TLC Accused of Fetishization With Show About 'Mixed-Weight' Couples
archived 12 Dec 2019 23:14:55 UTC
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
