Here in Fatville we can’t stop watching the Biggest Loser USA, and we aren’t the only ones. Syndicated around the world with spin off computer, games, DVDs and most recently Biggest Loser weight loss camps, this show like our waist lines keeps on growing.
Our study we found that people prefer to watch cookery shows than actually cook themselves and it’s not surprising to think that that the same would be true of exercise. It’s far easier to watch Gillian push a tubby contestant to exercise more than to push yourself to do the same.
So much about this show reflects how distorted our view of obesity has become. The ‘Losers’ allow us to reassure ourselves that we aren’t really fat like them, so why worry? Plus watching contestants drop 8 or 9 pounds every week sets unrealistic expectations for weight loss in the real world and feeds the culture of yo yo dieting. The show also demonises food in the most perverse ways. The consumption of a single peanut butter cup or a traditional thanksgiving dinner becomes a terrible forfeit or punishment.
Weightloss as entertainment is really a sign of how strange our world has become. But like the cheap and unhealthy foods that played a part in getting us here, it might be wrong but it’s all too moreish.