Subtle BBC News Eammon Holmes Dig
There is a remarkably unremarkable piece of news on the BBC website. Apparently according to that old favourite “A MEDICAL EXPERT” the appearance of so many fat people on TV normalises obesity. Or as BBC News Health section put it: Fat Stars ‘Make Obesity Normal’ (their scare quotes). One assumes this is much like the way that thin stars normalises thinness and causes anorexia VIA THE SAME MEDIA. Nevertheless the EXPERT is an EXPERT, which we can prove by a few pull quotes from him:
Professor McMahon, a expert on keyhole surgery, said: “The increasing profile of larger celebrities, for example James Corden, Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Jones and Beth Ditto, means that being overweight is now perceived as being ‘normal’ in the eyes of the public.
“We talk about the dangers of skinny media images, but the problem actually swings both ways.”
Hold up. Eammon Holmes? Since when has he been seen as a crusader for corpulence? Cuddly perhaps but I certainly wouldn’t put him in the top twenty fat celebrities. Chosing him above, say, Dawn French or Christopher Biggins seems a little churlish. Almost as if someone knew that Eammon is a little obsessed with his weigh himself. Or someone read this article in the Daily Mail: I Dread Being 50 And Fat. Someone is clarly out to undermine his confidence. Well I say Mr Holmes, ignore the Professors carping on and keep up the good work. And keep being a friend to owls. (OK, he looks a bit fat in this World Of Owls photo, but thats an aspect ration thing.)
Pete Baran in FT / Proven By Science • 161 views • Share/Save
I’m glad someone has finally had the guts to tell these fatties that they are abnormal freaks.
“Aspect ration” – yes a few less RATIONS and MR HOLMES would present a more agreeable ASPECT.
Naturally I support this professor in his effort to make the 1 in 5 fat people not already miserable see the error of their ways.
That owl could do with losing a few pounds too frankly. This is not Fawlty Towers.
is it me or is that owl vogueing?
Tom: quite. I’ve never remotely comprehended the attitude that seems to state that the best way to motivate oneself to lose weight is to get really, really depressed about how much you weigh now.
It’s appalling. The number of fat people allowed to be famous looks to be creeping into double figures, compared with the very few thin people who get to be famous.