Happiness, Determinism, and HUGE
The new ABC Family show Huge has been getting lots of press lately. The show focuses on a group of teens at a weight-loss camp, and it serves as the first show with a predominantly overweight (actually obese) cast. But what kind of messages will it send about body image, self-acceptance, and health? Many people are worried that the show will reinforce stereotypes of fat people (that word is a choice, BTW. I don't think we need to use euphemisms for fat). And it certainly is replete with stereotypes, as are most TV shows and movies. The question usually boils down to whether we should accept ourselves if we're fat or whether we should try and lose weight. But I don't know why people feel the need to take one side or the other. The real problem I have with the self-acceptance and fat pride movement is the all-too-frequent accompanying message that you will always be fat, there's nothing you can do about it, so just get used to it and accept it. I think that's...