The Representation Of Overweight And Obesity On Television

Obesity in television is not well represented. In general, characters on the small screen tend to adhere to the conventional definition of beauty. Studies show that this lack of representation of a particular body type can translate into harassment of overweight people.

In recent years, TV series producers have begun to include racially and ethnically diverse characters. However, this diversity almost never includes the representation of people who weigh more.

What is obesity?

Obesity is the mass accumulation of adipose tissue in the body. An increase in body fat also implies an increase in total weight. In some cases, thyroid problems or other hormonal imbalances are the causes of weight gain. However, the most common cause of obesity is a nutritional imbalance.

When you consume more calories than you burn, your body stores extra calories as fat. Therefore, athletes are able to eat diets that are rich in carbohydrates and fats. On the other hand, people with sedentary lifestyles need to make sure that their diet equals the number of calories they burn.

Studies warn against being overweight, which puts you at high risk for cardiovascular disease. Obesity also increases your risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, blood clots and heart attacks.

Obesity is more common in industrialized countries. This is because the pace of life in these countries leaves some time for cooking or eating. People who are overweight because of their diet tend to prefer fast foods that have a high sugar content.

Beauty and fashion have nothing to do with overweight people

Over time, the idea of ​​beauty has changed. In the early 20th century, people believed that the “perfect” woman was shaped like an hourglass. To achieve this perfect figure, women wore very tight corsets. After World War II, being slim and pale became the new definition of beauty.

With the advent of commercial movies, the style of movie stars became popular. Black hair cut into a short page and pants were fashionable for women. Dark eyebrows and red lips on pale skin became the standard of beauty.

During the 20th century, slender bodies were considered beautiful. Fashion and clothing were designed with slim men and women in mind.

It is possible that this happened because no one had a great chance to gain weight. The countries that participated in the war suffered from famine and shortage of goods. Their economy had not recovered enough to provide for their citizens.

But as people began to gain weight, the standard of beauty remained the same. Women with small waists and slender thighs represented beauty for most of society.

Since then, an entire industry has built on the idea of ​​refusing a normal body size. The industry rejects normal and real bodies. Fashion designers continue to create clothes for people who only exist on the runway during fashion week.

Beauty and obesity in television

The TV and film industry followed the fashion industry’s standard of beauty. Although television and film are relatively new industries, they have a significant impact on how societies are built. The audiovisual material offers examples and role models for the viewers.

The film industry chooses to avoid showing people whose weight varies from the “conventional” weight. In that sense, obesity is made invisible, just like different racial groups. Obesity almost never comes up in movies, and much less on TV.

When overweight characters appear on television, they tend to be caricatures. They are obsessed with losing weight or are the tip of the joke. Obese people are often harassed and ridiculed for their weight. That said, in the 21st century, we saw subtle but important changes in the film industry.

Obesity on television means real characters

These days, television is slowly changing. Several racially different divr appear on TV shows. The most popular TV shows have more believable characters that deal with stereotypes. Despite this positive progress, there is still very little representation of obesity on television.

Several producers are trying to represent real bodies on television, but there are groups that are opposed to showing obesity on television. There are online magazines, press members and even medical groups that think it is wrong. People who argue against representing obesity on television say it is for health reasons.

They say it is not right to show overweight people in a positive light. If people start doing that, they think it will normalize obesity for the viewers. Viewers may think obesity is harmless, or even desirable.

Nevertheless, many producers believe that showing obesity on television is a way to be inclusive. Showing overweight people means that their character is a true reflection of real life.

In that sense, we agree with them. It is important to show the diversity of our society. That is the only way we will be able to achieve equality today.