Some of the 2012 Biggest Loser contestants
I have never seen a full episode of The Biggest Loser. I flicked over once, years ago, to see the contestants blind-folded and surrounded by chocolates. There was some kind of punishment attached to eating them, and as the crackling of wrappers betrayed the weak ones, they were berated by their team mates. It was like a terrible dream. You know those bizarre nightmares in which the humiliations of your teenage years are combined with adulthood? Imagine a dream in which you, an adult, are shamefully gobbling choccies, on TV, in bike shorts, while other adults express their disappointment in you for letting them down.
I had a little cry that night.
Shows like The Biggest Loser and Excess Baggage create a forum for needy people to get on TV and nasty people to call them names. It’s not about “the journey”. It’s about acceptance, it’s about the Princess moment. It’s about having a bunch of beautiful people congratulate you for making it to their world – however brief your stay will be. It’s even on television, which we all know is only for beautiful people. Well as far I’m concerned, these shows make for ugly television and contribute to ugliness in our community.
You’ve only got to follow twitter during an episode to witness the vile barbs people hurl from their couches. “I will unfollow anyone tweeting nasty things about the Biggest Loser people,” I tweeted last year. “You know it’s wrong to treat others that way, you’ve known it since pre school, so don’t do it.”
It’s hard to insist the contestants be treated with compassion, when the network behind Excess Baggage chooses to publicise the series with full page ads depicting the celebrities crushing the channel nine logo, by sitting on it. I mean seriously, is that how those clever executives were raised? I would be thoroughly ashamed of my children if they participated in the humiliation of anyone, for any amount of money or television ratings, at any age.
Some of the Biggest Loser pictures being used for ad campaigns.This is trainer Tiffiny Hall
The Biggest Loser’s full pagers depict their angelic trainers as naked and faultless pillars of integrity and honor. I guess I’m supposed to aspire to be like them, maybe tear the pages out and stick them to my fridge like I did when I was fourteen and thought I’d never be right as long as I was fat. I’m not even going to ask if those pics are photoshopped, because I couldn’t care less. They just have nothing to do with me. I’m not fourteen anymore. I have pictures of my kids on my fridge, and their growth in contentment and compassion is the only journey I’m interested in taking with what’s left of my fortunate life.
I have said before that I have a perfect body. It has everything it is meant to have, although God knows, great things have been achieved by people with missing limbs and things, regardless of the ‘imperfection’ of their form. My body is healthy, and does everything I ask it to. I can “run around with my kids” even though they’ll try to convince you only thin people can do that. I am a very lucky person, born in a prosperous and free country, where peace reigns. I refuse to believe that I am somehow unlucky because I don’t look like Tiffany in the buff.
Have a look at the advertisement for The Biggest Loser that’s been playing over the summer.
And now have a look at this. It was created in response to those ads.
Meshel Laurie is a comedian and broadcaster. You can catch up with her on Nova’s Drive Show with Tim Blackwell and Marty Sheargold 4-6pm on weekdays.
Did you watch The Biggest Loser? What did you think?
Comments
420 Comments so far
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Well said, Meshel. Entertainment should not involve exploitation or humiliation. Surely, we’re better than that.
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To quote Ani Difranco….
“Tv is, after all, the modern day roman coliseum
human devastation as mass entertainment”
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OMG, an Ani Difranco quote in the comments… you have totally made my day (and restored my faith in the ‘comments’ sections of websites).
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The talent shows are worse for exploitation as far as I am concerned. I feel that at least the Biggest Loser contestants have a sense of their exploitation but continue despite it (for their own reasons). The Susan Boyle’s of the world, not so much…
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I both agree and disagree in part with this story. Firstly where my opinion differs from Meshel is that contestants on the biggest loser are not people with a couple of extra curves, they are dangerously obese (not overweight, obese) or they would not be on the show and they have serious health issues because of it. These people are clearly not happy with the way they look or feel or there is no way they would be prepared to endure the humiliation of such a show to lose the weight. The show while humiliating does give them a unique environment and opportunity to get the weight off, yes it is not realistic but their weight loss is real and gives them a huge head start. Plus it is inspiring to see them develop confidence and feel healthier.
Right or wrong these people genuinely have confidence problems and self-worth issues related directly to their weight. Yes it is true that losing weight is not a miracle that will automatically find them love and yes they should relate their self-worth to the many non-appearance related aspects of their personality but clearly they cannot. For the record if you watched last night you would have seen the trainers challenge their lack of self-esteem and tell them they are beautiful and worthy of love. One woman’s story relates to a failed relationship due to her inability to concieve and yes this might be due to other factors but weight is often related to infertility and this is an adequate reason for her to wish to change her weight.
Where I agree with Meshel is in the promotion, I do not feel it is neccessary for the trainers to be pictured naked and held up as the beautiful standard to aspire to, this is not their journey. I also feel the promotion should not have based around the search for love as a perfect body does not guarantee a perfect relationship or life and if someone can only love you when your thin then it is a superficial kind of love (however I think the intended point is that it is the confidence of the contestant that is holding them back not their actual appearance). I see no reason why they should be filmed in their underwear, this is gratutious, humiliating and unneccessary. I agree with others that the exercise and weight loss is too aggressive and too quick, it would be safer and healthier to take a more moderate approach to diet and exercise (but sadly not rate as well). My main problem though with the biggest loser is that it is about losing the most weight not attaining a healthy weight. In previous years contestants have already achieved a healthy weight half way through competition but are inspired to lose more beyond this so as to compete for the prize. This is wrong on so many levels!
Finally, like Meshel I see no benefit from enduring humiliating counter-productive temptation challenges, these encouraging binging while then humiliating the contestant as weak and should be scrapped completely.
I think the program should focus on the positive aspects the less sensational and the more inspirational. Sadly to get more people to watch the show the tv execs insist upon the ugly and the viewing public eat it up, which is a sad reflection of our society.
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bravo!
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I agree! perhaps what the show is lacking most of all is a responsibility for looking after the contestants after the series. they should receive 24 months free personal training + nutritional + psychological support to ensure they continue with their weight loss success after the show.
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As much as I don’t want to waste hours of my life watching reality television I usually get sucked into The Biggest Loser at some point in ‘the journey’. I find the makeover shows really moving. As someone who was once the fat person in a thin room I know how hard it can be to make the transition to being healthy. Cause at its heart that is what it is about for the contestants, not becoming a model. I certainly needed some tough love to reach that goal. I love the whole ‘suck it up’ approach. We let too many people (including ourselves) off the hook these days. Dear mamamia readers, you’ll probably hate me for this, but I have been known to use that phrase as a teacher at school when kids don’t want to do something cause its not ‘fun’. As if we are no longer meant to teach but be entertainment machines. Suck it up and learn some maths. Suck it up and read a book for 10 minutes. Cause oftentimes the road to riches is not paved with gold, its paved with crappy stuff.
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i think obesity is as big as a problem as ” the way society dictates the way we should/shouldn’t look”. yes, i agree that the format of the show should be modified (hello channel 10?), but the contestants do need a change in their lifestyle and have agreed on what they are going to be put through. it’s up to us to tune in or not. meshel, i love your work btw, however, maybe you could try to forget about the comercial side of it and try to see that, perhaps, not all the contastants will change their habits for life, but if one or two do, at the stage their health is in, i think its a bonus.
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Actually, something that makes me furious about this show is those challenges where the loser has to eat an entire cake or whatever.
That’s disgraceful. They’re either trying to improve the contestants’ health or they’re not..
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Yes, that i agree with. I don’t think that’s necessary.
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Totally agree! I wish ch 10 would do this show in a totally different format. I think the “temptation” challenges are totally humiliating and I hate the whole voting people out process. It could be a much better show if the drama of being eliminated was cut out and have all contestants stay the entire time with the focus of the show being about learning to live a healthier lifestyle, they could have cooking segments and normal practical exercise ideas. Or show alternative fitness programmes other than trainers yelling at contestants on treadmills. Gyms bore the s@*# out of me, I would watch something that gave me alternatives as well as education towards food and exercise, eg eating X means 1 hour running, eating Y means 2 hours swimming. You never see any of that on the show, just people being screamed at until they’re in tears. I guess that makes for great ratings.
Love your meshel!! You are gorgeous!!
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What a great post – thank you for driving home the real message behind the angle of this show. I usually consider myself pretty savvy to this type of terrible TV voyeurism and I’m very embarrassed and a little ashamed to admit this but when I was watching the ads over summer, I didn’t see the fat shaming in it. I saw the message as low-confidence and wanting to make a change to find someone (perhaps from my own weight struggles in the past). While I still believe that is part of it, I didn’t see the “you’re not worthy if you’re fat” line but I do now. As a new mum, I am becoming so much more aware of the media messages around me and I don’t want my son growing up to see *this* as the norm. Thank you.
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Someone once told me I would be stunning if I lost weight and was surprised when I didn’t seem impressed by that comment. Yes I could do with losing weight but my body has produced and nurtured 4 babies in 5 years so as I get older I am appreciating my ‘awesome’ body for it’s ability to get up each day and be the best mum I can be. And just for the record I hate the term ‘yummy mummy’, as if you can’t be fabulous mum unless you are thin, do your hair, wear makeup and great clothes every day. All mums should be respected, even the ones who wear trackies and a pony tail to drop the kids off at school! Let’s stop shaming people for what they look like, people will lose weight when they are ready, whether its on their own or on tv. Let’s teach our kids by example that we should love ourselves for who we are and by being good people, not by how we look.
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I have had that my whole life. “You would be stunning if you lost weight”. “You would have an hourglass figure if you lost weight”. “You would have the guys beating down the door if you lost weight”.
Funny how that’s not motivating . . .
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Amen!
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I had always been told the opposite “You’d be really pretty if you gained weight”.
Cupcake, let me tell you having met you and knowing you, you ARE stunning. What a beautiful amazing woman you are.
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Seconded!
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I hear these same comments all the time from women who come to dietitians (I’m on my 3rd internship in my degree) wanting to “look like I did before I had kids”, and I just want to tell them to got home, look at their beautiful kids, and not devote their life to trying to get back to where they were before those babies were made.
Your value is not tied to your size, and that is lost in these reality shows that display how someone couldn’t possibly be loveable if they don’t look like the trainers. Great comment, and agree with every word you said!
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The thing is, I don’t find Michelle or that other women attractive. Both look pre-pubescent, tight skinned, over tanned, veiny, masculine and older than they’re age. Most of all, they don’t look like women. If being super fit and healthy and having a liver age younger than my real age means I can’t have jubbly breasts and a swaying hip, then I pass – everytime. Those nude shots turn my tomach a little.
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They look like women because they are women. There’s no one way for a woman to look.
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Oh, my god, Nico! You summed it all up completley in that one sentence! That’s what society at large needs to realise.
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Yeah, I want to make copies and throw flyers everywhere (including around my own house, because I need to remind myself every now and again!)
A bit like this picture, which is making the rounds on fb and, as a smaller-framed lady, warming my heart:
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Agree!!
I’m also loving this one at the moment
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I wasn’t referring to gender – of course they’re women. I was talking about a cultural/social/personal perception, my own, of what a women looks like.
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This is such a horrible comment, I hardly know what to say. There is no ‘woman’ mould. Having muscles does not make a woman any less womanly.
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Some of us like our women to have muscles, and not look like a ‘normal’ woman
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That’s not really the point. Objectifying them as these ads do is wrong, but shaming their bodies is still wrong. We’re all valuable and worthy of love: fat, thin, lovely jubbly and everything in-between.
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How exactly can they look pre-pubescent AND older than their age?
What a horrible comment.
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Sorry but why can’t you see this comment is just as bad as saying someone is unworthy of love because they are fat. The point is we all have different shapes and we are all beautiful the way we are because beauty is an internal thing not external. Noone should make comments that a certain body type is ugly!
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That sort of attitude is half the problem we have. Too fat? You’re not attractive. Too skinny? Not attractive. Too athletic or muscly? Not attractive. Too old? Not attractive. Too young? Not attractive. Not curvy enough? Not attractive…..we need to stop focusing on what the “ideal” image is and start aiming for ideal function. If Michelle is happy with her body, then I applaud her for putting in the time and effort to achieve it, rather than sitting on the couch with a packet of chips whinging that she has cellulite, and expecting some fancy electric current machine to remove the fat while she watches tv instead of going for a run.
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Sing it, sister!
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Dismissing someone because of their appearance makes no difference whether it’s because they are obese or because they are fit and muscular. If we can get away from having to put one group down to make the others feel better, the world would be a more kind and forgiving place.
Just out of curiosity, what does a woman look like if these people don’t look like women? Because there are over 3 billion on this planet, and I’m pretty sure they don’t all look the same.
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You’ve all beat me to it. Well said.
What an awful thing to write. No matter what you look like, you are beautiful and don’t deserve to be insulted about your physical appearance. Insulting the trainers so explicitly about their appearance is exactly the same as insulting overweight people. Your comments would make people feel bad about themselves: don’t say them! As Meshel wrote, we learnt that in preschool!
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While I may state my opinion in a harsh/unfair/mean/negative way, it comes down to this – I’m reacting to the way biggest loser (among other t.v. shows and mediums of entertainment) tries to define the way ‘beautiful/healthy’ looks and I just don’t agree with it. I think their version of healthy and fit is quite ugly. And I’m allowed to have that opinion.
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You’re using the word ‘ugly’ to describe a particular body type. While this may be your opinion, sharing it is continuing down that road of making women feel less than beautiful. I am sure, without a single doubt, that you would feel negatively about that word being used to describe you.
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That’s not a nice comment at all! Women of all shapes and sizes are women. Are you saying they have a penis?
Also, please know the difference between ‘they’re’ and ‘their’. It’s not hard, c’mon!
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That’s mean. I hope they’re not reading this.
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Biggest Loser contestants know exactly what they’re getting in to when they sign up. It’s not like it’s different from year to year. They clearly put themeslves in this position because they’re not confident of turning their weight around by themselves – and need this level of scrutinty and pressure to do so – which is their call.
There’s been a lot of talk re the fat poiice lately here and elsewhere, but the message of BL is not that beautiful = thin. Weighing 160kg like several of the women do is unhealthty and risky. These are not people
trying to drop 5kg to fit into skinny jeans.
We shouldn’t bag people for being fat. EVER. But we should all be comfortable endorsing the notion that looking after your health is the right thing to do. That means eating well, exercising and being mindful of what we put in our bodies and whether you end up skinny or curvy, that’s fine – but obsese isn’t and shouldn’t be regarded as so.
Contradictory to a message of health – as Meshel raises – is the promos featuring the nude trainers – that was truly poor thinking on someone’s part and totally unhelpful to any positive messaging that could come out of a show like this.
I too have always questioned why the show focuses so much on excercise when every single health professional says diet is the true key…
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Apparently exercising makes a person naturally start eating better (I forget the science behind it, sorry). So if you start with exercise, the healthy eating will naturally follow on from that. I’ve certainly found it to be true in my life.
The contestants obviously have to focus on diet as well, very much so, it’s just that this does not make for good tv, whereas tantrums in the gym do.
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Exercise does make you eat better because your body responds better to the healthy carbs, vitamins and goodness of good food and regularly exercised bodies do not react well to excess, articial sugars, starch etc. when you exercise it’s the bad stuff your body gets rid of first. Does the healthy stuff always taste quite as yummy? No not always! But the difference is real (this coming from someone who didn’t think it made a difference initially but through experience I get it now!)
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What I find most interesting about some of these comments is that they are from people who have NO idea what it’s like to really struggle with a weight problem and I mean a weight problem, not being 10 or 15kg overweight but being so overweight that you’re considered obese.
I watched the show last night and cried because I could identify with so much of what the contestants were saying about their bodies, their journeys and their hatred for their bodies. Someone below said “They are not losing weight for themselves so they can be healthy and active, but rather to please society’s view that you need to be thin and beautiful to find love.” – are you serious? I don’t think these people are losing weight for anyone BUT themselves. I think if they find love ONCE they’ve lost weight it will be a bonus in their eyes but I don’t think that’s why they are on the show. And you say it’s to please society’s view – unfortunately society does look down on bigger people, hell it looks down on anyone a size 14 an above, you’re screwed if you’re obese!
I need to lose weight, half my body weight but I’m not doing it to find love, got that, been married for 11 years and I’m not doing it to please society either I’m doing it because I need to do it, for my health, for my emotional and physical wellbeing.
Is it hard? Bloody oath but I’m determined to do it, I’m lucky I am capable of pushing myself and following through with my own determination to get the weight off, some people aren’t so lucky and need to be pushed in order to do it.
The only issue I’ve ever had with The Biggest Loser is people being voted off. These people NEED to be there, I think they should all start and end the show and the one who has lost the most weight wins but everyone gains their health back.
I honestly believe that if you’ve never struggled with a real weight problem, you can have no idea how much this show is a lifeline for the people who appear on it, yes they win money but I truly believe for the contestants it’s not about that, that’s a bonus, just like finding love, the real prize is gaining their health back and extending their life.
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I agree. The fact that it’s a ‘competition’ doesn’t sit well with me…
Good luck with your journey!
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I agree as well – I just personally find the shows a ‘bit of a waste’ of my time (see my comments further down the page). I found seeing a dietician and nutritionist and also a lifestyle change (moving closer to my workplace and using public transport more- hence doing more walking) has been very helpful for me. While I haven’t lost a lot of weight (my biggest struggle is portion sizes) my skin has really cleared up (used to get terrible acne which is a symptom of PCOS) and my overall shape is looking more toned and healthy. All the best with whatever works for you.
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Well said!
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Thank you for articulating so well what I had thought. The people who I know who love this show are thin exercise fiends. I suspect it makes them feel good about themselves in a superior, holier than thou kind of way. None of my friends who are obese or exercise averse enjoy it. I think many obese people feel intense shame over their size and watching shows such as these, where it is presented as ok to give fat people a hard time, is really hurtfull.
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I disagree. Sure Ten’s major drive in this programming is ratings, but i would ask you to speak to the contestants of the Biggest Loser to see what the show did for them before criticising the project. If you watched it last night you would have seen the joy on the contestants faces when they were told that they had were going to be a part of the show. It was complete and utter happiness and a wave of relief. These people were broken, and were prepared to do whatever it takes, including having an incredibly beautiful person yelling at them whilst they exercised in mud and rain, to become the person that they want to be. I’m also sure that if you asked these contestants, it’s not about becoming the beautiful people that train them, it’s about becoming someone that they’re proud of, it’s about gaining some self esteem and learning to love themselves. The show and the challenges and whatever are just a tool to facilitate ‘that journey.’ Good on Biggest Loser for giving people an opportunity to do something that may never have had the courage to do, and good on the contestants for putting themselves out there to give it a go. It’s inspiring.
Addit: I would also hope, Mamamia, that you give either a contestant of one of these shows, or even a trainer, the right of reply. This is a debate worth having.
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I’d like to hear from one of the many contestants who regained the weight when they went back to their real lives please.
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Hi Meshel, i love your articles, so please take this as ‘friendly’ arguing, but I’m not sure what some of them regaining the weight has to do with anything?
It’s the same as everything in life. People can only help other people so much and then it’s up to them. Some people put weight back on. Some people don’t. The same can be said of every doctor, personal trainer, gym instrutor, dietician. At some stage, the responsibility has to go back onto the individual.
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something like 90% of the contenstants in the Australian BL put on a significant amount of weight after the show, i.e. when they have to go back to earning an income and not exercising for 8 hours a day. Clearly, it’s not successful if those are the recidivist rates.
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Where does this 90% statistic come from?
Proof, please.
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You are clearly putting your hands over your ears and not interested in any opinion other than your own, being that BL is great and motivates people to change their life. Which I (and obviously Meshel and many of the others on here) completely disagree with.
See, Fiona from Series 1 – went back up to OVER her BL entry weight.
See AJ Rochester, host of Series 1, has lost and ballooned back up in weight TWICE since the show.
See – Who Magazine (cannot remember what date) article on most of the contestants from last years series – about 90% of them had put weight back on about 6 months after the show.
See – American contestant, Kai Hibbard.
While I don’t have interviews WITH EVERY SINGLE BIGGEST LOSER CONTESTANT EVER becuase they all have confidentiality clauses in their contracts – the ones who have spoken out have ALL put weight back on
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There are many contestants who haven’t put the weight back on. I know because they’re all out there endorsing fitness equipment, vitamins and everything else!
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They don’t need to exercise 10 hours a day when they return to their every day life and have gotten rid of all that weight. Of course they need to continue with exercise and watch what they eat but it doesn’t need to be that extreme, it just needs to be maintained.
Ah so you get your statistics from Who Magazine, enough said! I was just thinking that A Current Affair and Today Tonight just love to hear the stories of all the contestants who put the weight back on and then report these silly statistics to the naive public. It’s not like they are going to report on the success stories, who wants to hear that?
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Hi Lauren,
Research shows that 95% of people gain 115% of lost weight back. It is this weight cycling that is damaging to health, far more so than being overweight. They are prescribing a diet and exercise plan that cannot be sustained in real life, thereby they are setting the participants up for failure for the viewing pleasure of the audience. Of course the participants are excited to be on the show – all they see is the final episode where everybody has lost the weight and has had a makeover. The show doesn’t film what happens 12 months, 2 years or 5 years down the track. And that is where the real damage is done.
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Hi Liv, if that’s the case, then absolutely… their should be more emphasis placed (behind the scenes if necessary) on how to maintain things going forward. It perhaps fits in with this focus on excercise over diet – because obviously training people in nutrition and what they should be eating is a very key component of them keeping it off long term.
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Liv, whilst I agree that the exercise plan may not be sustainable, as who has that many free hours each day, but what do you mean by the diet? I fail to see why it would be difficult for them to maintain it. They are taught what foods to eat and appropriate cooking methods on the show so they KNOW what to do when they get home.
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Speaking to one of those contestants would be great too! But i still think they’d only be positive about the experience, as Lauren0108 says, it comes down to the individual. I wouldn’t blame the show for them putting back on weight.
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Would you also like to hear from one of the contestants that regained mobility in their life?
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So would I, Meshel. I’d like to hear from them as to why they regained weight and if they blame what they were taught on TBL.
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I agree, Zel.
This seems to me to be an article in two very different parts.
The first argument is that there is never any excuse for ridiculing fat people, and that – of course – is beyond debate.
But there’s a second argument here, and that is that the people on The Biggest Loser are wrong for wanting to better themselves, for seeking the happiness that they are so clearly lacking. And I disagree with that.
I don’t buy that second video at all. It is filled with people saying, ‘I’m already confident, I’m already happy’, but most of them just look plain sad. And anything but confident. You can see it in their eyes.
Of course, some overweight people ARE happy and confident, and that’s great. But many aren’t. Many want to change. And that isn’t wrong.
In fact, I think the fact that these people are getting the help they want and need to change their lives by being on the show is a really positive thing. And inspirational for those sitting at home who also want to make a change.
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Sally, how dare you question whether those people in the second video are really happy, loved or confident, because you THINK you see sadness in their eyes!!! That is so presumptuous, judgmental and patronising of you. You are clearly buying in to the perception that you have to be slim to be happy. Looks like The Biggest Loser marketing worked a treat on you.
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Not at all, Liv.
I never said that ALL fat people are unhappy or lack confidence. If people are fat and happy and confident, then fantastic! Good for them.
But the people on The Biggest Loser – and many others – aren’t. They’re miserable. And yet this article is arguing that they should just be happy as they are, and that wanting to change is wrong.
Change, however, can be really positive.
Some people want to lose weight for themselves. Plain and simple. And – like everybody who seeks to positively change their lives on their own terms – they should be supported and encouraged.
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I went for a checkup the other day and the Dictor told me “for somebody who is morbidly obese, you are quite healthy”.
Thanks Doc.
Anyway I watch The Biggest loser and spend the first half of the ep wishing I’d applied and the rest of the season thanking the lords of laziness that I didn’t.
I have spent my whole life being ridiculed and made to feel unworthy and unloved by strangers and ‘friends’ alike. It makes me so angry that these contestants who are desperate to lose weight then go on TV and get ridiculed and humiliated every single episode. The producers need a good kick up the arse.
And yet I sit there watching, crying and stuffing my face with M&M’s.
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I just can’t watch The Biggest Loser. For all the reasons Meshel has put so eloquently.
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Yes same. I don’t want to be treated that way. I don’t treat people that way. I don’t have any desire to watch people being treated that way
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In the SMH yesterday they did a review of the Biggest Loser and this line really stuck out to me.
”It’s one thing to be obese and lonely; it’s another to be obese, lonely and single”).
An indefensible voyeuristic freak show that appeals to the very worst in human nature.
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I wanted to have “Real Love” (the theme song and e reworked Beatles track) as one of my wedding songs. Now it’s associated with this stupid show! Bummer
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It was my wedding song 4 years ago. I am dirty that they used it.
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It was our wedding song too! I love the Regina Spektor version from Lollapalooza the best but we had a singer friend of ours sing us up the aisle with it instead
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My bf and I absolutely love that song. They reeled him in before it even started by using it…
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You are so right meshel. I have to admit I usually watch the biggest loser and love to see contestants with so much confidence and improved self esteem at the end. But the eating challenges make me so uncomfortable and are only included because it makes “good tv”. This year the connection that thin = love is so deceitful! What happens when a contestant loses half their body weight and stays single? Can they sue the show?
I have been with my partner for 15 years, and the size and shape of both our bodies has fluctuated over the years. And hey, TBL, it hasn’t caused us to stop being together and happy!
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For me, The Biggest Loser is compelling TV. The combination of people who are clearly physically and emotionally damaged by both their own hand and the cruelty of others, together with the techniques employed by the TV producers, make it imminently watchable. Which is, of course, why its made – people watch and the network makes money from the advertisers who target those viewers.
Meshel, I think we have some complex and conflicting messages going on in our society’s debate about weight. I think you’ve confused the issue of what’s healthy – ‘your body does everything you need it to do’ – with the issue of how those whose bodies don’t do everything they need it to do are portrayed on TV.
At the heart of these programs are people who really do need to make a change. I have no idea what your body type is, but from your headshot, I sincerely doubt that you are anywhere close to the weight of the show’s contestants. Last night, it was clear that for many of those people their weight was an issue of health, and for some of them, life itself. If they don’t make a change, some of them are going to die premature deaths because of their extreme obesity. In the last series, Dr Norman Swan did an overall health analysis of each of the contestants at the start and end of the program. The improvements that every contestant made on every measure from blood pressure to lung function during the course of the program saw them regain years of their lives, in some cases decades, and hopefully avoid some of the terrible illnesses that result from large amounts of excess weight.
So while its very easy to criticise shows like the Biggest Loser for many of its techniques, I think the debate could probably be a bit more nuanced. I have an acquaintance who was a past contestant on the show and who lost nearly 40kgs. She talks of the program as the best experience of her life, (despite the fact that her portrayal was not always flattering) and credits the changes she has made as a result with a completely new outlook.
So personally, I’m looking forward to watching again tonight and for the coming weeks to watch those individuals transform.
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Well said Suzie. I have always found it amazing watching these people get back their life (despite some of the cringy moments). While I see what Meshel is saying, you’ve articulated the opposite argument beautifully.
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‘Get their life back’ temporarily, at least. There is nothing wrong with promoting exercise & healthy eating. I practice these myself & am not overweight, so I’m not speaking out because I’m oversensitive. This program promotes unrealistic weight loss and dangerously demanding exercise regimens. It’s unsustainable. I have read follow up pieces and most of the contestants regain weight when they leave the show go back to the real lives.
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I don’t agree with everything you have said Meshel. I can see that by flicking over occasionally and watching snippets of the show, you would just see fat people being tormented. And I completely agree that some of the advertising is way off mark. I have NO IDEA what is going on with the naked trainer thing. Completely weird and unnecessary. As for rude and degrading comments being made about contestants, I guess that wholly depends who you are ‘following’ or ‘friends’ with on social media. I have never seen a degrading comment made about any contestant, but then I am tapped into groups who are supportive of these individuals, their struggles and what they are trying to achieve.
If you take the time to listen to the stories and backgrounds of these people, you will find that the Biggest Loser is often their last life-line to life. It’s not just about being accepted by the ‘beautiful people’. These contestants have genuine health issues. They need education – on how to eat, how to exercise, what genuine health is. They need to learn how to think in many case, how to believe in themselves, to understand they really can achieve something for themselves if they try. OK, so Channel 10 is pushing the love angle. That’s just a marketing ploy. But someone who has no idea how to love them self quite often finds it hard to put themselves out there, giving someone else even just a chance to get to know them enough to love them back.
I have been involved with Michelle Bridges’ 12 Week Body Transformation on and off since it’s inception in early 2010. Michelle has a huge following and has changed thousands of lives through this programme. The discussion forums are always full of members who watch The Biggest Loser, who can identify with different contestants, and use their journeys as motivation to improve their own lives. Not to be beautiful or to fit into a size 6, but to grab life with both hands and truly live it.
Maybe if you looked a little deeper, past all the TV hype and dodgy advertising, you just may see something worthwhile. Just a little?
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Agreed!!
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You seem to have missed the point here, Meshel. Biggest Loser is not about making fun of obese people or calling size 12 women “fat”. It’s about promoting a healthy lifestyle. Even if Tiffany and other trainers are relatively toned – they never say “our body is the best”.
It’s really a shame that Mamamia creates a platform to publish such pointless articles. Mamamia – you don’t like “10 year olds” modelling, you don’t like reality shows that aim for a healthier future for people who are on the verge of dying from a heart disease and you don’t like anything that’s out of the ordinary in fashion. I reckon, you need to go back to the 90s. You belong there.
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Healthy is one thing, I sincerely doubt the weight loss regimen they use on these shows is in any way desired. In fact I think it would be closer to being ‘medically unsound’. But each to their own!
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My best friends a dietician and she loathes the practises of that show. She says it’s the polar equivalent of starving in the desert – the stress that this massive weight loss puts on their bodies is astronomically ‘unhealthy’.
Not to mention that the show sets people up to fail because no one can keep up the food and exercise regime in the real world.
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Well you opened a can of worms here! But i guess that is your intention. Here’s my opinion.
Do you know what “weight loss regime” they follow? You would have to in order to write your comment.
I know what the red team follows and I followed those same principles in 2011. I lost 48 kilos and learnt how to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. It is not just about weight loss. It is about everything you gain in the process. I’m strong, fit, healthy, confident and “medically very sound” according to my GP.
I am still following the principles I learnt last year as this lifestyle is forever. I still train 6 days per week. I still eat nutritious food to fuel my body. I don’t eat any junk food and I don’t miss it or want it.
You can’t make everyone happy but who cares? I used to be a size 24 and “the fat one” and now I am a cute size 10-12 i get called “skinny mini/tiny” everyday at work. I hate both labels but I love who I am now and that’s all that matters.
TBL shows me that it takes Damn Hard Work to achieve goals worth achieving. I’ve done it and commend the contestents for doing it in the public eye. Hopefully their journeys are the light-bulb moment other people need to actually improve their own lifestyles instead of sitting on the couch and just think about it.
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Congrats on your achievements! Sounds like a lot of hard work, but you sounds so happy
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Splasharama, you don’t mention you are a Michelle Bridges 12WBT devotee, therefore, to me, you have a bias in that because Michelle’s program has helped you, there is nothing wrong with it at all.
And a “cute” size 10-12? Isn’t cute reserved for kids under the age of 12? Isn’t “cute” what people label you?
Are you telling me, that at 110kg or so there was NOTHING you could find about yourself that you liked? That you had to lose weight to actually love yourself?
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Yes I’m living the 12WBT lifestyle. I have been for 12 months and will continue to do so as it makes me feel great.
I’m now labelled as cute, tiny and skinny mini. No matter if you are obese, healthy weight range or underweight, people judge may judge what they see on the outside.
Didn’t like myself at 110kg – that is correct. I liked my personality but first impressions showed a big unhappy person. For me, it took leading a healthy and active lifestyle to become confident, strong and happy. Some people can be obese and love all aspects of themselves – a huge credit to them, as I was never able to do that.
Everyone is different and I appreciate you taking the time to express your opinion.
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I couldn’t agree more Rick. As someone who is relatively healthy despite needing to lose a lot of weight to ensure the longevity of said health, BL is a stupid sham that teaches people UNHEALTHY habits, like losing weight too quickly, water-loading to trick the scales and workouts that could only be achieved with a personal trainer or medical assistanc e standing by in case you have a heart attack. SOME of the show is relatively useful, like the food education parts etc, but mostly it depicts unrealistic and unhealthy weight loss. Just look at the loose skin these people have at the end of their ‘journey’.
I would much prefer (and would actually watch) a show that really educated the overweight audience on healthy lifestyle choices and that showed people losing weight over a sustainable period of time, by making realistic lifestyle changes.
Rant over.
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Lovely Meshel – thank you for sharing your thoughts. I generally don’t watch commercial TV, though I loved seeing you on Can of Worms! At the end of the day commercial television is there to provide an audience for ads, so people will buy the products advertised – so I generally find with the amount of ads on Australian television it’s a waste of time for me to spend time watching these kinds of programmes. As a female with PCOS and being obese, I don’t find these programmes particularly inspiring and a waste of my time. I would rather spend my time cooking healthy new recipes, watching a movie/dvd, hanging with my partner/friends, getting helpful and healthful ideas from websites, reading a book or going for a walk.
But I’ve talked about these kind of things with girlfriends and some do find it motivational in that they realise what bad habits can lead to and make them want to establish good ones. I was a bit embarrassed watching some of the ‘lovelorn’ contestants on television and thought it was quite humiliating for that girl to share that she hadn’t been kissed.
Being overweight/obese is not healthy and can lead to terrible problems (trust me I know) and some of those people on the video looked like they could really do with a healthier lifestyle and to lose some weight. Not to conform to society’s norms, but to feel and look healthier. I love myself as I am (I’m actually a happier person than I was within my normal weight range) – but I also know I could do better in some areas.
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ugh! Something about that Tiffany Hall really creeps me. Her persona screams “but don’t you want to be awesome like me?”. From the woman who won’t even eat an orange because they contain too much sugar.
Yes I have my judgey-wudgey pants on today and I don’t care.
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When it comes to Tiffani “Warrior” Hall, my entire judgey-wudgely outfit comes on!
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Im no relation to Tiffiny but I went to school with her. She has always been very energetic and positive and was well liked amongst her classmates.
I don’t see how criticising Tiffiny for being upbeat and energetic is any better than criticising people for being fat or thin. The judgement from so many women in these comments on fat, thin, personality and others is so freakin condescending.
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Sorry Kass, but I don’t believe, from her depiction on the show that she is upbeat and energetic, I find her bullying and condescending, which is why I don’t like her!
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I can only speak about how I found her personally and what those who knew her growing up say. I think she is very energetic – sometimes scarily so!
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I seem to be saying this a lot lately but being overweight is not healthy!
These people are trying to lose weight to be healthier.
I think the point is being missed here. These people need to lose weight and develop a healthy lifestyle. It is not saying they need to look like a supermodel but they all need to lose weight for their own sake, for the sake of their family’s and kids.
Overweight people put a large strain on the resources of a community (ie health care) and are teaching their children the same habits so this problem will continue.
People need to be educated, so if putting a weight loss program on prime time TV will help encourage, motivate and educate people I am all for it.
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But they aren’t there to lose weight. They are there to win a competition. How many of the contestants actually keep the weight off?
And saying overweight people put a strain on the resources of a community is a gross generalisation. I don’t know anyone, who is overweight and putting a strain on the community.
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I think you are missing the point that the bullying, humiliating tone of these shows is both wrong and counter productive.
Suggesting that people are not good enough to be loved until they look a certain way is quite off really.
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I really don’t see how these shows are realistic in any way, or could teach people how to eat properly and exercise appropriately. These people are on the show 24/7. They don’t go to work. They don’t have to look after children. They have, literally, ALL DAY to exercise and prepare healthy meals.
Wouldn’t a better program be one which follows people on a REAL journey? People who manage to fit everything in between their real life activities?
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I bought that Michelle Bridges book “Crunch Time” a couple of weeks ago, because I want something with exercises I could do at home. There’s a whole section on eating, etc, with some fairly good recipes. At some point she makes a comment that if two people wanted to lose weight & one did a lot of exercise but ate unhealthily, and the second one didn’t exercise more but did follow a healthy eating plan, it would be the second one who lost weight.
So why does TBL show hours each week of sweatiness, emotional manipulation & schadenfreude instead of teaching people about healthy eating? For all the claims of teaching the nation better habits, it’s because ecause pointing & laughing makes for better ratings than actual advice.
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That is the one thing that drives me nuts about the show!
It’s saying you have to thrash yourself to lose weight. Nonsense! Those contestants could do no exercise at all and just change their diet and they would lose the weight – they just might not lose it as quickly (and the show is only about three months long).
I would so much rather see a show about how to change your bad eating habits, shop and cook healthily and lay off the ice cream than how to thrash yourself in the gym.
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Being unhealthy is being unkind to your self, obesity is a massive issue that needs attention.
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Oh rubbish! Obesity receives more attention than any war, any social injustice or any disease in the world. It drives the biggest industry in the western world too, and yet, we keep getting fatter.
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I hope you don’t drink, smoke or eat any food with preservatives in them, because those three things are also linked to causing massive health issues in the general population, like cancer and heart disease, irrespective of how fat or skinny you are.
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I don’t drink, smoke or eat shit food so am I allowed to say that obesity is bad and pretending it isn’t is silly and naive. Why so defensive and if you are comparing an obese person with someone who drinks in moderation and occasionally eats food with perservatives in it, it just shows how educated you are on this topic.
It is not the same thing, obesity is far more dangerous than having a glass of wine a few times a week. You can repeat the same point 1000 times but that won’t make your argument right.
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Actually, Trish, you can repeat your argument 1000 times and it doesn’t mean that YOUR ARGUMENT IS RIGHT. I am highly educated on this topic and read a wide variety of UNIVERSITY AND PEER REVIEWED ARTICLES about it, and if you actually want to appreciate anything other than your own ignorant & naive viewpoint, then I suggest you look up leading health sociologist Dr Samantha Thomas (oh she’s not fat either so any argument you might try to advance that the “fatties” are just getting defensive is debunked by her work and research), and get some clarity.
Just because you don’t drink, smoke or eat shit food does NOT qualify you to make the unequivocal statement that “obesity is bad”. There are many factors that go into a person’s health and who are you to look at a fat person and judge, from merely looking at them, how healthy they are and how much of a strain they will put on the health system?
I don’t do any of those things either, but I am still at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer because my grandmother and father died of it. I am also at an increased risk of developing melanoma because I spent too much time in the sun as a teenager.
If I develop either of these illnesses, I may very well put more of a strain on the health system than any fat person who has no health problems. In fact, to date, I have put more pressure on the health system having moles removed and scans on my abdomen than any fat person I know.
But you don’t judge me do you, because I’m not fat!
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Okay, you are way too defensive about this and maybe it’s worth looking into why you’re getting so angry, capital letters and all. I have to say I’ve read plenty of your comments on this topic here and my impression wasn’t that you’re educated on this topic but that you’re very bitter for reasons that you only know.
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It’s quite simple really, I cannot stand people dressing up bullying of fat people as “a health crisis”, it’s cruel, ignorant and mean. I feel strongly about it, even if it is not really applicable to me, the only thing I feel “bitter” about is how awful it must be to be overweight and have the message the BL and people in these comments throw at you.
See, Dr Samantha Thomas, health sociologist.
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Ah the old “I don’t want to address your logical argument so I’ll call you defensive and bitter and try and invalidate you that way” response.
I agree with Whippersnapper.
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Bookworm, there is nothing logical about arguing that you can be healthy at any size. I work in the medical field and I don’t get my information on google. I’ve never met a doctor who believes that you can be healthy if you are obese but I am sure if you spend enough time on google you will find some “expert” who supports your agenda.
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Yup cos fat prejudice doesn’t exist in the medical profession >sarcasm font<
Assuming you really do work in a medical field, I feel sorry for you that you don't think people can be healthy at every size.
If you're actually interested in an alternative viewpoint, I point you here http://kateharding.net/faq/but-dont-you-realize-fat-is-unhealthy/
and here http://danceswithfat.wordpress.com/2011/11/20/10-reasons-to-practice-health-at-every-size/
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It IS a massive issue. Compare the cost of a burger, fries, coke AND sundae at McDonalds with a healthy lunch. It probably comes in at under half the cost of a salad roll and yoghurt or veggie juice etc. That’s one of the gigantic reasons we’re all getting fatter. Plus the whole ‘low-fat’ industry which produces products that are laden with sugar….
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I agree about the cost of food -I remember sitting in the car with an overweight single parent friend and her children while she bought them all Maccas because the healthier food in the place where we were going to was ‘too expensive’. I know she is struggling on her income so I said nothing – but my stomach was just churning with anger that some people feel that this is their only alternative.
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Please, a juice is just as bad for you as coke. The only thing juice has nutritionally over coke is that it has abit of vitamin C. Otherwise, it’s just like drinking liquid sugar.
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Yes – my dietician advised it was better for me to eat a piece of fruit (with the fibre and no added ingredients) than to have the juice.
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She says veggie juice. This is better!
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Fruit juice has a lot of sugar, but she said veggie juice, completely different.
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They seem to have forgotten that you if you’re thin and a tosser – you still won’t get a date.
And perhaps PERHAPS the overweight contestants have zero self-esteem not because they’re overweight but because we live in a world that constantly tells them that they are unlovable because of their size.And they believe that message. Losing weight will not score you more dates! It’s your self-esteem that is the key.
Meshel Laurie, I love your guts. x
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Unfortunately, Bec, plenty of thin tossers get dates. I wish that wasn’t a fact of life, but it is.
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Best line ever: “You know it’s wrong to treat others that way, you’ve known it since pre school, so don’t do it.”
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I am going to be unpopular here but I love watching The Biggest Loser.I love the” journey” and the successes contestants achieve. I know intellectually that it is better to accept your body no matter what how much you weigh.Emotionally I would hate being overweight and I always strive to be a certain weight which makes me feel great.It’s a contradiction that I think many women experience.
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I like watching contestants come out of their shells… like Nathaniel from last season, for example. He found his confidence to shine and love himself. He also found his voice to express to other people (eg his family team mates) that he deserves respect, regardless of his size.
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Thank you for this wonderful post Meshel. Thank you. It horrifies me that the message TBL is sending this year is you are only lovable or worthy of love if you are a certain size ie. thin. So dangerous, so cruel, so belittling.
And….
So wrong.
Just ask the millions of people worldwide who are not thin and in very loving, happy relationships. I’m one of them.
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I say get this crap of television. I am sick to death of TV executives pitching these stupid ideas and insulting to one’s intelligence levels. I know we have a choice NOT to watch it and switch the channel but seriously – why give them air time? What’s next?!? Some exec pitching this idea: Lets have a TV program where 12 refugees battle it out in the outback or a series of aussie challenges such as Cane Toad shooting, driving a taxi in Sydney and the winner gets the Ultimate prize…. a VISA!!! come on people!!!
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Hi Julie
I don’t think that’s the message they are sending at all. I think the contestants themselves don’t love themselves, and if you don’t love yourself at any size, it’s hard for others to love you too. Many of this years contestants have never had relationships of any kind – THEY feel unlovable, that’s why they applied to be on the show.
You don’t have to be obese to have body issues. As you know, I have had surgery recently for cancer and am now at 65kgs as a result. I’m a healthy size 10-12. But I hate my body, I feel deformed and completely bent out of shape even though I too am loved and in a happy, strong relationship. I don’t FEEL good though because I can’t do much exercise – I’m not exercising to lose more weight, I exercise because I think it has had a positive impact on my eating, my psychological health and because it gives me some mental time out from the stressors in my life.
The Biggest Loser was what prompted me to start exercising and eating better last year. Many of the contestants who get to the end are healthier and thinner, but not THIN. It’s very possible to be overweight and happy and being happy is so important. But being physically healthy is too – whether that equals “thin” or not – being physically healthy helps stave off illness and disease and, as you also well know, being physically healthy can help in the recovery of surgeries and serious illness. My own good shape got me out of hospital after major surgery last October up to a week sooner than doctors expected.
It should also be pointed out that The Biggest Loser employs phychologists, nutritionists (last I knew Janella Purcell who is also on Good Chef Bad Chef), doctors, physiotherapists and other health professionals. For privacy/legal reasons, we don’t see a lot of that side of what contestants do. It’s not JUST physical exercise.
The Biggest Loser might not be perfect in its approach but I think any show that demonstrates the benefits of healthy lifestyle should be applauded and not belittled. If you’re fat and your happy, good for you. But don’t hate on people who are not happy due to their weight (overweight, underweight or whatever) because it’s not how you live. If this show was about tough love for anorexics/bulimia would you be quite so critical? Probably not, methinks.
Kass
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I don’t hate on anyone Kass – never have and never will. Just not part of my makeup. Nowhere in what I have written above does it say that or suggest that.
Congratulations on your continuing path to full wellness.
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Your kidding yourself if you don’t think that’s the message the tv show is pushing! I find your comments, especially near the end very harsh towards Julie. Your personal attack is not founded. No where in her comments has she said anything that indicates she is ‘hating on people.’ It is just your perception of the issue, so it is with love and tolerance of others that your opnion is read but not heard.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
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You are welcome my darling.
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Go Meshel!!!
I think this year’s Biggest Loser in particular is setting unrealistic goals for themselves. They are not losing weight for themselves so they can be healthy and active, but rather to please society’s view that you need to be thin and beautiful to find love. It is putting too much pressure on themselves because they are always going to have in the back on their minds that if they put any of the weight back on they are not going to have any relationship success.
What happened to loving the person on the inside? This whole series just plays into the superficial part of society that so long ago needed to be eradicated.
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Couldn’t agree more Meshel! I must admit I have watched previous episodes of TBL – but just can not stand it any more. Other than being boooooring (watching people work out and being yelled at by their trainers), it is so incredibly exploitative. e.g., for what useful purpose do the ‘contestants’ need to stand in their underwear in front of a full length mirror and the cameras?? Now the exploitation is extending to the trainers, with their naked promo shots. The cherry on the cake is this season suggesting that they are single because of their weight, with the none-too-subtle implication being that they will find love if they lose weight. Oh please! (Tell that to all of the single non-overweight people out there).
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Totally agree with this. Bravo! These are two shows I won’t be watching in 2012. Ajay Rochester on ‘Excess Baggage’ has lost weight & regained it all (twice I think). Doesn’t anyone see the irony in that?
Oh and apparently Keven Federline (one of the loosely termed ‘celebrities’ on ‘Excess Baggage’) collapsed yesterday. What about the health issues associated with pushing unfit people too hard?
For the record the ‘Biggest Loser
trainers look deeply unattractive to me, especially the guys. Of course, I’m being superficial now!
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“What about the health issues associated with pushing unfit people too hard?”
Exactly.
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I love the Biggest Looser.
The focus is on health. Eating right, feeling better.
I don’t sit at the screen and call the contestants names.
Twitter is not necessarily a reflection of real life.
I look forward to seeing them breakthrough their limitations – it inspires me to breakthrough mine, and it also re-directs my focus from ‘i want to be thinner’ to ‘i want to be healthier’. A good shift I’d say.
Australia’s obesity rates are atrocious and our tax payer dollars will/do inevitably pick up the hospital tab of related disease. In this climate I believe programming that encourages dramatic life changes towards a movement of good health can only be good.
Unfortunately the advertising strategies don’t always go well under the microscope, but to be honest I think they are *gulp* somewhat necessary when you are trying to break a successful ‘loose weight’ message into pop culture.
Meshel – I say this with respect – perhaps you should have at least watched an episode of the program you are addressing. The program has moved on from the scene you are describing you watched many years ago. However a commentary limited to the advertisements is fine I guess.
I hope that MM will offer Michelle Bridges… or the other counterparts an opportunity to respond if they wish.
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Alcohol and smoking cost the taxpayer just as much in disease, if not more than any disease that obesity may be related to.
Something like 90% of the contestants put on a large amount of weight once they leave the show, some even going back to their pre-BL size. Clearly, the show isn’t working.
Nobody can sustain the level of exercise and the level of scrutiny with their eating in the real world. They have jobs where they too pay tax, and obviously can’t exercise for 10+ hours a day like they do on the show. It is unrealistic to expect them to continue with the regime they have in the house. It is an unrealistic portrayal of weight loss and developing healthy habits.
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1. “….obesity …. drains the national budget each year by $58.2 billion”, (Sun Herald report, March 13, 2011).
2. “…smoking … costs our society $31.5 billion each year”, (Nicola Roxon, media release, April 7, 2011).
3. “Depression-associated disability costs the Australian economy $14.9 billion annually”, (beyondblue website)
There’s the stats whippersnapper. You will see that obesity drains more than smoking. And a little research also clearly shows that depression associated disability has increased significantly in Australia as obesity rates have. There is obviously not always a link. But there is a link.
Two points
1. I would love a ‘quit smoking’ show too. the excuse of ‘dont address one, or we’ll have to address them all’ does not sit well with me.
2. The thought is the show INSPIRES people to get moving, to take a closer look at their own health, to see how easily it can be done. It becomes more about the educational and emotional impact the show can have on others, and less about those actually participating. In my opinion.
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http://www.smh.com.au/business/slim-truth-in-fat-figures-20111123-1ntr5.html#ixzz1eVARkcLM
“The costs break down as $3.9 billion for the health care system, $4.4 billion in “other” costs relating to lost work days, taxes forgone and other productivity losses.”
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See, Dr Samantha Thomas, senior health sociologist. Here’s what she (after university funded study and research she has undergone herself):
http://www.monash.edu.au/news/show/obesity-myths-and-one-inconvenient-truth
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“Alcohol and smoking cost the taxpayer just as much in disease, if not more than any disease that obesity may be related to.”
Not true! Can you at least begin your sentence with “in my opinion” or “I think” instead of stating false information not supported by any evidence like it’s a fact.
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Ok, in my opinion, that I have formed from reading research completed by health sociologist, Dr Samantha Thomas & other studies. Do you have something to support your opinion that mine is incorrect?
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I followed the link you put up as you are so vehement in your replies. The research is from the Dept of Marketing and not in a Peer reviewed Journal. I didn’t see any references that they used to prove their arguments against “Myths’….
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Sorry, on her website she has references to all her peer reviewed work & uni research. Can hardly ever get those articles without a subscription that’s why I put the link it was the only recent free one I could find!
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I really loathe these shows. I mean the titles themselves, such as “the biggest loser” is so self depricating. I think these shows set UNREALISTIC expectations, I mean who realistically has 8 hours in a day to work out and have chef prepare meals for them? C’mon. Its about making a lifestyle change, and the MOST important change is what is inside rather than outside. Your mental health and attitude as well as things you cannot see such as blood sugar levels, etc. Also I don’t believe Personal Trainers are the most healthiest role models. I have seen the bullshit diets they themselves go on and recommend their clients go on. Some Personal trainers claim “Nutrition” as part of their PT plans and don’t actually have any in-depth education on nutrition. Best to see a dietician / doctor who can put you on a healthy weight management system. You don’t need to sign up to a gym to achieve what you want – JUST MOVE!!!! enjoy the exercise don’t make it a chore! and be realistic with your goals. 99% of getting healthy and fit is SELF MOTIVATION and DEDICATION, noone can claim that for you. PT’s can only guide you and advise you to help you get on your journey the rest is your work. I just think that its sad to make someone lose so much weight so they can be considered “acceptable” in society – it should be lose weight to get to a healthy level or a level where its comfortable to enjoy life and be happy.
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This is a fantastic post and I completely agree. Like you, I’ve only ever flicked over for a few minutes and picked up comments about the shows on twitter. I find it particularly upsetting that this round on Biggest Loser (I feel mean even writing that, what a demeaning name) is ‘singles’ and all of the advertising implies that the contestants will only be able to find love once they’ve lost weight. Bullshit.
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I TOTALLY AGREE.
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Meshel, I find more reasons to like you every day! Thanks for an amazing post
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My other problem is the way in which the contestants lose weight: pushing your body to the edge, incredibly restrictive diet that is not realistic for the real world, the amount of weight they lose each week (aren’t you only supposed to only lose up to 1.5kg a week?). Being on a programme like this and not being taught how to change your lifestyle for the better concerns me — it feels like a binge or something.
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Even 1.5kg is alot – for the weight loss to be sustainable, and kept off.
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1.5 kg a week isn’t a lot when you’re 70-100kg overweight. At those weights, even minor lifestyle changes will result in quite dramatic losses for most people.
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mmmm….Commando
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I watched the first season of Biggest Loser. Haven’t watched anymore.
I could go on that show. I’m overweight, plus I have a sob story which the network would love. But I wouldn’t be there to win the competition. I would want to be there to learn to eat properly and to exercise.
But the thing is, it’s a competition. People remove people because they are a threat, not because they are lazyand bringing the team down. It’s about strategy. Why can’t it be about learning how to lose weight and keep it off?
And after all this time, the contestants should know what to expect. Surely they’ve seen previous seasons. I realise how hard it must be, but the whinging and complaining is beyond annoying. And then you fast forward a year and half the contestants have gained some of the weight back. What’s the point?
Clearly, I have an issue with Biggest Loser. But what I will say is this . . .
I wouldn’t kick the Commando out of bed if he farted.
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I wouldn’t kick the Commando out of bed if he shat in it! Too hot for words mmmmmmmmmmm
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The contestants know what they are in for – this show has been on for a long time. The fact is that they are desperate to lose the weight, that’s why they are on TV.
I’m not overweight, but I still find this show inspiring; it reminds me to eat well, it reminds me to get to the gym. Why? Because of the achievement felt after a good session.
Yes, the show is over dramatised, but in the end, people are losing weight, gaining strength and decreasing their chances of illness and disease.
I think it’s a pretty good marketing job having the singles. They have had families and other series have had couples (maybe that was an overseas version), and the fact is that they are saying they don’t have the confidence to speak to someone or ask them out on a date, because they have low confidence, not because they are fat.
New Girl and Biggest Loser are my two new shows!
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Low confidence goes beyond “I’m not confident because I’m fat”. That much is clear, because there are plenty of fat people out there who love themselves, love their bodies and are very happy and fulfilled. There are always underlying issues with low self esteem and they won’t be solved by being screamed at by a trainer and working out so hard that they vomit.
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Have you ever read the stats on how many of them put on an enormous amount of weight in the years following their appearance on the show?
Fiona from the first series went back to over 100kg within the first year. The lady who won last year admitted she was exercising like a fiend and hardly eating so she could win the competition and stacked on about 8kgs in 2 months after the show! Clearly the show is NOT working with “changing lives and instilling healthy habits for life”.
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I watched TBL last night and loved it, but can definitely see why people might see the underlying message as being “thin is loveable”.
On one hand…. I think they are trying to teach the contestants to love themselves through getting healthy and happy. How can anyone love you unless you love yourself etc etc.
BUT on the other hand…. there did seem to be a fair bit of emphasis on the idea that “people will love me once I lose all this weight”.
I don’t know how I feel about TBL trying to become a dating show. I think it was much better when the focus wasn’t on finding love.
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MM TEAM – I am SO PLEASED you have published this article. THANK YOU so so much Meshel. I found the advertising campaign this season particularly abhorrant.
HOW THE F*CK does Michelle Bridges propose on exercising in the nude? I mean, she’s sitting there in the nude with trainers on, so we can ONLY ASSUME she intends on EXERCISING IN THE NUDE, otherwise I don’t see the message the ad is supposed to send. HOW STUPID. Don’t even get me started on Tiffani “Warrior” Hall.
I’m absolutely OUTRAGED by the “love yourself” campaign, which basically implies that fat people don’t deserve love, and/or you must be thin to have love. Except apparently, all the contestants had their family members on the show last night which clearly means they are capable of receiving love because their families were there!
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I for one don’t want to watch ANYONE exercise in the nude!
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I dunno. I wouldn’t mind seeing Alexander Skaarsgard doing yoga in the nude.
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Oh how delicious, me too! Haha
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You will be amazed by the amount of people that think fat people don’t deserve to be loved.
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My fiance and I were discussing this show last night and how disgusted we were about how they portrayed the contestants. Eg: one of the under 30 male sitting on a park bench, 2 skinny girls sit down next to him and turn their heads away. We were disgusted.
We then we discussing previous seasons of the show – The Families, where they showed them sitting down to eat “an ordinary dinner”. The table has THAT much food on it, I was suprised there was room for them to sit down.
It may just be my opinion, I know I could be completely wrong, but I just don;t think some of them could have afforded to eat all of that food everyday, and channel 10 are (possibly) trying to compare the show to the US version. And if anyone reading this has travelled to the states and eaten an entre at some of the resturaunts you will know what I’m talking about.
In saying that, I wish all the contestants the best of luck in their journies
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Hey Sarah, you mustn’t have been listening to the voice over for that part. Yes it was obviously produced for the girls to sit on the park bench, but it was HIM turning away from them and the voice over said something along the lines of ‘I get shy and turn away when I see girls’.
It wasn’t about the girls being mean, it was him feeling so down on himself that he couldn’t approach them.
Cheers
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I can’t watch these sorts of shows. It just upsets me to see other people upset. If it were a scripted sitcom I can watch people in pain because they are being paid to act, but reality tv with real pain. No, not for me.
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I’ve watched these shows, mainly because my husband is a fitness junkie and is trying to pick up fitness tips from the Commando, but this year it really makes me uneasy.
They’re losing weight so they can find love. It’s like the show is trying to push the ideal that one must have companionship in order to be truly happy. There’s no guarantee that losing weight is going to help them find happiness, but by looking at the ad campaign, your swear the show was a dating show.
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Welcome to the world of reality television. Popular because it allows people to sit in their comfy lounge chairs to judge a criticise others. It’s not clever or artistic. It’s pure trash TV. I truly lament the state of TV these days
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I don’t watch The Biggest Loser often, if I do it’s in the background during dinner… can’t say it interests me very much. But I do think it’s a great opportunity for the contestants. True, challenges can be degrading, and the producers build up situations to get emotional responses, but these people really need help. They want to be healthier and happier, and this extreme situation helps them get there.
Must say I find the advertising campaign annoying though. WHY must the trainers be naked??
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I don’t watch those shows. Weight loss is a personal journey which is inextricably tied to deep seated psychological issues and behavior change which is much more in depth than what can be captured in a 30min spot. The health benefits of maintaining a healthy weight are irrefutable, but I don’t believe these shows send the right message. Thankyou for a compassionate read meschel.
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I watched a little of it. I don’t generally have the attention span for The Biggest Loser, because I actually don’t think watching people exercise is all that entertaining. I’ll watch 10 minutes and then switch off, or it’ll be on in the background while I’m doing something else.
Anyway, I’m rather unaware of any nastiness going on about the contestants, though I can imagine. I’ve watched bits and pieces of previous series and my main worry has been wondering if it was really healthy to lose that much weight so quickly. I’ve always heard that it isn’t, yet we get these trainers on television telling us that they have a “cast of thousands” of doctors who are medically supervising everything. A “cast of thousands” paid by the producers to say what they want them to say, I’m guessing.
This year’s series though seems more bothersome to me than the previous ones. What bothered me about what I saw was the strong message that these contestants don’t have anybody because they’re fat. I didn’t get that message from previous seasons. They definitely had singles on before, who stated they’d like to meet someone. But they also had plenty of contestants who had boyfriends/girlfriends, were married or engaged and who had children. All the things the current series seems to be telling us that these new contestants haven’t been able to get because of their weight.
I find that incredibly offensive. Part of the reason I left the TV on last night when the show started was because I wanted to see if the message I gleaned from the ads was really the way the show would be, or if they were just terrible ads. But no – the ads are a fairly accurate representation of what the show is. These people are being told they are single because they’re fat and when they’re no longer fat, they’ll find somebody. I honestly can’t believe this is on television. Well, actually, I can believe it and I guess that’s the problem, that I expect this sort of rubbish.
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I agree completely!
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I get told often that I’ll find someone new soon, and I quote “Especially when I lose some weight”.
Does wonders for the ego . . .