Monday, September 14, 2009

More to... what?

I feel like it's kind of wrong to capitalize off "fat" people.
I am, of course, talking about the show 'More to Love' that I watch partially to feel good about myself, partially to laugh, and partially because it holds the same morbid fascination as a car wreck. I understand that the basic premise of the show is to demonstrate that plus-size people can find love too. Apparently, the average size of a woman on a dating show is a 2 and the average size of the people on this show has got to be 14 and upwards. The only thing I'm not understanding is that if the average size of a woman in North America is a 12, which likely means most women hover around there, but also fall below at both 8 and 10, how come, in the name of showing this, the woman on this show are bordering on the cusp of unhealthy?
I understand the aspect of portraying part of our culture that usually doesn't get much air-time in favor of the skinnier counterparts. I also feel as though this kind of program is glorifying obesity. It's not like I'm a part of the population that's 2, but I still am uncomfortable with the capitalization off "fat".
Putting the insecurities up on TV, listening to at least one woman bemoan wearing a bathing suit every single week also doesn't seem like something designed to muster the sensitivity of viewers. I feel like it's designed so that people can either a. laugh at it or b. feel better about their own self esteem because of it.
This is, however, an incredibly touchy subject. Am I saying that I don't believe that the plus-sized should be entitled to love? To trashy dating shows? No, I'm asking why it's necessary they have their own? Why must they be segregated from the population? Is it wholly acceptable that there has to be dating shows for "skinny" people and dating shows for "fat" people.
I've watched both of these varieties. On the "skinny" shows, it's all about sex and chemistry, on the "fat" show, it's largely about self-esteem and "loving for what's on the inside". I'm on episode 6 and there has still been no hot house hook-up. The thing is, I think the guy on 'More to Love' is just as douchey as the other Bachelors out there. Just because he's plus-sized, doesn't mean he's a total player who's learned to say the words, "I really want to get to know you deeper, what you're really all about" while making puppy-dog eyes. In one episode one of the ladies is looking at a breath-taking view of the city, he says it's beautiful, she says "I know", and he goes, "I was talking about you". And then I vomited. Just a little. In my mouth.
Basically what I have a problem with is the segregation of "skinny" and "fat" when really I don't think those things make a really large difference of who a person is. There are teeny mega-bitches, and there are plus-sized mega-bitches. So, capitalizing off the "fat" aspect of a show, unless it's something legitimate, like "The Biggest Loser" which is about health and improving for the sake of yourself, is wrong. It's not demonstrating "understanding" for different kinds of people, it's putting barriers between people.

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