There is a new TV show sparking outrage — and it hasn't even aired yet. Yesterday, TLC announced Hot & Heavy, a reality series about "mixed-weight" couples, and it didn't take long for the backlash to begin on Twitter.
The series, which follows three couples — Joy and Chris, Kristin and Rusty, and Adrianna and Ricardo — over the course of three one-hour episodes, is problematic for a lot of reasons, which people on Twitter were quick to point out.
For these couples, love knows no size. See the highs and lows of their mixed-weight relationships on the series premiere of #HotandHeavy Tuesday, January 7 at 10/9c.
The idea of celebrating people of different sizes who love each other isn't the issue; it's the execution.
For one, the title is just offensive.
@DEADLINE This is not okay and that title is horrible.
As is the term "mixed-weight."
@DEADLINE Mixed.... weight
And then there's the major issue that all of the "heavy" people featured on the show are women.
@TLC How come it’s only the women that are heavy?
Which perpetuates sexist beauty norms.
@DEADLINE only showing couples where the woman is heavier aka TLC into enforcing societal beauty standards only on women, kinda a sad stance to take into 2020.
@freeblackgirl Of course, only the women are heavier. Let's retitle, "How Can Men Possibly Love Fat Women?" 🙄🙄🙄
@TLC So will there be a couple the other way around him big her not just curious? #hotandheavy
Ultimately, people on Twitter seem to think that the show is more troll-baiting than it is celebratory.
@TLC Quit exploiting obese people. The only reason you are daring to air something like this is to get people to watch your crummy network. Used to love TLC. Now I pretty much scroll right on by it when setting my DVR.
The show is supposed to air Jan. 7, 2020, so TLC has until then to weigh requests like this one.
@DEADLINE pls delete this tweet and then delete the show.