In a medium where the default approach when it comes to treating plus-sized Americans is to take the lead of the size-positive remake of Hairspray and have her preside over a Dance Your Ass Off competition, the idea behind FOX's new reality series More to Love is downright subversive. The average American woman, we're told, is a size 14; the average female reality show contestant is a size two. Yet despite the endless commercial pressure and media messages, plenty of Big Beautiful Women (a.k.a. BBWs) manage to sustain long and successful relationships — what about a show for them?
A commendable idea, at least on paper. More is a BBW variation on The Bachelor. In it, bear-like real estate investor Luke Conley invites 20 full-figured "girls" (he can't stop calling 'em "girls," even though series hostess Emme keeps utilizing the word "ladies") to your basic reality show mansion, where he starts culling 'em down to pick the Girl of His Dreams. The BBWs generally range within the upper 100s to the lower 200s — what those in the size acceptance movement refer to as mid-sized — and are physically quite stunning. You can clearly see Luke is enthralled at the sight of each and every one of these lovely fat women, and, watching 'em get introduced to him one at a time in the show's first 20 minutes, you can understand why. With a few What Not to Wear exceptions, these women have been packaged to look glamorous and self-confident — even if they're all quiveringly insecure inside.
But this wouldn't be FOX or reality television if More didn't have its share of creepy and vaguely dishonest moments. Foremost is the show's central idea, which repeatedly gets hammered at us throughout the opening episode: based on their experiences, these women are certain that this show is their "last ditch effort" at finding True Love. Again and again, we're told through contestant voiceover that they've "never been on a date before," and when we do hear that one of the women has apparently been in an actual relationship in the past, it's clear the relationship was a psychologically abusive one. "The guy was embarrassed because of my size," she tells Luke, to which the man thankfully notes that the guy didn't deserve to be with her.
Article comments
1 - Elvira Black
Sounds like an interesting show; haven't seen it or Dance your Ass Off yet, but will have to check my listings...
I think some of this is a regional thing; for example, in NYC, if you go to the Bronx, you see women of all shapes and sizes unapologetically strutting their stuff in clingy clothes; in Manhattan, you're more likely to get the sense that you are "fat" if you're not 90 pounds soaking wet.
2 - Bob
I think Fox missed the boat here. The bachelor should have been a hunky, reasonably successful and relativley thin man. (There are plently out there who appreciate a little more in a woman than a 98 pound stick figure can offer.) Instead they give us the message that if you're a big girl find a big guy and be thankful you could get that.