TLC accused of fatphobia, fetishization with show about ‘mixed-weight’ couples

13.12.2019 00:41

The Daily Dot

'I wouldn’t mind if she was a little bit bigger,' a man says in the preview for 'Hot and Heavy.'

The post TLC accused of fatphobia, fetishization with show about ‘mixed-weight’ couples appeared first on The Daily Dot.

TLC announced a new show that aims to highlight stories of couples in what it dubs “mixed-weight relationships.”

The two-minute-long trailer for Hot and Heavy, released on Tuesday, shows a woman saying, “My mom told me that it’d be difficult to find love if I was heavy.”

Another woman says she feels she “hit the jackpot” by finding her partner.

“I always had this idea that I didn’t deserve love because of what I looked like,” another woman says.

For these couples, love knows no size. See the highs and lows of their mixed-weight relationships on the series premiere of #HotandHeavy Tuesday, January 7 at 10/9c. pic.twitter.com/QAFh8AILj7
— TLC Network (@TLC) December 10, 2019

The trailer then shows the women’s partners, who all comment on how happy and attracted they are to the women.

“I wouldn’t mind if she was a little bit bigger,” a man says.

Another man exclaims that “every inch is a joy.”

“There’s a lot of inches to love,” he adds.

The show immediately received backlash on Twitter, with TLC being accused of fatphobia and fetishization.

“What tf is this, @TLC? Creating a show about fat people in relationships, as if it’s surprising that anyone would love a fat woman. And not to mention the slight air of fat fetishization, it’s gross,” Twitter user @SimoneMariposa wrote.

Can we talk about the fatphobia of TLC as a channel because I am sick of it https://t.co/H4SSmBNam2
— Mean Fat Girl- (@Artists_Ali) December 11, 2019

Trying to find the words to describe how exploitative and fat misic TLC is. There is an obsession with the way they portray fat people under the guise of “harmless entertainment showing real lives” and it borders on fetishization. https://t.co/IOS9DHrpFM
— moon (@wittnsass) December 11, 2019

If there’s a worse idea for a reality TV show, I’d like to hear it. pic.twitter.com/7chIhIs90I
— David Hobby (@strobist) December 11, 2019

Hey @TLC, it’s 2020. Do better
— jacquelyn.goss (@jacquelynmgoss) December 12, 2019

OMG, #HotAndHeavy, @TLC?

Why, because the men dating these women are hot, and the women are heavy? This is so offensive to the #bigisbeautiful community. https://t.co/CMSQKBxgiS
— LibertyBoi Austin (@AustroJensen) December 12, 2019

What tf is this, @TLC?
Creating a show about fat people in relationships, as if it’s surprising that anyone would love a fat woman. And not to mention the slight air of fat fetishization, it’s gross. https://t.co/cJe1wNUOCw
— me, a fat (@SimoneMariposa) December 11, 2019

Another criticized the comments the men made in the clip.

“‘I wouldn’t mind if she was a little bit bigger’ ehhhhh sounds like a fetish to me,” Twitter user @myabrianne_21 wrote.

“I wouldn’t mind if she was a little bit bigger” ehhhhh sounds like a fetish to me
— mya (@myabrianne_21) December 10, 2019

Others pointed out how all of the couples shown in the preview are plus-size women with slim men, rather than the other way around.

“So… a show exclusively about ‘men who love plus-size women’ but not women who love plus-size men. Why not both ways, TLC?” Twitter user @GESSwrites questioned.

So...
a show exclusively about
"men who love
plus-size women"
but not women who love
plus-size men.
Why not both ways, @TLC ? pic.twitter.com/Id62jgtQw1
— GESS (@GESSwrites) December 11, 2019

So will there be a couple the other way around him big her not just curious? #hotandheavy
— Mercedes Bardales (@mommy1669) December 11, 2019

According to Deadline, Hot and Heavy is set to premiere in January. The series will comprise of three hour-long episodes, each showing a different couple’s story.

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H/T BuzzFeed

The post TLC accused of fatphobia, fetishization with show about ‘mixed-weight’ couples appeared first on The Daily Dot.