Kai Hibbard says The Biggest Loser gave her an Eating Disorder

It was bound to happen. A contestant from NBC’s The Biggest Loser claims she is now anorexic.

“It gave me a really fun eating disorder that I battle every day, and it also messed up my mental body image because the lighter I got during that T.V. show, the more I hated my body. And I tell you what, at 144 and at 262 and at 280, I had never hated my body before that show.” — Hibbard

There is no question that being so grotesquely overweight is a mental disorder, difficult to overcome. Reality tv is entertainment, despite whatever message or intentions the creative effort behind it might have – or pretend to have. That said, 1)I don’t really care if this woman has a mental disorder caused by the show, since she likely had one that lead her to believe it was a good idea to sign on the the show in the first place. 2)If she didn’t have an “eating disorder” before the show, what the hell is weighing over 250 lbs considered?

I have my own issues with my body and health, and I want to be respectful towards the struggles of other people. I can’t shake the feeling that this woman is just another reality show douchebag that I am only hesitant to be flip about because of her unfortunate body issues. I know it sucks being fat, and it sucks to be mentally ill, but it fucking sucks to blame the show, which she signed up for as an adult and which accomplished exactly what it explicitly proposed.

Could the public attention, and spotlighting of her body be the reason she is not happy? Unarguably, it could. But is there a reality show star who walks away without the pressure of having strangers voice opinions on the public parts of their lives? I know I’d rather be 144lbs of muscle and therapist visits than 262lbs. But hey, that’s me. Here’s hoping Kai Hibbard finds a way to be happy.

This entry was posted on June 18, 2010 at 5:50 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.