Reality TV bad for health
More reality programmes on television seem to be focusing on how we look. Some feature heaps of people in swimsuits
with six packs (The Bachelor, Ex on the Beach), others are a blatant judgment of how a person looks based on their body (Naked Attraction). What kind of message is this sending to our children about how we look? Or is it motivation to work on our physique in 2018?
We’re always going to judge people based on physical appearance, we’re visual creatures, after all. However, reality shows take it a step further, promoting the sexual objectification of people as entertainment. According to these shows it’s acceptable to openly judge a person according to their body and decide on this basis if they are worthy of further attention.
I’ve come across some reviews approving of Naked Attraction because it sends messages of selflove, body confidence and celebrates different body types.
Fair enough, but it misses the point – we are more than just bodies and we are more than just how we look.
Body positive and body acceptance messages are widespread. The body positive movement promotes messages about ‘‘embracing your flaws’’, ‘‘loving your cellulite’’ and ‘‘celebrating your curves’’.
We’re entitled to feel good in our bodies. But we are more than just bodies and we should be appreciated as such. We have feelings, thoughts and values.
When we reduce people to how they look we perpetuate a message that how we look is more important than how we feel, who we are, or what we can do. Research shows that objectification (of women in particular) changes how we relate to ourselves and each other.
If watching TV programmes like you mentioned motivates you to ‘work on your physique’, that’s OK. But know that having what you feel is a hot body is not necessarily going to make you feel better about yourself, land you the perfect partner or make you happier. When setting health and fitness goals, consider your motives. Focusing on how you feel or what you can do impacts more on your opinion of self, how you present at work, in relationships and life in general than getting 6-pack abs or losing 5kg.