Jillian Michaels and partner Heidi RhoadesJillian Michaels' hiatus from the show that made her a household name allowed her to fulfill her dream of becoming a mom. So it's no surprise that she's marking her return to The Biggest Loser with a show about kids. What is surprising is that parents are actually letting their kids go on the show.
The next season of Loser will be the first ever to focus on the childhood obesity crisis. That means at least three of the contestants are 17 years old or younger. That's right, America, three overweight kids are about to be put out on a national stage for the rest of us to gawk at.
As a former fat kid, I'm going to come right out and say it: this might just be the WORST thing you can do to your overweight kid!
I can only guess these poor kids are in for a whole lot of public shaming. And my heart breaks for them as only the heart of a one-time chubby kid and current recovering bulimic can.
When you're a kid and you're overweight, you do everything you can to make your weight disappear. I mean that literally in terms of dieting, but I mean it figuratively too. I spent my teen years hidden away in over-sized sweatshirts and even bigger jeans. Thank God baggy was in in the '90s.
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But even as time -- and styles -- have changed, the reality of being a fat kid has not. American waistlines might be getting bigger, but we still live in a fat-shaming society where major women's magazines publish hate-filled screeds against "fatties."
And lest you say this will somehow be different because the new stars of Loser will be "just kids," allow me to point you toward the vile Internet hate that's sprung up in response to the reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. People are delighting in how badly they can trash a 6-year-old, and that most certainly includes mentioning her weight.
Now consider that Honey Boo Boo, while it has mentioned weight, is not a show that focuses directly on the issue. But Biggest Loser does and will. It will put out on national TV how morbidly obese these kids are and allow Americans to draw what conclusions they may.
These kids are about to be famous in the digital age, when escaping your critics is more or less impossible ... especially when part of being a teenager is being hooked into the Internet.
The fat hate is hard enough for the adult contestants who aren't dealing with the rollercoaster of emotional ups and downs that come with teenage hormones. Put that kind of pressure on a kid, and you could be talking devastating long-term effects.
I think the Biggest Loser producers and Jillian Michaels are brave here. She's said she'll talk about her own struggles with weight as a kid, and that could be inspiring. But I wonder at what risk. What will this do to these kids?
Would you allow your overweight kid to go on a show like Biggest Loser? Why or why not?
Image via Pacific Coast News
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Comments 31
I just don't think it's a good idea based on what I've heard about what goes on behind the scenes. They lose weight too quickly (which you can clearly see during weigh ins) and i've heard they ignore medical advice and have the contestants dehydrate themselves for weigh ins. Then I've heard how half the contestants gain it all back because most people can't work out for 12 hours a day in the real world and they were never shown how to maintain it in any real way.
If the kids wanted to do it. Why not? They are going to give them the tools to make better choices. It will also allow them to go back home and teach their parents where they could make better choices. I think it is brilliant. Again if the kids are the ones wanting to go and they are not being forced. Why not allow them the same chance that every adult has?
Hi! I am Dr. Joanna Dolgoff and I am the official pediatrician and child obesity specialist for the Biggest Loser. I was brought on the show to make sure the kids are taken care of physically AND emotionally. They will not be weighed on camera and we will not be discussing their weight on camera. No child will be eliminated from the show. They will not be treated at all like the adults.
Two of the kids are 13 and the other is 16 and they are three of the most amazing, inspiring individuals I have ever met. Unlike the adults, the kids are doing this from home (with occasional visits to the ranch) using my Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right Child and Family Nutrition Plan which has been used safely and effectively by thousands of kids around the country. They are not using one of those fast (ie unsafe) weight loss fad plans.
The Red Light, Green Light, Eat Right Plan talks about foods in terms of colors. Green Light foods are healthiest; Yellow Light foods are moderately healthy; Red Light Foods are the least healthy. Fruits and Vegetables are Unlimited. Using colors instead of calories helps kids understand the nutritional value of foods without getting bogged down or obsessed with calorie-counting. And we are not depriving these kids of the regular joys of childhood. Each child gets 2 Red Light foods each week so there is no deprivation and no food is off-limits. A child can go to a party and have pizza and cake with his friends (using his Red Lights) without going off the plan.
My program empower kids by giving them the tools they need to make healthy choices on their own while providing emotional support throughout the process.