Cultural Interests

The Biggest Loser is a popular show where overweight people compete to lose weight. If they lose the most weight and win the contest, they win a cash prize. Appropriately, it aired first in America in 2004. Globally, Americans are associated with being overweight. This show adds to that stereotype. Also, it adds to the media based/social pressure to be thin. This show teaches viewers that being heavy is a quality that should lower their self-esteem and feel bad about themselves. While it is argued and proven on some accounts about health benefits of weightloss, who said that being skinny should be the norm? Author Eric Oliver argues in his book Fat Politics that "it's not obesity, but the panic over obesity, that's the real health problem." This show is a prime example of this.

Cosmopolitan Magazine has been a popular read for 125 years. While there are many topics addressed between the pages, the primary focus is on sex and sexuality. I have mixed feelings about this and so does the general public from what I gather. On one hand, it is a good thing that women can read about other people's experiences with sex and gain information on different aspects of sex. For a long time, sex and sexuality were kept hush-hush. As time progresses, it is important that we become more liberal and accepting instead of stuck in our conservative ways that breed shame and fear into things we should celebrate...like our sexuality. On the other hand, Cosmo feeds America's need for stereotypes. All of the women are portrayed as thin, neighboring articles about how to lose weight. The men are all portrayed as muscular and "ideal." Women are the main audience for this publication, and the impact it has on them is crucial. While they are promoting open mindedness and self awareness, they are also pushing those who don't fit the stereotypical mold into a corner.

Heidi Montag is a reality star from "The Hills"-a show documenting (though scripted) the daily lives of wealthy, beautiful people in California. She began her stardom as a thin, small-breasted, attractive girl, but now has a completely new appearance. She has undergone 10+ plastic surgeries, and some of them twice. While many people think she is a bad example of someone to show their kids, I think she is a great teaching model for young women. Because her life is over-documented in the media, it is easy to find out about her endeavors. In an interview with Life and Style magazine, she discusses her surgeries and how they have impacted her. Through this interview and some internet research on Heidi, it is easy to gather the message that altering one's body to fit a certain image is not worth it. She talks about how it damaged her career, her personal life, and how she actually looked and felt better about herself pre-plastic.