Golda Poretsky wrote an amazing post about something truly terrible that’s happening on The Biggest Loser. This season they are planning to bring kids on the show to be “mentored.” Apparently they won’t be eligible to win money. They also won’t participate in weight ins.
That will probably be of little comfort when they are put on a show that former contestants have described as a “dehumanization process…where they start teaching you that because you are overweight you are sub-human.” And where trainers get in your face and yell charmingly motivational things like “I’M BORED WITH YOUR PATHETIC STORY!” Where trainers insist that contestants ignore the advice of dieticians and doctors so that they can make their bodies as small as possible as fast as possible in order to win money. Explain to me again what kind of mentoring we’re providing to these kids?
Golda has started a twitter campaign #stopbiggestloser, and she encouraged people to do other things such as start petitions. Jeanette DePatie suggested that we start a petition as the co-founders of the Fit Fatties Forum and so we did.
You can sign it here and please feel free to pass it on.
Somebody has to stand up for these kids – I can’t imagine the damage that will be done, not just to the three on the show, but to all the other kids who are encouraged to become involved in unhealthy behaviors to become thin by any means necessary. A rapid weight loss reality show is no place for children. It’s time to take a stand – please consider signing the petition and passing it on.
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