Watching 'The Biggest Loser' may increase anti-fat attitudes

[The Straight Story]

Watching 'The Biggest Loser' may increase anti-fat attitudes


"The Biggest Loser" is an extremely popular show that's spawned a mini weight-loss industry and inspired a slew of loyal followers. But does watching the show foster more positive or negative attitudes about overweight people?

That's what researchers set out to find in a study, published online recently in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Participants included 59 people, mostly white women whose average age was 20. About half were randomly assigned to view an episode of "The Biggest Loser," while the others, acting as a control group, watched an episode of "Meerkat Manor," chosen because it featured no people who could have influenced the viewers' feelings about weight.

Participants were given surveys one week before watching the shows as well as right afterward; the surveys focused on various attitudes and feelings about obesity, including likability of heavy people, whether weight is controllable and stereotypes about obese people. Questions were also geared to catch implicit weight biases.

After watching "The Biggest Loser" episode, viewers had more anti-fat attitudes than those in the control group, which included stronger beliefs that weight is controllable and more dislike of obese people. This, the authors noted, happened even though during the episode the contestants talked about their struggles with weight loss and showed them working to achieve their goals.

http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-biggest-loser-fat-bias-20120113,0,6268444.story

[athenasatanjesus]

1. I wish it produced anti reality TV attitudes. nt

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. Interesting! I suppose that seeing that fat people are not happy

to be fat, makes the difference. I think there might be some people who are under the impression that fat people are slothful. Sort of a Protestant work ethic attitude transferred to people who are heavy-set?

[undergroundpanther]

4. yes it is a religious derived belief but it is culturally abusive

that underlies our culture's fat hatred.
. For Leslie Lampert, a ‘normal’ weight woman who spent 1 week in a ‘fat suit,’ the changes in people’s behavior towards her were astounding.

One morning I gained 1501b, and my whole life changed. My husband looked at me differently, my kids were embarrassed, friends felt sorry for me, and strangers were shamelessly disgusted by my presence. The pleasures of shopping, family outings and going to parties turned into wrenchingly painful experiences. In truth, I became depressed by just the thought of running the most basic errands; a trip to the grocery store or the video shop was enough to put me in a bad mood. But mostly, I became angry. Angry because what I experienced in the week that I wore a ‘fat suit’–designed to make me look like a 250-plus-lb woman–was that our society not only hates fat people, it feels entitled to participate in a prejudice that at many levels parallels racism and religious bigotry. And in a country that prides itself on being sensitive to the handicapped and the homeless, the obese continue to be the target of cultural abuse.1

http://www.obesity-online.com/ifso/lecture_Flanagan.htm



Obesity

Fat-phobia and prejudice against the overweight in our culture is such that obese people (particularly women) tend to have a very poor body-image – not to mention severe anxiety and depression (studies have shown the mental well-being of obese women to be worse than that of the chronically ill or even severely disabled). These problems are not caused by obesity itself – in cultures without fat-phobia or where fat is admired, obese people show no signs of these effects – but by social pressure and the association of beauty with thinness.


http://www.sirc.org/publik/mirror.html

[Sarah Ibarruri]

9. Fascinating! Thanks. Yup, the media promotes female anorexia through anorexic models

which is the other end of the coin of the fat-hatred (also tremendously spurred along by the media).

[undergroundpanther]

3. Fat phobia

when being fat is a complex issue,the calories in/out model does not work. If it DID fat people would be rare in this country. Poverty is a big factor in one's weight.Social issues,Food manufacture processes .Environmental factors,emotional factors. On top of all that,there are loads of bigoted fat phobics and newly thin people barking unwanted advice and insults induce such shame upon the fat people.. and of course our culture so cruel and so narcissistic,and shallow offers no relief.
And sad fact is 95 of 'successful' dieters,go on to gain it all back in a few years.

[yewberry]

5. What bothers me the most

is that this program promotes the idea that people can and should lose prodigious amounts of weight in a short time. The people featured lose vast amounts of weight in a week or two, and this could cause people to believe that they should be able to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. After all, they saw someone do it on television!

I think it also makes sense that "The Biggest Loser" probably reinforces the idea that people who do not lose weight are lazy or unwilling to make the effort that it takes.

Sad.

[mucifer]

6. The other awful part of the show is the constant product placement for crappy foods.

Subway sandwiches, bottled water and lots of processed crap that you see the contestants eating.

To me it seemed that the show was based in product placement.

[itsrobert]

7. I haven't watch the show in years

However, I do remember the show constantly educates the contestants about how being obese is dangerous to your health and can kill you. The show plays at the viewers and contestants emotions. Many contestents have reason why they want to lose weight. Sometimes they had a close family member that was overweight and they ended up dead at an early age. And they would bring their kids in and they would tell the constestant that they don't want to lose their dad, mom, etc.

So maybt the attitude is fueled by the education is that being fat is life threatening.

[fujiyama]

8. We're seeing this abuse at a younger age

It's ironic. We're becoming meaner and nastier to fat people, while more and more getting obese. I'm speaking in particular of an ad campaign in Georgia that is part of fighting obesity, but instead it's just insulting with photos of fat kids.

Tough love is one thing, but this has gone into the realm of just plain meanness. It's also not really getting anywhere in combating the underlying causes of childhood or adult obesity.

People have few cooking skills - especially in preparing veggies that are bland.

Fresh veggies are actually not easy to find in many areas (so called food islands or whatever).

People work long hours and have no time for preparation.

Price per calorie of fresh veggies vs. crappy processed food.

Phys. Ed along with other activities is limited or eliminated in many schools.

No sidewalks in many communities throughout the US - try having your kids ride bikes on some of these streets!

Video games/TV. (Wii has done a somewhat decent job getting people to get up though).

Lack of actual preventative health care, not health insurance for "when you get really sick".

And the cycle continues and is passed down. It's very difficult to break out of a cycle. It does take personal dedication, but also knowledge and understanding. I admire the first lady in doing what she could in this regard but it takes a societal attitude change towards nutrition and fitness - and the realization that it's not really about being skinny looking good in a bikini or getting a six pack, but just about general health, and feeling energized, refreshed, and active.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. What are your thoughts about "Mike and Molly"?

Not a reality show but rather, a sitcom.

Yes, there are "jokes" that do reference being overweight, diet, and challenges, but I find the characters to be very likeable, human, warm, and sympathetic. We need more shows like this to battle the anti-fat prejudice.