I just discovered My 600 Pound Life on TLC. If you haven't seen this particular show, you've seen one like it. I guess The Biggest Loser qualifies, but I've never watched it. The show portrays an incredibly obese person who is trying to lose massive amounts of weight. Usually these shows end in some version of success, with the person losing a great deal of weight.
First, big ups to all the people portrayed on shows like these. Whatever reason they end up on these shows, they're taking an incredibly difficult step to improve their lives, one that I am not sure whether I or many other people could take. They know exactly how society sees them, and yet they still allow cameras in their life. Even if the weight doesn't stay off forever or if they don't meet their goals, they're still doing the thing.
Why, then, do these shows leave me feeling uneasy? I don't ask that question rhetorically. Do these shows have a rubbernecking element to them? As in, are we watching these shows because they show incredibly debased people in times of deep crisis? Do these shows focus too much on the individual and not enough on the societal conditions that have led our entire nation to overweight?
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