Article Link Why you are wrong about the BL outcome

[cherimac]

Originally Posted by intelsana

I believe most people were upset about the fact that biggest loser encourages and rewards such extreme weightless and not judging her as a person

That's it exactly. And that's why I won't watch BL.

[Sarah-lara]

The link doesn't work for me, but I have only ever said bad things about the show, before and after Rachel, and I'm going to continue to do that.

The producers may also be real people with feelings but then again so are the contestants they make strip to their underwear and weigh in on trucker scales, work out up to 8 hours a day sometimes on injuries, allow to be yelled at constantly and told their minor human slip-ups are major character flaws, tell to pull cars around a track instead of doing normal safe exercise, etc. And that's just the stuff on camera; the stuff behind the scenes sounds like it could be worse (if Kai is right the contestants are woefully misinformed about the level of care they'll receive when signing up and the whole place sounds like an ED factory).

I don't even like the name of the show. I get the play on words, of course, but they're already calling everybody losers.

[EnglishIvy]

Originally Posted by cherimac

I'm not judging her. I just dislike the BL. It's an unhealthy way to lose weight and breeds trouble, IMO.

This article by Ellen Barrett is wonderful.

Ellen's Blog

IMHO, Ellen blows with whatever wind serves her at the moment (see her infamous "As a skinny person today, you convey to the world that you are wealthy and healthy" blog post. Kind of ironic because her comment would imply that the latest BL winner has hit the pinnacle of wealth and health.

The current bandwagon of BL backlash will serve her better today from a marketing standpoint so she's on her phony wellness and vitality mantra. I just don't buy the Little Miss Sunshine routine any more ...or her workouts for that matter.

ETA: I totally agree that wellness would be a much better focus

[ddj]

The link wouldn't open for me, either. But I am also concerned for Rachel, not beating her up.

When she left the ranch, the doctor told her that her body fat was at 19%. I happen to think that's pretty darn healthy. But he went on to say that she was 5% away from athlete status and I believe that fed her competitive nature.

Jillian once compared her to a former contestant, Tara. She pointed out that Rachel was far surpassing anything Tara had achieved. I believe that also fueled her competitive nature. The fact that she had once been a world class swimmer would seem to indicate that she does, indeed, have a competitive nature.

But what bothered me the most was her comments to her Dad the night of the makeover episode. She said that she had always worried that she had disappointed him when she quit swimming. It gave me the impression she had been carrying around this guilt for many years and I wondered if that was what drove her so. It was as if she was saying, look, I'm not quitting this time. I won't disappoint you again.

I don't believe any of these things helped to put her in a "healthy" mindset when she determined to win. I'm not at all sure she did it for the money. But whatever was driving her, I didn't feel it was healthy. I was concerned about her long before I saw her at the finale.

[rad]

Originally Posted by eyefit

Exactly. Here is another blog article saying this same thing by James Fell at SixPackAbs.com: http://www.sixpackabs.com/boycott-the-biggest-loser/ Both he and Caitlin at Fit and Feminist, as well as a slew of other smart people, are saying:

This is my favorite sentence from that blog: "The fact that no one has died yet is a testament to the physicians behind the show."

[Sarah-lara]

I just read the Ellen piece (don't know much about her) and wonder if she had been reading Fat Land by Critser, which explores the socio-economic basis behind overweight and does justify that theory of hers that thinner people tend to be among the richer and healthier in America. Even if not, and this is just Ellen's own mumble-stumbling to justify use her cutesy title, we should use caution not to read more into the word "convey." Convey here just means signal through appearance, not "is, as a matter of fact." If anybody is implying Rachel has hit the pinnacle of health/wealth, it's The Biggest Loser. They are literally the ones who handed her the cash prize in front of millions.

[EnglishIvy]

Originally Posted by Sarah-lara

I just read the Ellen piece (don't know much about her) and wonder if she had been reading Fat Land by Critser, which explores the socio-economic basis behind overweight and does justify that theory of hers that thinner people tend to be among the richer and healthier in America. Even if not, and this is just Ellen's own mumble-stumbling to justify use her cutesy title, we should use caution not to read more into the word "convey." Convey just means signal through appearance, not "is, as a matter of fact." If anybody is implying Rachel has hit the pinnacle of health/wealth, it's The Biggest Loser. They are literally the ones who handed her the cash prize in front of millions.

She pulled a youtube clip around the time that blog post came out--- her body bashing her formerly bulky "athletic" appearance. And I think the real caution is in avoiding the false "sunshine and wellness" vibe that she uses to market herself. Trying to soften the words after she received such a backlash doesn't keep her true thoughts from bleeding through the surface. I'm guessing she is a victim of her own attitudes so I mostly try to ignore her. It's just annoying because until I heard her speak, I liked her workouts.

Just "conveying" my displeasure for what I view as ingenuine behavior on her part. Don't read too much into it

[Sarah-lara]

Gotcha. Didn't know about the youtube thing.

[Demeris]

Originally Posted by EnglishIvy

IMHO, Ellen blows with whatever wind serves her at the moment (see her infamous "As a skinny person today, you convey to the world that you are wealthy and healthy" blog post. Kind of ironic because her comment would imply that the latest BL winner has hit the pinnacle of wealth and health.

The Duchess of Windsor famously said (over 70 years ago): "You can never be too thin or too rich."

[beth22]

Originally Posted by Lucky Star

I have nothing against the contestants; maybe Rachel will be fine and maybe not. It's the show I have problems with.

x2!!!!!