Views: TV shows exploit, support fat people

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Part exploitation, part celebration.

It seems every network and channel is mining TV gold from the overweight segment: “Dance Your Ass Off,” “More To Love,” “The Biggest Loser,” ... the list goes on and on.

I’m torn. Do these shows help or do they hurt?

I’m no skinny thing, so I can understand the sensitive nature of this. Putting fat people on parade for monetary gain is a cruel sideshow act, no matter how heroically the networks spin it.

However, beyond the egregious fat-sploitation and Hollywood-fabricated scenarios, there could be some positives. And if you can see that, you might feel empowered in the face of insult.

Free help: Some of these shows feature supportive trainers and nutritionists, who help the show’s participants and watchers.

Fat pride: This isn’t an excuse to be heavy; it’s bad for your health. But feeling embarrassed or guilty makes us less likely to help ourselves.

Lessons in genuine empathy: We need to dump our schadenfreude and be happy for people who succeed and sympathetic when they don’t. It’s common decency.

Here are a few shows I’ve been watching, for better or worse:

“Dance Your Ass Off” (9 p.m. Mondays on Oxygen): You try dragging 250 pounds up a stripper pole. Most of these people will be graceful as Baryshnikov when they hit their goal weight. They’re not afraid to show off arms, legs, and well, you know. The focus is mainly on the dancing with some sensational “look at these emotionally unstable food-obsessed weirdos” editing thrown in.

“You Are What You Eat” (BBC America – check bbcamerica.com for listings): Dr. Gillian McKeith is a diet drill sergeant. The show’s shock value – imagine setting every fattening morsel you ate last week out on a table – is heightened by watching McKeith tear into some unhappy (but often stubborn) eater.

“I Want to Save Your Life (We – check wetv.com for listings): Charles Stuart Platkin, possibly the kindest diet guru (the anti-      McKeith) on TV works through emotional eaters’ feelings to speed their weight-loss journey.

“Ruby” (7 p.m. Sundays on Style Network): Sweet southern girl Ruby is fighting for her life. She’s lost more than 100 pounds so far. This is an entire series on one person – who hasn’t let her poundage make her shy – conquering weight.

“More to Love” (debuts 8 p.m. July 28 on Fox): Yes, heavy people need love, too. We’ll see if this chubby version of “The Bachelor” makes us cringe or smile.