Monday, August 3, 2009

More To Love

The heads at the Fox reality show department have done it again. They're bringing us "More to Love", a Bachelorettesque dating show revolving around a 330 lb. former football player looking for love with 20 plus sized girls.

Okay, let's start the complaints with the premise itself. In the previews for the show the producers complain about the juncture between the tiny (size 2) contestants on typical reality dating shows and the "normal" American woman (size 14). I watch a lot of television. The women on these shows are probably a size 2-6. Most of them are a 4. Guess what? I'm a size 4. It's not unhealthy or uncalled for. It's what size most girls who are average height (5'5") usually look like when they're eating healthy and working out. And size 14? That is fat. I don't care if it's average, it's not normal. It isn't. If you're 5'9" and a size 8 or 10 you might be working out and eating healthy. If you're a size 14 and any height, you're fat. Do not make unhealthy people, people whose health issues make up a LARGE majority of deaths in the United States and whose medical costs drain the already bloated health care system, think that it's okay or "normal" to be that way. And don't make a normal, healthy girl who's a size 4 feel weird. That's what people are supposed to look like. Our stomachs are the size of our fists; if we all ate like we ought to--a fistfull of food a meal--we wouldn't be so fat.

Another issue with the premise? Okay, so these fatties are gross not normal. But there are a lot of them. More of them than there are healthy people. So, the statistical probability that they really can't find anyone to love them because of their weight alone is pretty low. It's ridiculous. Also, I'm willing to suspend my disbelief of a man only being interested in overweight girls, some people just love the fatties. But I haven't heard any of these girls say that they like overweight guys. It's like they're all being painted as completely devoid of self-esteem, ready to settle for whatever tiny table scraps that Fox reality will throw to them.

And the picture of this that producers and editors have painted is startlingly clear. Girls are crying left and right, talking about how grateful they are they they've been given one last chance at finding love. As if at 25 and overweight the trivial "More to Love" is really the singular opportunity to find love, and thus happiness. And hey, girls can only be happy if they've found love.

One of these girls in particular, has never been on a date. She's 26. The reason? Her weight. Because obviously most fat girls (who comprise most girls) never, ever go on dates. It's obvious to anyone that this girl has serious emotional issues...she's crying in EVERY SINGLE interview. And then the dude chooses her! Over a girl who is totally secure with her weight and herself.

We'll see how it turns out, but I'm sure it's going to be an enraging train wreck this week too.

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