Time?
Chewing Gum: America's Newest Snack Food!
Being Weight-Obsessed Makes You the Biggest Loser

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

karmasutra
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
"Bullshit! If you're watching these shows, it's because there's drama, and a human story."

It makes me really, really sad to say this but there are girls at my school who watch these kinds of shows because "it makes them feel better about themselves." Doesn't sound too bad, right? Well, when they talk about feeling better, they're talking about how they feel superior in their skinny bodies when they see "fat people try to be like them." So, unfortunately, not everybody watching these shows have good intentions. The world kind of sucks that way.
Reply

stealthird promoted this comment karmasutra was starred karmasutra was unstarred

ReanimatedHorse
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Maybe the fear that's keeping American's awake is that we have hateful prejudices against people that we see every day, and who give us no reason to hate them. Maybe we're noticing those people in our lives, and trying to retrain our consciences to fit with our actual beliefs about people. Watching TV shows about big people may be a first step for some who need a safe, distanced first view at people they had never thought worth their time before.
Reply

Chamalla, now gainfully employed promoted this comment ReanimatedHorse was starred ReanimatedHorse was unstarred

tell Dolly Parton again
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Ruby is the shit. I'd watch her do pretty much anything on TV; the fact that she's trying to lose weight and change her life is just the inspirational part that makes you cry in every episode.
Reply

HighSchoolFearleader
08/25/09

@tell Dolly Parton again: Me too. I really don't like most of these weight loss reality shows, because they're either exploitative or I'm just not interested, but Ruby's personality is just so endearing, you want her to succeed in whatever she decides to do.
Reply

BabyJane promoted this comment

cb831
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
I must say, I watch exactly zero shows that center around fat people specifically, and I am fat myself. The reason behind this is that shows like Biggest Loser, More to Love, etc. EXPLOIT fat people. They don't embrace or celebrate them, they use them for ratings, as an angle. I personally think shows that use people that way are disgusting, and I refuse to give them the ratings they are seeking.
Reply

Lin-Z [linguist on duty] promoted this comment cb831 was starred cb831 was unstarred

EarlyGrey
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Yeah, I don't agree with this article at all. I watch The Biggest Loser because I'm a sucker for inspirational stories and even if you're not obese, most people of all sizes can relate to a person trying to eat healthy, beginning to work out, struggling with body images issues, etc.
Reply

hortense promoted this comment EarlyGrey was starred EarlyGrey was unstarred

SarahMC
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Fat is fabulous? Half these shows about fat people are about trying to BECOME NOT FAT! The others are all about how the fat people are fat but deserve love "anyway."
Reply

SarahMC was starred SarahMC was unstarred

NefariousNewt
08/25/09

@SarahMC: Fat is fabulous... for ratings.
Reply

NefariousNewt was starred NefariousNewt was unstarred

rednrowdy
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
ideally, stories told on television and film should involve the whole of human experience; that means wealthy, poor, middle class, tall, short, old, young, skinny, overweight, black, white, et al. it's not a plus-size thing. it's about offering an option that sells, and surprise surprise! people are buying it.
Reply

rednrowdy was starred rednrowdy was unstarred

NefariousNewt
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Why? Because it's one of the few groups that TV has yet to put out there to be made fun of/lorded over/pitied in the name of ratings.
Reply

NefariousNewt was starred NefariousNewt was unstarred

BabyJane
08/25/09

@NefariousNewt: Sadly, I think that may be the answer.
Reply

BabyJane was starred BabyJane was unstarred

NefariousNewt
08/25/09

@BabyJane: We all know it is. It's the same driver that keeps TV-land coming up with these ridiculous "reality" shows. We need people we can feel better than, or we can mock mercilessly in the comfort of our Barc-o-loungers for being saps. Up until now, larger people were just "jolly folks," to be used as comedy relief; now, they can be "big business" [pardon the pun].
Reply

NefariousNewt was starred NefariousNewt was unstarred

sassyredhead
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
I watch all of these shows except Dance Your Ass Off. I adore Drop Dead Diva. I think it is one of the best new shows of this summer. And Brooke Elliott is amazing. I just hope she gets a lot more work because of the show.
Reply

sassyredhead was starred sassyredhead was unstarred

greengrey
08/25/09

@sassyredhead: Agreed. I feel so guilty for watching it, but it's pretty good.
And I love me some Margaret Cho.
Reply

greengrey was starred greengrey was unstarred

sassyredhead
08/25/09

@greengrey: Margaret Cho is the reason I tuned in. The show's star is the reason I stayed.
Reply

sassyredhead was starred sassyredhead was unstarred

Yahtzii
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Eat a cyanide tablet, terrible weight-related puns. Just because an article is about larger people does not mean you get to string together a bunch of thinly-veiled fat jokes and call it journalism. I'm not sure it's progress if we put larger people on TV and then spend the whole time talking about how large they are.
Reply

Edited by Yahtzii at 08/25/09 12:44 PM Yahtzii was starred Yahtzii was unstarred

Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith
08/25/09

@Yahtzii: I've not really the time before work to work it into a witty quip, but the phrase I hate the most is 'larger than life'.
Reply

TheatreChick73
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
"It's not strange that people are interested in seeing plus-size people on TV; it's strange that up until now, plus-size people have been mostly ignored on TV."

Can I get an AMEN!?
Reply

rednrowdy promoted this comment TheatreChick73 was starred TheatreChick73 was unstarred

J.D.Regent
08/25/09

In reply to Why Is There An "Appetite" For Plus-Size TV?
Now all we need is more fat people on tv and movies shows that aren't ABOUT being fat.
Reply

J.D.Regent was starred J.D.Regent was unstarred

tailfeather
08/25/09

@J.D.Regent: They're allowed on if they're comedians, especially male. No fat people in dramas, though. That's the rule, far as I can make out.
Reply

tailfeather was starred tailfeather was unstarred

SarahMC
08/25/09

@J.D.Regent: Exactly. How about fat people on tv shows that don't call attention to the fact that they put fat people on tv.
Reply

SarahMC was starred SarahMC was unstarred

JerseyGrrrl
08/25/09

@J.D.Regent: Exactly! There are a few, but even in those shows that don't feature plot lines constructed around weight, there are still jokes and comments made by or about the characters.

One show this season that has handled this issue well, in my opinion, is "10 Things I Hate About You." (YES, I'm actually a 15-year-old viewer in a 26-year-old body!) The best friend is plus, and she talks to Kat about her feelings over being told she couldn't ride something at a theme park and about things people have said that hurt her. She's not the "fat friend." She's the friend.
Reply

JerseyGrrrl was starred JerseyGrrrl was unstarred

JerseyGrrrl
08/25/09

@JerseyGrrrl: I'm having trouble uploading just the bottom part of this comparison photo, which is the part showing the actress I'm talking about. What you see is the actress who played Mandella in the movie version and the top of the head of the woman I'm loving on.
Reply

JerseyGrrrl was starred JerseyGrrrl was unstarred

Callinectes
07/22/09

In reply to Do Plus-Size TV Shows Inspire Or Disgust?
How many calories do you think I am burning by writing this comment? Oh, sorry, that's just the kind of thing I think about all day long.
Reply

Ailanthus-altissima promoted this comment Callinectes was starred Callinectes was unstarred

Honeybunch
07/22/09

In reply to Do Plus-Size TV Shows Inspire Or Disgust?
Whatevs, if there was any sort of fat-person representation on regular shows, not just as a comedic foil, or shows focused on pointing out how fatty-fat the subjects are, I would actually watch television.

Hear that advertisers: I ain't watching TV, mother-truckers!!

All these shows do is point out that if you're fat, that is the only thing you should focus on, and that is all you are.
Reply

Plum-Pie promoted this comment Honeybunch was starred Honeybunch was unstarred

FattyCatty
07/22/09

In reply to Do Plus-Size TV Shows Inspire Or Disgust?
I've always thought that part of the appeal of reality show buffoonery is that the viewing audience watches them with a certain sense of moral superiority - like, "Geez, this guy is an idiot! I am so smart and normal." So I think some of these shows are definitely thriving on the "at least I look better than that" idea.

I do have to step in and defend Ruby, though. She is not the butt of any joke, and the show portrays her very well - as a sweet, funny, beautiful woman who is struggling with a very real problem. Her focus has always been on her health, and it is made pretty clear that her obesity is a health condition, not due to laziness/gluttony.
Reply

hortense promoted this comment FattyCatty was starred FattyCatty was unstarred

Earlier threads | All threads | Show hidden threads | Show featured threads only | Start a new discussion