The Biggest Loser by Suleena Mahajan
The popular reality show, Biggest Loser, instills in the minds of people that being obese only results in negative outcomes. Instead, having a body like a celebrity is the only solution for having a more happier and healthier life. Popular culture forces people to feel that a certain body image, mainly a thin body frame, is the only body image everyone should have. People are willing to take drastic measures and join these kinds of TV shows in order to promote the very same popular culture mentality.
There are many factors in this show that emphasizes this main point. One factor stressed in the show is the statement that being obese is unhealthy while being thin is healthy. Also, many people believe that the Biggest Loser is very inspirational and that everyone who does this kind of workout is sure to lose weight. However, many people do not realize how much the contestants put their bodies at risk in order to lose a high amount of weight in such a little amount of time. Each person also has to make many sacrifices after being selected as a contestant on this show. A false impression the show arises is that people say that the number one reason they joined the show was to obtain a perfect body image, but for some people money is the number one key factor for their participation. In addition, Biggest Loser claims that watching the show will motivate a person to keep a healthy weight, but it is also true that many people watch the show only for entertainment purposes. Another social issue the show raises is the constant humiliation of the contestants by their trainers.
The target audience for this argument is mainly the obese population who watches the Biggest Loser. They need to understand that the negative consequences outweigh the positive results. This is an important issue that many people should analyze because people think that the Biggest Loser is helping a person become thin. However, the audience doesn’t realize that this particular show is also promoting a certain body image. The show and the trainers use tactics, which are mentioned above, as a disguise to sustain the concept that every individual should have a fit and a healthy body shape akin to most celebrities.
The trainers make the contestants do extreme workout in order to make the contestant thin like most celebrities. They make the contestants lose weight in a very short amount of time. Doctor Rob Huizenga, the doctor of the show Biggest Loser, recommends that the viewers should not mimic the workout performed by the contestants. He states that there are several health factors involved with a person who does this amount of exercise in such a short period of time (L.A. Times). Even the doctor of the show articulates that this show is not a good tool to help an ordinary person lose weight. Losing weight is one thing, but losing excessive weight in a very short period of time can cause a lot of health problems to an individual. It is necessary for an individual to lose weight but the key to do this is to lose weight gradually and to attain a healthy diet.
Contrary to the belief that people with excessive body weight are unhealthy, the University of Michigan’s Research team reveals that “weight is not a reliable barometer for health” (New York Times). The article states that thin people are also at risk of developing health problems that is commonly faced by obese people. Research conducted by this team showed that 24% or 16 million of thin adults are considered unhealthy and is at risk of cardiovascular disease (Journal Obesity Management). This reveals that the Biggest Loser is biased towards all obese people since the show automatically assumes that being fat means that the individual is unhealthy. Being fat does not necessarily indicate that an individual is unhealthy. The Biggest Loser is disguising the fact that they also want to promote a thin body shape by using the unhealthy factor as an excuse.
The contestants also have to make a lot of sacrifices in order to become part of the show. These sacrifices include the contestants’ inability to see their families until the show is finished. The contestants are also forced to leave their jobs. Most importantly, they will have to leave their old life behind for a certain period of time. These sacrifices can cause emotional distress to innumerable people, and the ability to handle this stress can be very unpredictable and vary with each individual. The contestants who are ready to give up everything are the ones that proceed to the higher level. This displays that certain obese people are willing to make these sacrifices because they want to have a thin body frame and they know that this kind of body shape is encouraged the most by popular culture.
Neil Tejwani
Money is also a main key point, which drives people to audition for the Biggest Loser. Losing weight can be one factor, but some contestants are mostly in it for the money. The person who is crowned as the winner of Biggest Loser will receive $250,000. For example, one contestant from season four, Neil Tejwani, drank water right before the judges were going to weigh him for the elimination round. By drinking large quantities of water, he gained seventeen pounds. This huge weight gain helped him eliminate another team member, Jez Luckett, whom Neil thought was a threat to him because he could have become the potential winner of the Biggest Loser. Then the next week, Neil was saved from the elimination round because he lost the most weight since the excessive weight gain was only from water. The unfair act shows that some contestants want to lose their weight for a perfect body image and the money.
Countless people watch the show only for entertainment purposes. People think it is very amusing to watch obese people stress out and do extreme workout. This conveys the message that the viewers also promote a certain body image. The obese society is extremely overweight and therefore people think it is funny to see a fat individual exercise, to see fat belly and arms wiggle around.
The perpetual humiliation is also constant throughout the Biggest Loser. The trainers go to a severe extent by saying negative things in order for the contestants to become even more stimulated to lose weight. This shows that the trainers will not be satisfied if the trainee loses a little amount of weight. They rather want the contestants to lose immense amounts of weight because they want the contestant to obtain a robust body shape like a celebrity.
Conclusion
The Biggest Loser is an example of a large cultural issue because this show is not as accurate or as realistic as many people believe it to be. Many obese people view this show as their only hope for obtaining a body like a celebrity. However, working out in such extreme methods is not the way to go. This show misleads the audience that having a body shape like a celebrity is the only way to live a healthy life and the obsession of becoming thin will lead to all positive affects. On the contrary, the contestants have to face humiliation, sacrifices, and put their bodies at risk. This show demonstrates how popular culture enforces a certain body image, and if a person does not have a body type, then that person is unhappy, not good looking, and unhealthy.
Works Cited
Akbartabartoori. "The associations between current recommendation for physical activity and cardiovascular risks associated with obesity." The International Journal of Obesity 1-9 (2007). 14 Dec. 2008 http://www.nature.com/ejcn/journal/v62/n1/full/1602693a.html.
Parker, Tara. "For Health, Body Size Can Be Misleading." New York Times 13 Aug. 2008. Health. 15 Dec. 2008 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/for-health-body-size-can-be-misleading.
Rawe, Julie. "Fat Chance." Time. Science Of Appetite. 12 Dec. 2008 http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1626795_1627112_1626456,00.html.
Stein, Jeannine. "Biggest Loser, Should You Mimic Its Weight Loss Methods At Home?" Los Angeles Times 10 Nov. 2008. Health. 16 Dec. 2008 http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-loser10-2008nov10,0,6788209.story.
Thomas Samantha, Jim Hyde, Paul Komesaroff. Obesity Management. October 1, 2007, 3(5): 210-215. doi:10.1089/obe.2007.0065. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/obe.2007.0065