Something that I noticed recently is the increase in stories and media dealing with overweight and obese individuals; and more specifically the idea that being overweight is the norm or status quo. I have a problem with this on a number of levels but first will discuss some of what I have seen in the last few days.
While watching a prime-time television program this past week I saw a commercial trailer for an upcoming dating show. We have all seen the shows like The Bachelor and Bachelorette, and even shows like Average Joe etc. The latest one that will begin showing in the next few weeks on Fox is titled "More To Love", and is basically "the bachelor" for overweight contestants. Don't get me wrong, I am all for accepting someone for who they are, and think that everyone has the right to find love, a significant other, and happiness. My problem with this show, is that it is being marketed in way that "normal", "real", and "regular" means that they are overweight. I know that it is a real struggle to lose weight, but supporting shows like "More to Love" I believe that it is facilitating an inaccurate standard, enabling bad habits, and saying that being overweight is normal and healthly. You can watch the trailer just below this blog.
The second example of this change in standard comes from an article I read online last week about clothing sizes. I wish I would have bookmarked the article so I could link it from here, but basically stated that clothing companies are consciously decreasing the numbers to market to the overweight and obese population. What used to be a size 14-15 is now a size 10-11. Now if the same person walks into one store and trys on a pair of jeans that says "14" and fits comfortably, and then trys on a different brand that says "10" even though they fit the same, which pair do you think they are going to buy? It is smart marketing to sell pants, but just like the TV show above, it does nothing to address the health, or fitness, and furthers the idea that being overweight is no longer overweight, but normal.
What really made me decide to write and get some feedback on the subject was a movie. I was watching the movie "Wall-E" with my kids the other night, and in the movie all of the humans are obese and spend all there time in chairs; eating and watching the tvs in front of them that are their lifeline for everything. It made for good comedy, and I know its a far reach, but when do we recognize the difference between entertainment and real life. How far and fat are willing to go before we recognize the problems that we face?
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