ABC and the New Show HUGE--Politically Incorrect, Appropriate, or Ahead of Its Time?

The ABC network recently decided to take on a show that has caused enormous controversy. Huge seems to be a television show that is either loved or hated. Huge follows several teenagers at a weight loss camp as they discover who they are outside of their overweight bodies.

One problem with the show is its premise. The teenagers are at a weight-loss camp so there is an implication they need to lose weight. Yes, losing weight is important to a healthy lifestyle. What is not discussed is how some teenagers (and adults) try everything to lose weight and cannot. Perhaps they have a thyroid condition like I do where a tiny pill does all the food metabolism in the body? Maybe these teens or those watching Huge have other issues preventing them from losing weight. People come in large, small, and medium sizes. I do not believe the show Huge is attempting to make fun of overweight people. The premise of "love huge, think huge, act huge" is wonderful but the addition of solely overweight teenagers is too much.

Teenagers are already more susceptible to eating disorders and other conditions that make them feel they should "fit in" with their friends at school. Take it from someone who was a fifteen year old bald girl going through chemotherapy, the teen years are not the years to stand out in a crowd. Every imperfection is magnified by the teen one-hundred fold. Why can't teenagers "love huge, think huge, and act huge" without actually being overweight? I do not believe teenagers are at a point of being able to love themselves when their differences are so obvious.

Erik Erikson would place teenagers in a psychosocial crisis called identity versus role confusion. The main question these young people have to answer is who they are and where they are going. No one wants to be labeled the "fat girl" or "fat boy." As Erikson himself said the adolescent is concerned with how they appear to others. How the adolescent appears to him or herself is of lesser importance.

The next psychosocial crisis is when young adults would be more responsive to accepting themselves for who they are. We are still hyper aware of what others think of us in this stage but are able to change ourselves for the better.

Huge would work better with older characters-perhaps those in college. The focus is on finding and loving oneself in spite of being physically overweight. Older people are more capable of seeing this as a change and not an insult. There is a photo on abc.com as a poster for the program. It shows an overweight brunette in a bathing suit looking very insecure. Teens who are overweight (as well as some adults) do feel this way about being in bathing suits. The feeling I received from the poster was one of ridicule. I hope future episodes will focus on how weight does not matter as much as attitude. I believe it will with ABC having a poll up asking "what makes you huge" and the options were personality, humor, kindness, and loyalty.

In close, I do not believe ABC had any ill intention in creating the television show Huge. Hopefully over time society will be more accepting of people who are all sizes because being healthy does not necessarily mean being thin. In a world where teenagers continue to be harassed about their weight, I do not believe this is the correct time for Huge to be on air. I simply do not believe teenagers are ready for this program.