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Hopefuls fall hard at the end of episode one.
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Certain to fuel strong emotions, FOX network premiered its new dating show last night, More to Love. The episode began with poignant text noting that the average dating show contestant is size 2, while the average American woman is size 14. Luke, the show’s bachelor, a large man himself, prefers voluptuous and curvy women. All the contestants fit that bill.
OK, so far so good. Nice guy, looking for a ‘real’ woman, not some calorie obsessed Barbie. So far the focus seemed to be on ‘real’ people.
As contestants exited the limos and met Luke for the first time, viewers were shown clips about each woman. Their stories were sad. Several women had never had a date, many felt this was their one, only and last chance in life for love. Through their tears they shared their hopes of finding a man who would “not be embarrassed to be with me”.
As the women spoke to the camera, below on the screen was their ‘information’. In other dating shows the contestants are identified by name, occupation and the city they hail from. Here, contestant’s height and weight were also listed.
How absolutely mortifying it must have been for these women, knowing that their weight was going to be provided for all of America’s viewing pleasure. Even normal weight women don’t like sharing their weight. If the goal of the series is to show that full figured women are every bit as deserving in life as their thinner counterparts, then what is the purpose of this?
The focus on weight only serves to objectify these women to the viewer. “Oh, she’s the one who weighs 280 pounds, and that’s the one that weighs 200 pounds.” Zoo animals are identified by their size and weight, people should not be.
After opening their hearts and spending an evening with Luke, five women were sent home that night. It was heartbreaking watching them leave. You could almost feel their sense of failure and defeat as they fought back tears.
Obesity is certainly a tremendous problem in the U.S. Prevention and childhood obesity have become a national focus. Being overweight affects mobility, one’s risk of disease and longevity. It is something that many struggle with every day. People do not seek to be obese, even though it may be a result of their lifestyle choices. There is no one answer to solve the obesity issue and overweight individuals deserve the same respect and consideration that the rest of us expect.
As the national focus on obesity heats up, is More to Love hoping to capitalize on stereotypes? Will they continue to portray these women as desperate or pathetic; as if the status of their love lives was the sum total of their worth. How unfortunate, how sad, how wrong.
Did you watch? What did you think?
Photo credit Flickr user IOHK
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