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Old Tue, Oct-29-19, 01:19
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Demi Demi is offline
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Who Are You Calling Fat? review: obesity is an important topic, but this was just too crass

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2019...pic-just-crass/

Quote:
"I don’t want to be overweight," sighed civil servant Babs. “But in the next breath, I think ‘Ooh, there are Magnums in the freezer’.” We feel your pain, Babs. ’Tis truly a dilemma for the ages.

Who Are You Calling Fat? (BBC Two) was an uneasy blend of crass reality show and thoughtful documentary which shoved nine overweight people into a shared house in the Oxfordshire countryside, then didn’t seem to know what to do with them.

Initially they shared their personal experiences, providing nuanced insights into living with obesity and its social stigmas. Should they learn to love their plus-size bodies or strive to lose weight? The group split into two factions: those who were uncomfortable with their current weight and were trying to control it with diet, exercise or, in sales manager Del’s case, bariatric surgery; and those who leaned towards body positivity and “fat activism”.

A villain soon emerged but it wasn’t the double-door fridge heaving with junk food. It was “body-acceptance coach” Victoria, who domineered with her supposedly empowering psychobabble and cod-expertise. “I’m an intuitive eater, which means I eat what I want,” she declared bafflingly. “Health doesn’t exist, it’s a social construct.”

She refused to answer questions about mobility because they were “ableism”, dismissed arguments as “internalised fatphobia” and steadfastly denied medical facts. Sarah, the director of Obesity UK, described body positivity as “a brainwashing cult”. It was hard not to nod in agreement. Dieting lorry driver Jack put it more succinctly: “I think it’s a load of b------s.”

The heavy-handed concept did occasionally prove illuminating (who knew Domino’s did a cheeseburger pizza?) and threw up poignant moments, mostly involving Babs’s battle with self-esteem. When Victoria challenged the group to join her in “a public stand for self-love” on a busy city street by stripping to a bikini, putting on a blindfold and encouraging passers-by to write supportive messages on her body (as you do), Babs was horrified at the idea but eventually said “f--- it” and took the plunge. “I’m glad I’m blindfolded,” she smiled. “It’s mopping up the tears.”

With more than a quarter of British adults now obese and its impact on the NHS escalating, this programme was well-intentioned but its confusing format ultimately frustrated. It felt like it should be airing on a commercial channel, rather than BBC prime time.
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