'More to Love' Plenty to Hate

When I first heard about the premise of Fox's new reality TV series for "the regular-sized woman," I was both uncomfortable and horrified. Not because a show tried to break down the typical TV boundaries, which solely rely on beautiful people and their six packs, but more so because it just sounded like a disaster just waiting to happen.

Don't get me wrong, I completely believe fat people need love too. I mean, we're in Green Bay afterall, and there are thousands upon thousands of cases right in our own backyard of these "More to Love" residents finding their true love fairytales. The thing is, when you make it all about the extra weight a person may be hauling around, it makes it tough to watch.

And that goes for anything. If they had a show called, "Jews Need Love Too" (FOX, don't get any ideas), it'd be the same situation. You don't want to watch a show where people obsess about being overweight, or being Jewish, or being short for that matter, as a justification for why they can't find love. Here's the thing -- I know America as a whole is pretty darn judgemental and even downright spiteful. But no one wants to hear all about your pity party.

"More to Love" capitalizes on the pity party. Everyone talks about how their extra pounds keep them away from finding love. And then they cry. For an hour. I think this show is insulting. It puts these ladies on a freakshow-type pedestal and practically invites the American viewing public to watch, point and laugh. But it's not funny. It's just sad. You feel bad that they're unhappy and that they've struggled with confidence and the dating scene. But then you can't help but wonder, how is this show going to help them with that when they're eventually picked over until only one woman remains. How will public humiliation and rejection on national television help this situation?

And really, I'm the last person who will sit there and tell someone they should lose weight. It's not about the weight. It's about the way the weight is portrayed. These women talk about it like it's an immovable third eye. And I know a lot of people struggle with weight -- especially women -- but that alone shouldn't make these women give up hope or think unless it's for a show like this, they may never find love.

These women are not freaks. They're not unattractive. And they're certainly not completely hopeless -- or should they feel as though they are. But by creating a show like this, it would do nothing more but make them continue to feel this way.

"More to Love" airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on FOX.

Did you watch the show? Will you tune in this week? What did you think about "More to Love?"

-- Sara Boyd, sboyd2@greenbaypressgazette.com