True Life: I'm Obese- Kyle Rising
As many people know, True Life is a show on MTV that documents what certain people go through in their everyday lives. They have a great variety of shows such as I Have a Double Life or I Use Steroids. One episode that specifically has to do with weight problems is True Life: I’m Obese. In this episode, MTV follows 3 people who are obese and what they do in their everyday life. Two of the three people are very unhappy with their weight and are aiming to receive insurance to cover gastric bypass surgery, a basic surgery where the stomach is clipped to decrease the volume and bypassing a part of the small intestine, therefore making the person become full faster (WebMD.com). During the show, humiliating footage of the troubles of obesity is displayed. Most of these troubles that they experience are problems that most do not have such as getting in and out of a car, walking to the kitchen, or fitting in a seat. The participants in this show need to lose weight due to the harmful effects such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, strokes, and more ( cdc.gov). This may be a sad story for some, but could this American pop culture show also be adding to the problem? I believe that True Life: I’m Obese is creating a problem by allowing people at home to watch and laugh for their entertainment, letting people act differently in front of the screen than in person, and humiliating the people on the show.
One of the obese individuals on the show is an African American teen named Cory. During filming he was a senior in high school who was getting ready to graduate. He had many struggles in school that most teenagers would have never thought about having. One problem Cory had was he had to find a desk for him to fit in (view picture above). If he could not find a desk, he would have to sit at a table. Another problem took place both in school and out of school was when people would make fun of Cory because of his weight. Also, Cory was always seen eating more food, whether it is Cheetos or a McFlurry. In fact, some scientists say that food addiction is similar to alcoholism or drug addiction (Web4Health.info). Cory may convince viewers of that possible fact. The show demonstrated all of these problems quite often and presented how Cory felt about them. He was very depressed and saw gastric bypass as his way out of the imprisoning body, but how do viewers at home feel? People watch this show in front of the television screen and see Cory in pain, but they most likely do not feel the same way. Since the show is for entertainment, people may just laugh at him when he could not fit in the desk. Other people might laugh at him because he talks about wanting to lose weight, but continues to eat junk food wherever he is. This show allows people who would not laugh at obese people in public, to laugh at the screen which is a problem in society showing how heartless some people are. Cory is not helping solve the problem of weight portrayal in the media either because he volunteered to humiliate himself on television by just eating wherever he is and showing that you will be miserable if you are not skinny.
The other person on the show that wants to get weight loss surgery is Amy, a woman in her twenties. During the show, she weighs approximately 550 pounds and can barely walk and almost wheelchair bound. Throughout the show, she receives gentle massage treatment to help the fluid in her body move. This lack of movement and energy forces her to rely on her husband for cooking, cleaning, and even help her get in the car. Amy describes during the show that she was overweight her whole life, even during school. She confesses how throughout school other students would make fun of her which made her depressed, causing her to eat even more. Experts say that usually the victims of bullying are extremely self conscious, sensitive, withdrawn, and most likely, do not have a single good friend ( psychologymatters.org). All of the past and current events in Amy’s life have triggered her to receive weight loss surgery. It shows how people will risk their life in surgery to get skinny. The question is, is Amy’s portion of True Life causing the same problem that Cory’s portion is? During the show, the viewer can see the embarrassment that Amy has to go through, such as when she cannot fit through the door of a restaurant or when a little kid yells, “Wow, she is so big!” right in front of her. Why would Amy, like Cory, allow cameras in her life when it is just an hour of humiliating footage? This portion, along with Cory’s, is on MTV for entertainment for viewers to either just say that they are happy that they are not extremely obese or to just laugh at when little kids are making fun of them. Most people would just try to ignore or not say anything if they catch sight of someone Amy’s size, but in front of the television screen, people are allowed to act a different way and show how they really feel. Viewers could show their true disgust for the obese like Amy, or laugh when her wheelchair gets stuck in a door. Amy’s spot on True Life: I’m Obese, causes a problem in American popular culture like Cory’s does. It allows people to make fun of those overweight without feeling guilty and humiliates those who are obese. This makes me question if MTV is the best channel for this show to be on since its viewers tend to be younger and have audiences that are similar to those that made fun of Amy and Cory during school. Amy’s portion of True Life can be viewed below.
Overall, what is the purpose of this episode of True Life? Is to humiliate those overweight, allow viewer to look at struggle for their own entertainment, or is it to permit those at home to behave differently than when they see obesity in public. This has been a problem in American popular culture over the current years along with various other shows that revolve around being overweight and underweight. I believe that many of these shows should change the idea that only skinny is beautiful, and also change the show so they do not completely humiliate the show participants.
Works Cited
Ogden, Carroll. "Overweight and Obesity." CDC. 18 Dec 2008. 18 Dec 2008 <http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/>.
Olweus, D.. "School Bullying is Nothing New, But Psychologists Identify New Ways to Prevent It." psychologymatters. 29 Oct 2004. American Psychological Association. 19 Dec 2008 <http://www.psychologymatters.org/bullying.html>.
Palme, Gunborg. "Causes of Addiction and Eating Disorders." Web4Health. 26 Oct 2008. 16 Dec 2008 <http://web4health.info/en/answers/ed-causes-addictive.htm>.
Rea, Caroline. "Gastric Bypass." WebMD. 20 Apr 2007. 15 Dec 2008 <http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/gastric-bypass>.
"True Life I'm Obese." MTV. 17 Aug 2004. 15 Dec 2008 <http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/truelife/episode/episode.jhtml?episodeId=79877>.